The Bible paints the mysteries of life in nasty colors. Life is raw. Wretched and Righteous Lot offers his daughters to the perverts to do with what they will. Joseph wipes a bloody eye to see his brothers bartering for a few nickels and dimes. Women lust and kill.
Men lie and cheat.
Blood and sex, betrayal and boredom cover the pages of scripture. Our art should deal with the issues of life in a manner that reflects reality. At the conference, it was obvious that the church as an institution has not only failed to adequately develop the arts, but in fact, various members of the church have done great harm to individual artists as they dis- couraged the artists from pursuing their talent. Several people, including both conference attendees and speakers, shared impromptu testimonies of their experiences as an artist in the church. Most felt that when they came to Christ, they had to give up their art.