2 minute read“Why do we need art? … Because the only way we can approach God is if we’re honest through metaphor, through symbol. So art becomes essential, not decorative.” That wise reflection came from U2‘s Bono during a discussion with Eugene Peterson about the role of the psalms in Christian faith. I’m completely sold on that perspective and am convinced God is, too. So much of Christian culture tries to present the faith as literal and systematic, but the ancient texts of Scripture are unwavering in their raw, artistic portrayals of God, faith, life, and spirituality.
Later in that video Bono laments, “I’m talking about dishonesty that I find a lot of in Christian art… Write a song about their bad marriage. Write a song about how they’re, you know, pissed off at the government. Because that’s what God wants from you: the truth. The way, the truth. And that truthfulness–know the truth, the truth will set you free–it’ll blow things apart. Why I’m suspicious about Christians is because of this lack of realism and I’d love to see more of that in art and in life and in music.” I share his deep-seated suspicion about these disingenuous façades.
Most Midwestern churches have basements. That’s where events like Alcoholics Anonymous are hosted. Upstairs in the sanctuary there’s an unstated expectation of presenting oneself as happy, successful, and put together, but down in the basement is the candor. There people speak openly and honestly about the ups and downs of their lives. There they share who they really are without filtering everything through rose-colored glasses. Beatnik Christianity aims to take that “basement mentality” of A.A. and, through art, prophetically bring it upstairs into the sanctuary.
The basic premise of Andy Crouch‘s book, Culture Making: Recovering Our Creative Calling, is that the imago dei contains a cultural imperative. If God is the ultimate Creator of everything and humanity is made in God’s image, then surely an essential part of what it means to fully live into our humanity is to reflect our Creator’s very nature by being sub-creators ourselves. This divine reflection in our humanity compels us to use God’s creation to in turn be creative. Agreed. All I’d add is that divine creativity should be infused with Jesus‘ honesty and vulnerability.
The original beatniks were known not only for their artistic flair but for clearly portraying the complexity of the human condition. At a time when the 1950s mainstream culture was clinging to traditional values portrayed through simplistic tropes, the Beat Generation was examining the multi-faceted nature of the human psyche and soul. Bono’s plea for Christian artists to write songs about their broken marriages and discontent with their governments? He’s calling Jesus followers to practice authentic artistic expression like the Beats. That’s beatnik Christianity.
