Can Art be Christian?

Some Christians scoff at art, but is that wise? Isn’t God the author of all things good? Might our minds be changed if we see the subtle truth hidden in the beauty of art? In church this morning, the readings included a passage from the gospels on the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness. We are generally familiar with this passage and we sometimes “speed read” though it; however, the bulletin this morning caught my eye. On the cover was a beautiful work of art. A person that is intended to be Jesus is sitting by himself in the wilderness. I suppose this could be Jesus at prayer, but wait…what is that portrayed by the artist just over Jesus’ head? At first blush, it appears to be a dark cloud amidst a glorious sunrise; however, upon closer observation, the dark cloud takes on the shape of a bat. Might this be the artist’s foreshadowing of the looming temptation of Jesus by Satan? The artist has wonderfully suggested to us in a simple picture the gravity of the situation that Jesus finds himself. Maybe art does have a place in the Christian world…just sayin’