Religion and Art
In his profound essays, Schaeffer tackles the historical conflict between religion and art. Often, religious people feel that artistic pursuits can undermine their religious practice. However, Schaeffer debunks this idea, first by looking at examples of artistic endeavors in the bible, and then by suggesting that art forms celebrate the beauty of the world and God's creation.
The place of art
Schaeffer questions the purpose and place of art within the Christian life. He says that there are commonly accepted forms of religious art such as psalms and hymns, but questions whether art forms such as sculpture, drama, painting, and music can have a place within religious life. Through his first essay, he seeks to answer this question, pointing to biblical extracts to illustrate his ideas.
Scripture
In this text, Schaeffer looks closely at biblical passages. He analyses passages concerned with artistic pursuits, and how Christians might use this to inform their own decisions about art. In doing so, he helps Christian readers to reach their own conclusions about the place of art within their own lives.
