The Mouth Of Truth

To Be... or Not to

Niki Tulk* dips her hand into the Mouth of Truth to expore some of the Art/Faith 'dilemas' facing Christian musicians today.

The word ‘Theatre’ derives from the Greek word ‘Theos’. This is in itself a fascinating fact: from the earliest times, when people started to articulate modes of performance, people connected Performance to the Divine. In the case of the Ancient Greeks this Divine nature was obviously not the God of either Old or New Testament, but nevertheless the use of this word ‘theatre’ signals that the act of publicly -- ie through performance -- enacting and communicating profound stories to enlighten and enrich others in the community was an act that was seen as spiritually significant.

Which it is. Art is spiritually significant. Performance, as Art in this way, is spiritually significant.

Sadly, even tragically, this does not seems to be properly appreciated within the Christian community as a whole. In the following exploration I will be -- albeit lightly -- fingering two concerning themes: the marginalisation of the Arts within our culture and the ‘corporatisation’ of Christian music. I am also deeply interested in the relationship between these two themes.

Art is spiritually significant.
And we exist in an age where things spiritual are not truly valued unless they can contribute in some way to increased economic productivity, hence matters like Art are often trivialised and undernourished. As such, we witness a dislocation within our community, as what is meant to connect us with something richer, more ‘spiritual’ is seen often merely as ‘product’. Success as a Christian musician, for example, is all too often defined in terms of headcounts at concerts (or the euphemistic ‘ministry opportunities’), CDs (or units) sold, and to what degree the Artist is seen to be climbing the public promotional ladder.

In ‘secular’ culture, too, we are paying the price of this mentality. Mass culture at its lowest epitomises this -- instead of lifting and challenging society to go ‘deeper’ and reflect on truths that feed the ‘inner man’, we are fed junk apparitions that do nothing but feed the the lies that image is everything, money and worldly success is actual success, and that sex outside of scriptural guidelines is the way to personal empowerment and fulfilment. Even, unfortunately, through much of the merchandising of so-called Christian music.

Okay, so I will stop myself from denigrating the general media and the way it is soaking us in the basest levels of humanity.

Back to Art.
Or maybe this actually all relates, because I see a connection. Christians, when over-affected by Religion as institution (as opposed to expression of vital personal relationship) have struggled keenly with the seemingly opposite forces of the ‘flesh’ and the ‘divine’ in the Arts, particularly in music and the visual arts.

Let’s go back in time a moment.
As humans, we all agreed until the Enlightenment came along that we were integrated, that just because we had a neck didn’t mean that the cognitive was meant to be divided from the rest of our bodies, and that the heart, souls spirit and physical nature were one. This translated into a Christian life -- we are meant to be integrated. Hence under this concept, worship is not a style of music done in certain settings, but a positioning of our WHOLE selves in relation to God -- our entire inner and outer life expressing thanks and awe in often subconscious ways. When children are happy, they sing and dance. When adults are happy, they pay someone else to sing and dance for them. Again we see a division, a disconnection.

And this pervades much of our attitude to Christian music. And while we’re at it, should there even be such a term as ‘Christian Music’? Has it turned into a genre? Should we not just have Christians powerfully ministering through their music? Should there even be an ‘industry’?

In fact, it is interesting that we refer to the Christian music world as an Industry (a highly corporate, marketplace term). Or we refer to it as a ‘scene’, as if it is a fantastical version of something that is just image -- perhaps a mirage that dissipates on closer inspection. Especially the squeaky clean 'we are all doing this for God and want to serve everyone' line... I digress again.

Back to Art (again).
Or should I say ‘Heart’. The root of Art. ‘He’ and ‘Art’, melded together, seamless, fluid, unconscious, just a wondrous flowing through of the relationship between Creator and created, fruit from a union that although deliberate and chosen, is as deep and un-selfconscious as a bond between mother and child. So if we are bonded, loved, loving, devoted, free... if our hearts are this way, then why so much dissent and distraction around Art?

Because Art is significant. In some way that is not able to be adequately articulated, through Art we are connected and affected by the Divine. There is dissent and sometimes quiet wars, because we want to make sure that artists’ version of the divine is ‘safe’ -- ie is the same as ours.

And it will be, if we share the same heart. We will recognise -- beyond mere form, tone, pulse and tune -- the heartbeat of One we too know. And we will not judge an individual artist’s expression of that deepest of all relationships.

Art. Theos. Theatre.
So, where does performance fit with all of this? And how, as Christians who are often asked about this (and often by ourselves), do we develop some sort of theology of performance?

Some Christians struggle, it seems, with what they see as a paradox between ministry and performance. In fact in some circles the word ‘performance’ is carefully avoided, as it conjures up images of arrogance, public strutting and selfish preening and masks. I would argue that this is not actually performance.

Performance is essentially communication, storytelling, building a bridge that an audience can walk across to experience a world they have not previously experienced. In this the performer is facilitator, guide, inspirer. As a teacher gives everything to a public teaching of students to open their minds and imaginations to other things, they depict that enthusiastically and passionately with every skill at their disposal -- words, gestures, visuals, sounds... all are placed at the service of a higher desire to call students into a different place that will enrich them.

The moment a storyteller or teacher becomes self-conscious -- too keenly aware of reaction, monitoring themselves purely in the light of audience response -- they by doing so step OUT of the creative process of forming this bridge, and the world it leads to. Hence the power of the connection becomes broken. A performance becomes shallow, uninspired, and loses impact. Imagine a football player who is not 100% focused on the game. It is true that pride as response to the reactions of people/audience can creep in later, at cheer time, but the moment of performance itself still possesses an almost sacred quality to it -- a hushed, suspended in time, deep connection that can leave audience and performer alike in a state of wonder and inspiration, even breathlessness, at the end.

And if the aim of the story/performance is love and reaching out -- ie a giving, selfless, servant approach where the needs of the story and listeners are placed first, then Art is always positive.

In other words, to perform well one needs to move beyond self: self-consciousness, self-worship, even a degree of self-awareness. Craft has to be at a high level, so that good technique should release a performer to flow more easily and fully into their performance.

We think that Artists whose lives, hearts and music are ‘handed over’ to God, should be in a prime position to flow in their storytelling, because they won’t be concentrating on coming across well or being ‘good’ but rather they will be concentrating on giving their listeners everything they can, so that the listeners can be blessed through the music and story. Skill and heart meet, and the love of this flows through. There is nothing religious or dry about this. This is a matter of performing principles, of what DRIVES the performance, not necessarily the actual form of the performance. The form will reflect the heart, in that the heart (and not necessarily conscious intentions, but the heart on a more spiritual, instinctual level) will be the arbiter of form.

So how to summarise?
Art is significant, deeply and spiritually significant. The potential of music in particular to move, inspire, encourage and ‘shift’ people -- emotionally, cognitively and spiritually -- is immense.

A person may enter a musical experience and leave with a deep ‘shift’ in their perspective. They may become more engaged with others around them, have experienced a keen and deeply personal connection with God, or recognised and connected with their own stories of pain and joy. There is a capacity in the arts to facilitate, even cause, such a profound connection. This can take place on an emotional plane, and rousing or engaging powerful feelings of joy, desire, empowerment, courage, even grief are all ways that music helps us express and give vent to vital and deep feelings. Music and lyrics can connect this with a message too -- not just encouraging emotion in a vacuum, but allowing that bridge to connect us to others' experiences, hopes etc. Music can inspire us to go out and change the world, renew hope for our own circumstance.

Music is a powerful gift in worship, too, because of its God-given characteristics of connecting with the hearts and even deeper, the spiritual realm of people.
We believe that good music doesn’t just take us and leave us somewhere, but somehow inspires ‘fruit’ from this engagement, that the results of connection will be to want to serve more, love more, hope more and strive more for excellent things.

So what is the role of Art in this? Of ministry?
Well, the Art needs to be good, as close to excellence as possible. The Artist needs to then use their Art wisely, responsibly and lovingly -- with a servant attitude, that it is there to bless others and in giving themselves to this, they too will be blessed. The Artist then needs to be deliberately available to the opportunities that the Art opens up.

If all Christian artists, whatever their medium, embraced and celebrated the significance of their calling, disciplined themselves with their craft and aimed for excellence in skill and relationships, we will see such a renaissance in Australia. And above all, put on love, which binds these things together in perfect unity.

 

*Niki Tulk is co-founder of Small House Records, Manager of A&R (and a heap of other things!)