Created To Be Creative

The first thing we find out about God in the Jewish and Christian Bible is that He is creative. This we find not only first verse from the book of Genesis but it is repeated in the first verses of the book written by Jesus closest follower and friend, a guy named John.

As National Community Church Lead Pastor Mark Batterson suggests, maybe we should be using a little left brain logic to make a point about right brain creativity…

“If God is infinitely creative and we are not just created in His Image but called to be conformed to His Image, then creativity isn’t optional. Creativity is a dimension of spiritual maturity. To become more like the creator is to become more creative.”

Batterson continues, “What parent hasn’t hung a piece of kindergarten art on a refrigerator? Just as we celebrate creativity in our kids, so God celebrates creativity in us. He loves it. And it’s one way we love Him.

Theologian Francis A. Schaeffer who virtually created the pro-life movement in America has written and taught extensively about our call to creativity. In deed Schaeffer suggests that the Bible is full of creativity from beginning to end.

In the most recent part of the Bible often referred to by Christ Followers as the New Testament, we are called God’s Workmanship… literally Poeima or Poem in the original greek language it was written in. Much of the Bible is actually written in Hebrew poetic form. It is full of admonitions to sing a new song. David who many only know as the giant killer was also a designer of music instruments. The prophet named Ezekiel actually staged dramas. The original mobile church called the Tabernacle was an exquisite work of art including fine tapestry and gold overlay. The Temple designed by David and built by Solomon was more incredible yet.

And Schaeffer contends that the Biblical call to creativity extends well past the sacred context into the secular. He lists the description of Solomon’s throne as one example. I would argue that the whole sacred vs. secular dichotomy isn’t God’s invention but and idea straight out of the pit of hell itself. I would suggest that from the Bible’s viewpoint everything we do should reflect the creativity of God in or out of a church or synagogue.

Another example is in the life of Jesus himself. It’s not a stretch to say He spent most of His life on earth working as a “secular” artist. In Mathew’s writings about the life of Jesus, He is referred to as a “carpenter”. But a closer look at the original language gives us a much fuller picture of the word. The word often translated carpenter is the greek word tekton. A tekton was someone who understood something completely and transformed that knowledge into creations of wonder and excellence. They were able to take a piece of material, often wood and put it through a process of miraculous conversion. Tekton pictures someone who with a minimum of technical equipment and a maximum of craftmanship, who could make something of great beauty out of very little.

Along these same lines, Schaeffer argued that making something of beauty was a good reason in and of itself. Making something beautiful qualifies as a valid and even holy purpose for art.

I think a good case could be made that a call to faith… a call to step toward a relationship with God is also a call to creativity in some domain. It’s more than interesting that two of the most creative writers from the 20th Century were deep in a discussion about matters of faith. J.R.R. Tolkien who wrote the Lord of the Rings Trilogy as well as The Hobbit was trying to convince C.S. Lewis who would later write the Chronicles of Narnia and The Space Trilogy that a decision to follow Jesus Christ was a smart decision. Lewis was full of objections. Tolkien finally told Lewis the night before his conversion, “Your inability to understand stems from a failure of imagination on your part.”

I think this is a huge insight from a creative genius. It’s not that faith is illogical at all. It’s just that faith has even more to do with imagination and creativity. Many times we just need to ramp up our creativity to imagine a creative God who loves us and wants us to live a life above and beyond anything we could think of or imagine.

I have to tell you that the churches that I’m attracted to are the most creative places on the planet. Many run children’s programs and services that can compete with Disneyland. And so it should be with people who claim relationship with a Creative God!