People give me weird looks when I tell them I’m a literature snob, giving them images of Kate in her happy place, surrounded by dusty old tomes of bygone eras.
Growing up on campus, I longed to go to the Concert, Opera & Drama Series before they would let kids in at age 6.
I remember being in the Museum & Gallery, learning typical artistic symbols to distinguish between John the Baptist or Mary Magdalene.
I am thankful to be able to come a liberal arts college that provides me diverse opportunities: for parents, grandparents, faculty and friends who ingrained in me the need for beautiful, Christ-honoring, art.
In the short time I have been at college, I quickly realized that many students didn’t grown up encouraged to love art as I was.
This lack of appreciation (mostly encouraged by our postmodern culture) makes me sad. God created the world to glorify Himself: we are surrounded by His beautiful masterpieces every moment of our lives, but we don’t know how to appreciate it.
The Bible has many examples of art. The Scriptures themselves don’t merely report facts but are also filled with some of the best Hebrew poetry and Hebrew and Greek literature ever!
Hundreds of hours were spent making the Lord’s temple not only functional, but breath-taking. He made the human voice so unique that violins, flutes, and many other instruments can only hope to emulate it.
God loves hearing good music. Even the birds He made can carry a tune.
From the complexity of an eye, to a leaf, to a wing, to the sun – to the entirety of the universe that we do not and will not ever comprehend: our God is a creator, curator and lover of beauty.
No. Shakespeare is not God; but he was created by God, in His image. As image bearers, we have been given the gift of creativity. Through creativity, man has been able to make a variety of beautiful things.
I understand that it can be hard to sit through a two-hour-long opera in a completely different language with old, unfamiliar music; or trying to understand the complexities of Shakespearean language in relation to what’s happening on stage.
From what the Bible has to say about art and music and the fact it includes some of the world’s best literature: I would think we, as God’s masterpieces, should try to have an appreciation for beauty as well.
Everything we learn in classes today is an accumulation of past learning. The forms of art we are exposed to in the Concert, Opera & Drama Series or the Museum & Gallery or En103 are also past works that can contribute to our education and roundedness as educated individuals.
So: why does the University require students to attend these events? To cultivate an attitude of appreciation and interest in us that we may be more rounded and informed as representatives of Christ.
Even if your major has nothing to do with theatre or music or art, Christians should still be willing—and even striving—to become more like our Creator and continually grow in our appreciation of truly beautiful and lasting pieces of historical value.
