Art and faith have always been partners as people around the globe have used creativity to express the divine. Some of the world’s most stunning artwork is on ancient scrolls and the dusty chamber walls of pyramids, graphically leading the souls of pharaohs safely to the spiritual realm, guided by their deities. My faith is far different, and my theology of art is not elaborate, but I have a few thoughts. 

First, we all have the creative fire. Even those who doggedly deny it. I’ve taught art over the years to many who claim they “can’t draw a straight line” (here’s a secret: artists use rulers). Then later they were pleasantly surprised to hang their own work of art on their walls. Having been shaped by a Creator, our own creativity is a spiritual inheritance – our celestial family resemblance. 

Secondly, my favorite concept of God is that of Ultimate Artist. Overwhelmed by what we see around us, and even in deep space, I can’t help but think of all we have yet to see. If the natural world is this impressive, how might a supernatural world appear, with hues we can’t begin to imagine? When the machine I call my body finally fails, I’m counting on a little studio in heaven, with a myriad of divinely crafted colors. 

Lastly, I believe creativity points to the Divine. With all respect to those who differ, I cannot account for imagination by “survival of the fittest.” Natural selection doesn’t explain to me the source of creativity, much less its purpose. Whether music, literature, sculpture, or crayon stick figures, creative expression is stitched into our spiritual DNA by the Ultimate Artist, and may we all celebrate and nurture that creative inheritance planted within from the start.