Argument from Beauty: Evangelical Christians have Neglected a Favorable Catalyst for the Gospel

It seems to me that some Evangelical Christians have taken a certain biblical passage in the wrong direction. Perhaps I, considering myself to be an Evangelical Christian, am guilty of such as well.

Romans 12:1-2 says, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

Verse 2 is where we get the phrase, be in the world, but don’t be of the world. What this means is that we should know our place. Our place is in heaven. The Bible says that we are citizens of heaven, and that we should think and act as if we are. Philippians 3:20-21 says, “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.” We should think and act as if we are citizens of heaven. We find in Colossians 3:1-2, “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.”

So, we should think and act as if our citizenship is in heaven because that is the ultimate reality. We should be not conformed to this world because our citizenship is in heaven. We should be in the world, but not be of the world, because our citizenship is in heaven. But the problem is, I think many of us have taken this in the wrong direction.

Christians in medieval times believed that everything beautiful pointed to God, and believed everything was sacred. Anyone who visits the Vatican and its Museums can see the truth of this. This is why there are so many things from medieval times that point to such beauty. Think about all the statues created and all the beautiful paintings painted in the name of Christianity. I would bet that the reason you likely have not heard of many of them is because art is unfortunately not what Christian’s value today. This is such a rare thing today because through history, we have begun to view the world as boring and ordinary. It seems to me that this perhaps has its origins in the protestant distancing from Catholicism, which if this is true, then it boils down to the genetic fallacy. What I mean by that is that when the 95 theses were nailed to the door, it seems that some protestants when they stepped away from Catholicism thought that the art and architecture of the cathedrals were either worldly on some level, or even worse, that it was idolatrous. I would argue that if this is the case, it is wrong. It would be committing the genetic fallacy because not everything that Catholics say and do is wrong. I think that in considering 1 Timothy 3:15, that the church is the “pillar and foundation of the truth,” that we should be on the forefront for art. If there are things that are objectively beautiful, then this objective beauty points to God. If a human being is capable of producing art that is objectively beautiful, then this person’s art points to God.

From the Top of the Copula at the Vatican Facing East.

Art is a way for us to point to the beauty of God to those who view the world in a similar fashion. I think that when we are in the world but not of the world, this discussion is not part of that, even though we have often made it such. Objective beauty is “out of this world” so to speak, and so as Christians, we should be involved with it. In other words, we are not supposed to dismiss the beautiful things that we find in the world, but we are instead to embrace them for God’s honor and glory. Look at what the Lord says to Moses in Exodus 31:2-5, “See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship, to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze, in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, to work in every craft.”

The School of Athens by Raphael.

I find it interesting that both the Temple of God and the Tabernacle of God in the Old Testament were to be so profoundly beautiful and exact. Not only does this show us that God expects the body of Christ to strive for excellence, but I would also argue that it is totally appropriate for our buildings to be beautiful. Not only does this set apart a building from the rest of the community, but when a person finds themselves in it, the beauty therein can be comforting, peaceful, and awe-inspiring itself. Isn’t this what we want for our people? Some may argue that we should instead be concerned with helping the poor and doing other things (which we should), but isn’t this good as well? In a dark and dreary world, we can recognize the beauty that God inserted into His creation, and let everyone be a part of it by highlighting objective beauty in our churches. I think as Christians, we should be the leaders, the authority, and the pillars of all things art. Yet, we have in a large way, neglected such a favorable catalyst for the gospel.

God gave some people the ability to create beautiful works of art, just like He did with music:

Vatican Museum Hallway

Praise the Lord!

Praise God in his sanctuary;

praise him in his mighty heavens!

Praise him for his mighty deeds;

praise him according to his excellent greatness!

Praise him with trumpet sound;

praise him with lute and harp!

Praise him with tambourine and dance;

praise him with strings and pipe!

Praise him with sounding cymbals;

praise him with loud clashing cymbals!

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!

Praise the Lord![1]

All of the musical instruments mentioned require skill. When a person is learning to play the guitar for instance, the songs are small and easy: “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star,” “Whole Wide World” (Wreckless Eric), blues riffs, etc. But, when a person continues to play, the skill escalates to playing songs that sound like Lynyrd Skynyrd and Led Zeppelin, not only impressing the artist himself, but also giving others enjoyment by listening to him.

Paul Gould writes in his book, Cultural Apologetics, “The ideas and beliefs that fill our hearts with wonder are largely the same things that fill the nonbeliever’s heart with wonder: romantic comedies, political scandals, dystopian thrillers, sports, visits to the mall, a day at the amusement park, a trip to the beach.”[2]

This is what "the pillar and foundation of the truth" has lowered itself to.[3] We need to get back to
valuing art above all others as Christians. We need to be on the forefront of praising, handling, promoting, admiring, and creating beauty. Beauty transcends all people because true beauty is objective.

If even one thing is objectively beautiful, then God exists. If this one thing transcends all people by its beauty, then it is because its beauty is found in the object, not the subject.

1. If objective beauty exists, then God exists.

2. Objective beauty exists.

3. Therefore God exists.

Augustine asks regarding things of beauty, “My first question will be whether these things are beautiful because they delight, or delight because they are beautiful. Here he will undoubtedly answer that they delight because they are beautiful.”[4] This is an interesting thing to ponder. He is asking if the thing is beautiful because it is objectively beautiful itself, or if the thing is beautiful because some subject thinks that the thing is beautiful. There is an infinite difference. This is why it is important that the church today, including evangelicals, should be on the front lines for art. As Paul Gould argues in his book mentioned above, this is one way we can bring people out of the mundane, boring world, into a belief in things that transcend us. Art can spark curiosity, it can revive imagination, and it can point to God. As Christians, we should not distance ourselves from such, but we should not only embrace it, but we should be the leaders of it.

Written by Nace Howell through the grace of our Lord Jesus

[1] ESV, Psalm 150.

[2] Paul Gould, Cultural Apologetics: Renewing the Christian Voice, Conscience, and Imagination in a Disenchanted World(Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2019), 177.

[3] See 1 Timothy 3:15.

[4] Augustine, De Veritate Religione (translated by Edmund Hill New City Press: Hyde Park, NY, 2005) 69.

Comments

Self-tests of Some of the World's Religions

It is fairly common for a religion of the world to give itself a sort of test for truth, since this is one question that is asked of any religion: “Why should I believe what you are telling me is true?” After all, the answer to such a question will ultimately result in followers of specific beliefs and doctrines, let alone religions, or will result in a lack of followers. If a religion can answer this question posed by seekers and thinkers, and therefore train its adherents to be able to answer why a religion is true, this will inevitably help people believe in such, even if the claims are false. If there is no answer, this is where a religion will perhaps find more trouble for itself. Many religions make an appeal to a higher authority, namely, God , for the veracity of their existence and as a result, no one can question the truth from such an authority. This is correct in a sense, that if in fact God is making such a claim, then what is said or stated is true ...

The Evidence and Power of Testimony

What to say to People who Demand more Evidence for God. Why is there something rather than nothing? Glacier National Park. © Nace Howell, 2018. The question is, how much evidence do you require? Would Jesus have to come back and slap you in the face with evidence that He is God? It seems to me that there is a line we must draw. We do this in all other areas of our lives, so why would we treat theism any different? When a court convicts, they do so “beyond a reasonable doubt.” I would like to take a few moments to explore this a bit. But before we get to that, I want to pose a question, which is… why are you the standard? What makes you think He has to prove His existence to everyone individually? He already created the universe from nothing. In the beginning, there was a big bang. Seriously… do you believe your mom when she tells you a story about her day? Did you believe the reports of 9/11 when they were happening? Do you accept the testimony of anything you hear on social ...

Who Made God? Identifying Categorical Errors

A category is simply a distinct class to which something belongs… A set of objects that can be treated as equal in some way. A Macintosh apple belongs to the category, apple, and not what we categorize as an orange. Similarly, colors are in a different category than taste. When we say, “apples and oranges” what we mean is that there has been a confusion of categories. Sure, they are both fruit, but when you examine both, there is an obvious difference. An apple is not an orange, and an orange is not an apple. Macintosh, Granny Smith, and red delicious are all apples. Navel, blood, and Valencia are all oranges. To mix the two, for instance, to call a navel orange an apple, would be a categorical error, sometimes referred to as a category mistake. How Identifying Categorical Errors can Help with Apologetics It seems that simply learning about or being reminded of categorical errors can help us be more aware of them. We have all heard or thought of ourselves, the...

Baptism is Not Necessary for Salvation According to the Early Church

Let’s dive right in. The Bible says in Acts 2:37-41, Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. The phrase in Acts 2:38 that reads, “for the forgiveness of your sins” modifies the word repentance, not the word baptism. See more about this Here . What is interesting is that those who translate the above verse as meaning that baptism is a requ...

Objectivity is the Language of Heaven

NDErs (i. e. people who have claimed to have had a Near Death Experience ) often report that when they go to Heaven, they frequently see and recognize people such as friends and family members. It is often also reported that when they were communicating with friends and relatives, they realized that they weren’t speaking English, but that they were telepathically speaking to one another. It seems it would be impossible to have communication with others without learning every language that has ever existed under the sun, but since heaven is a perfect place, [1] then communication should be perfect as well. In other words, it seems unlikely that there are barriers to communication. So, I should be able to communicate with the Apostles, upon my arrival for instance, but how? I personally only really know how to speak English fluently. My Spanish, Japanese, German, Russian, Chinese, and Latin is like that of a child, and my Greek is only in reading and writing. If ...

Using Guilt to Guide to the Truth

While taking a cultural apologetics class in my doctorate, I rambled along in a 30-page paper and in it, I wrote that, “I define religion as an anthropological system consisting of worship which is often filled with specific sacred rituals that seeks to appease or eradicate guilt.” My professor red-penned this and said that I am not yet in an authoritative position to make such definitions. But I was never asked how I came up with such a definition. The thing is, working on my second post-graduate degree in apologetics, studying many other religions on a deeper level was inevitable, and by this, I noticed a pattern in all of them which was the fact that they all seek to appease or eradicate guilt, including Buddhism , even though many adherents of Buddhism claim that it is not a religion . The point is that all religions seek to eradicate guilt on some level, because guilt crosses all cultures and times, to all people . Guilt transcends all people. The ...

Two Problems Jesus has with the Mormon Doctrine of Eternal Families

Mormonism teaches that those who are married in a temple can be married for eternity. In Doctrine and Covenants 132:15–20, we find the following: 15 Therefore, if a man marry him a wife in the world, and he marry her not by me nor by my word , and he covenant with her so long as he is in the world and she with him, their covenant and marriage are not of force when they are dead , and when they are out of the world; therefore, they are not bound by any law when they are out of the world. 16 Therefore, when they are out of the world they neither marry nor are given in marriage; but are appointed angels in heaven, which angels are ministering servants, to minister for those who are worthy of a far more, and an exceeding, and an eternal weight of glory. 17 For these angels did not abide my law; therefore, they cannot be enlarged, but remain separately and singly, without exaltation, in their saved condition, to all eternity; and from henceforth are not gods, but are angels of God for...

How to Show a Mormon the Difference Between the Mormon Jesus and the Biblical Jesus

I find that Mormons frequently claim that they are Christians, and that they want to be referred to as Christians, and that they have even recently sought to distance themselves from the word “Mormon.” The problem is, they worship another Jesus, and here is how to show them the difference between the Mormon Jesus and the Biblical Jesus. Before we get to that, some clarifications are necessary. Specifically, that they cannot even distance themselves from being called "Mormons." The Mormon President Russell Nelson said, “What’s in a name or, in this case, a nickname? When it comes to nicknames of the Church, such as the “LDS Church,” the “Mormon Church,” or the “Church of the Latter-day Saints,” the most important thing in those names is the absence of the Savior’s name. To remove the Lord’s name from the Lord’s Church is a major victory for Satan. When we discard the Savior’s name, we are subtly disregarding all that Jesus Christ did for us—even His Atonement.” [1] ...

The Highest Virtue

A virtue is a trait of excellence. What is the highest virtue? It seems that based on the nature of truth, that truth itself is perhaps the highest virtue. For instance, I could say that love is the highest virtue, but then I could ask the question of whether that is true or not. If it is or isn’t true, this places truth virtuously higher than love, at least in some sense. The fact that I can question love through the lens of truth seems to place truth above love in height of virtue. On the other hand, if I said that truth is the highest virtue, then it seems that it would be loving to tell others the truth! Perhaps truth and love go hand in hand, but this also concerns the nature of what truth is. Truth is a requirement for love, which I argue here , but is love a requirement for truth? Love must contain truth in order to be true love. But truth does not have to contain love in order to be true truth. Take for instance, mathematics, or numbers in general… Sometimes, t...

The God of the Killdozer Operator, Marvin Heemeyer

While working toward becoming an apologist and a pastor, I was a heavy equipment operator. I have over 15 years’ experience in the field, focusing on hydrological restorations (stream bank and river restoration and water dam removals) and site development for building pads (ranging from houses to one million + sq. ft. warehouses). I say this because I want to show where the heart for writing article this came about. Marvin Heemeyer purchased a bulldozer from an auction which was a Komatsu D355A with an operating weight of 97,907 lbs. (this does not include the weight of Heemeyer’s fabricated addition). In the picture above, I am operating a Komatsu D155AX which has an operating weight of 89,300 lbs. (If I remember correctly, we were developing the site for a 550,000 sq. ft. warehouse building pad). Heemeyer then went on a rampage in his armored bulldozer in Granby, CO. I don’t want to go into great details about what led up to Heemeyer doing what he did, nor do I want to go into great ...

Apologetics and Evidence

Search This Blog