How the Church Can Invest More in the Arts

By Julian Reid

By featuring a multitude of artists who sang, spoke, and played, the United States witnessed the arts on full display during the Presidential Inauguration. As a musician, I was proud to see how the arts could inspire the public imagination and draw us into a vision of the new future, such as Jennifer Lopez’s fusion of Spanish and English in her rendition of “America the Beautiful.” Though this was a heartwarming occasion, I also found such prominent use of the arts ironic. The state of the arts in the US is never a campaign-worthy political issue to address, yet celebrity artists are often relied upon during the inaugural exercises to coronate the victor. The role of the arts during these critical moments in the life of the nation shows how important artists are to our social fabric. But if the arts are that important to the nation’s welfare, why do so many artists earn so little? Why is the “starving artist” trope so popular?

Jennifer Lopez sang "This Land is Your Land" and "America the Beautiful" at Joe Biden's inauguration. (At 2:49 she starts reciting the Pledge of Allegiance in Spanish.)

The Inauguration reminded me of the vulnerability of most artists. We need to give more comprehensive support to the arts and not take them for granted. And since I am a Christian artist, I want to help churches more fully support the arts within their own spaces. Here are 4 ways that can happen. 

1. Help Christian artists see that they cultivate spaces of worship.

One of the ancient tribes of Israel was the Tribe of Levi. They were the priests responsible for various religious duties, including sacrificing animals on behalf of Israel, maintaining the Temple, upholding religious law, and, in some cases, playing music. They did not receive compensation as other tribes did, nor did they receive an inheritance of land when Israel moved into the Promised Land. The nature of their work was such that God saw to their needs a different way: the first tithe of Israel was to be given to them, and God alone would be their inheritance, not land (Numbers 18:21-26, Joshua 13:33). These divine provisions in Israel’s social structure ensured the survival of the community, because as these vital workers were sustained, they were then able to sustain the work of cultivating spaces of worship for the people.

There is a parallel I want to draw between biblical Levites and modern-day Christian artists. Both groups were gifted to use their art to cultivate spaces for divine encounter. In today’s times, through poetry and music, drama and film, painting and sculpture, Christian musicians should know that their work can serve as a channel for people to encounter God in the world. The Church can remind Christian artists of the spaces they create (especially if those spaces are not in the traditional Sunday morning worship setting). It is not a foregone conclusion that artists understand the theological impact of their work. That sometimes requires teaching, which the Church can do through all kinds of avenues. (For instance, your church can do Bible studies on the way the arts show up in Scripture, such as Jesus’ art of storytelling through the parables, or the use of poetry in the Psalter.)

Here is a depiction of Jewish priests (uncertain if Levites) blowing their horns (khatsotsrah) during biblical times. Taken from Tim Dowley’s “Christian Music: A Global History” (Augsburg Fortress, 2011). https://ms.augsburgfortress.org/downloads/080069841XChapter1.pdf?redirected=true

2. Employ more artists.

Similar to Levites, modern-day full-time artists are often in a precarious financial situation. The nature of their work - freelancing gigs, doing a lot of pro bono work trying to catch a big break - can often leave them with unsteady streams of income. As such, they need the intentional support from others so they can continue doing the work to which God has called them. This need can inspire churches to think about creative ways to employ artists.

Can your church host album release parties for new records released by musicians in your church? Can your church employ visual artists or graphic designers from the congregation to create interesting visuals for church marketing or for building projects around your church? Or you can let them host fairs in your church! Buy their albums (far better than streaming). Hire them to come have conversation with you in your church about their process of making art. Figure out ways to support artists via their online platforms, and frequent their events when society starts opening back up. And of course, if you have artists who already work at your church (such as church musicians), ensure they are paid living wages.

3. Let Christian artists know the impact they have on you.

Whether it’s through music they contribute weekly to worship, or through visual art commissioned for the church, or through how images crafted for social media posts, just affirming the artists for their impact on you goes a long way. Let them know how they change your perspective on your faith and on greater society, or how they have helped you navigate your own life. Do not take their work for granted. Feedback is vital for healthy creators.

4. Lobby for arts education and justice in the arts industries.

Too often arts education programs get defunded in schools because the arts are not seen as essential to the students’ learning. And too often artists get a mere fraction of the money truly due their work, while other institutions reap bigger profits (e.g., musical artists who get pennies on the dollar for their streaming services).

But the Church can fight these unjust systems on behalf of its artists. We can resist government attempts to defund arts programs in public schools. We can support local art schools for children. We can demand Spotify and iTunes pay their musical artists more per stream. And we can join in national efforts to support the arts, such as through the National Endowment for the Arts or Americans for the Arts.

John Coltrane's Psalm “A Love Supreme,” with lyrics and music. He wrote out this Psalm in the style of the Book of Psalm and then played the syllables on his saxophone. May his sound inspire you on this journey of justice and care for the artists in your midst. Taken from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kOu61AtFVk

I am thankful the Presidential Inauguration challenged me to think more about justice for the arts - for my own art as well as for the art of Christian artists around me. I am also hopeful that God will continue to awaken the Church to the vast riches of the arts present in their congregations. We Christians can start at home, taking care of the needed yet vulnerable population of artists in our midsts, affirming their work and dreaming up new ways to help them flourish. Let us not merely turn to artists to suit our needs when the spotlight is on. Rather, let us continue to figure out ways to nurture these channels of God’s beauty. In so doing, we can stoke the creative, prophetic fires our churches and this country need. 

Julian Reid is the Editor of the Deus Ex Musica. An artist-theologian, he is a founding member of The JuJu Exchange as well as a regular preacher and solo performer. He holds degrees from Yale College and Candler School of Theology at Emory University. You can learn more about him here.

Title image taken from: https://www.poynter.org/reporting-editing/2021/what-we-can-learn-from-the-language-of-president-bidens-inauguration/