Art that edifies

Culture warriors need to elevate their tastes | Gene Edward Veith

Contrary to common assumptions, "cultural issues" are not about politics. Nor are cultural issues primarily about morality. Political and moral problems are symptoms of a culture gone awry. But culture itself has to do with an underlying social infrastructure—the realm of the family, education, and the arts.

The arts—considered broadly to include not only music, stories, and visual design but other "artifacts" such as scientific inventions and the information media—are a key battleground in the culture war. But in these battles, many Christians are fighting on the wrong side.

Part of our cultural problem is that art has been reduced to an "entertainment industry." The most successful formula is to give consumers jolts of pleasure that will stimulate them out of their boredom. It is much easier to entertain consumers with images of sex and violence than to edify an audience with works of meaning and beauty.