The Spiritual Battle, The Loss

As Evangelical Christians We Have Tended To Relegate Art To The Very Fringe Of Life. The Rest Of Human Life We Feel Is More Important. Despite Our Constant Talk About The Lordship Of Christ, We Have Narrowed Its Scope To A Very Small Area Of Reality.

In Face Of This Modern Nihilism, Christians Are Often Lacking In Courage. We Tend To Give The Impression That We Will Hold On To The Outward Forms Whatever Happens, Even If God Really Is Not There. But The Opposite Ought To Be True Of Us, So That People Can See That We Demand The Truth Of What Is There And That We Are Not Dealing Merely With Platitudes. In Other Words, It Should Be Understood That We Take This Question Of Truth And Personality So Seriously That If God Were Not There We Would Be Among The First Of Those Who Had The Courage To Step Out Of The Queue.

The Difference Between Christian Thinking And The Non-christian Philosopher Has Always Been At This Point. The Non-christian Philosopher Has Always Said That Man Is Normal Now, But Biblical Christianity Says He Is Abnormal Now.

They Are Equal Reality. They Are Two Streams Of Present Reality, Both Equally Promised. The Christian Dead Are Already With Christ Now, And Christ Really Lives In The Christian. Christ Lives In Me. The Christ Who Was Crucified, The Christ Whose Work Is Finished, The Christ Who Is Glorified Now, Has Promised (john 15) To Bring Forth Fruit In The Christian, Just As The Sap Of The Vine Brings Forth The Fruit In The Branch.

A Christian Should Use These Arts To The Glory Of God, Not Just As Tracts, Mind You, But As Things Of Beauty To The Praise Of God. An Art Work Can Be A Doxology In Itself.