“As the ongoing problem with illiteracy in the schools continues to plague us, politicians will continue to call for more programs to fight it. Of course, some of us are a bit slow about these things. We thought that schools were supposed to be the program to fight illiteracy” (The Case for Classical Christian Education, …
Reformation Iconoclasm
“Reformation iconoclasm was not, however, anti-art. Rather, the rejection of graven images resulted in a major rechanneling of art” [Gene Veith, State of the Arts (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 1991), p. 59]
Why Love Fights
“We would love nothing more than to teach the truth and forget about lies. We do not want to attack lies because we have perverse love for attacking lies. The central reason a biblical minister hates a lie is because it threatens the truth, which is precious to him. A man who watches complacently while …
Define Kitsch
“There is a type of art known as ‘kitsch.’ In addition to paintings of Elvis on black velvet, this category would include plaster lawn ornaments, vacation souvenirs purchased in ‘tourist traps,’ and ‘cute’ knickknacks on the mantle. Kitsch is art of poor quality, which nevertheless manages to be enormously popular by appealing to some sentiment …
A Lover Not a Fighter
“But the Bible requires Christian leaders to know such issues, requiring in effect that Christian shepherds know what a wolf looks like. A man can be orthodox and yet be disqualified for ministry. A man can like the sheep without being qualified to fight the wolves” (“Epilogue” in Bound Only Once, p. 220).
Cheap Thrills
“Some people enjoy being scared; others enjoy the spectacle of people getting butchered. Visceral reactions—to sex, violence, shock, or dazzling special effects—are relatively easy to induce, and much popular art is only entertaining rather than done well.” [Gene Veith, State of the Arts (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 1991), p. 39]
But At Least We Fought
“The forces of the Enlightenment and modernity routed the standing armies of the faith in Europe, accomplishing what we currently see there, which is a nearly total hegemony on the part of unbelief. In this country, the forces of modernity captured all the key cultural centers, and metaphorically speaking forced the faithful up into the …
Part of a Larger Work of Art
“The art world today tends to scorn art that is ‘merely decorative.’ Choosing a painting because it matches the furniture does tend to minimize the work of art. The meaning of the work and its self-contained identity is neglected, giving the object of art no more status than the coffee table or the wallpaper. Decorative …
The Edges of His Ways
“We must not trifle with God. God is not restricted in what He is able to do. Nothing outside His own good purposes, His own nature and character, restricts Him in any way. ‘Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways, and how small a whisper we hear of Him! But the thunder of …
Art Need Not Be About Ego
“We do not know who designed the dazzling stained glass windows at Chartres, nor do we know who illuminated the Book of Kells or who wrote ‘Sir Gawaine and the Green Knight’” [Gene Veith, State of the Arts (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 1991), p. 32]