[rating:3.0]
(New York: Harper One, 2014)
200 pgs
It is undoubtedly not a surprise when an artist believes that God intends for everyone to be an artist. From their vantage point, this would appear self-evident. It would be equally understanding for a doctor to assume that God intended for everyone to bring healing to others or if an engineer believed that God intends for everyone to build something with their life. So it is not a surprise that Raphael McManus, an artist, believes that there is within each person, an artisan soul.
Erwin McManus is the founding pastor of Mosaic, a church located on the Hollywood strip. He has authored numerous books, including Soul Cravings, Chasing Daylight, and The Unstoppable Force. I will be visiting his church next month. His ministry intrigues me because he is seeking to bring the good news of the Gospel to an extremely secularized society to which he ministers.
McManus argues that the church has for too long presented Christianity as if faith and creativity were adversaries rather than allies (6). He also notes that society tends to view creativity as the domain of extraordinary people, rather than as the possession of those who are ordinary (4). McManus argues that God is the ultimate artisan, and, being made in God’s image, people are never more like God than when they create as well (22). His book is a call for people to have the courage to free their artisan soul.
McManus is an artist and this book reflects that. He has a number of interesting, thought-provoking quotes. However, one of the downsides to twitter-like quotes in a book is that statements can be made that are all-inclusive without providing adequate context or support to make them convincing.
Some of these statements include: “The creative act is an act of courage” (7). Obviously I agree that it does take courage to create, sometimes. But does it always require courage? Or, “We cannot create without risk” (9). Again, I am drawn to ask if this is so in every circumstance. Or, “Jesus’s early followers formed a movement of dreamers and visionaries” (17). Here I would challenge that the apostles were not following their dreams or their visions, but God’s. Throughout the Gospels, whenever the disciples pursued their dreams, Jesus rebuked them! (See Luke 9). McManus states: “Artists love without reservation” (35). This type of generalized statement trips me up and makes me begin thinking of the exceptions to this rule. I don’t mean to be overly critical, because I liked this book. It is just that, as an artist, McManus offers some broad strokes that may produce an overall pleasing effect, but can often break down upon closer examination.
I found that McManus has one general message in this book and he promotes it in various ways throughout his book. I do think he makes some interesting points. He states, “To create is an act of worship” (10). I felt like this could be a beautiful depiction of our God-called vocation, whatever that might be. I was also intrigued by his comment, “Sometimes we get trapped in the past rather than at the beginning” (23). He poignantly suggests: “We cannot live a life of passion and not know sorrow. To pursue a dream is to invite a nightmare!” (35). Sounds a bit pessimistic, but does give one pause for thought. Some other interesting comments were: “Our demons rarely come at us from the future; most often they chase after us from our past” (42); “Far too often, we are more afraid of silence than we are of emptiness” (43). These statements often make us think for a moment, but they often pass along to the next theme without providing much supporting evidence for the point just made.
McManus provides an interesting challenge in urging people to take the pen or brush into their own hands and refuse to allow other people to tell their story. He urges people to let their Creator define them, rather than other people. He notes that, “Every other voice will either make us less than we were intended to be or convince us that we are more than we really are” (59). He humorously comments that the difference between a sane man and an insane man is that the sane person knows that the voices he is hearing in his head are not his own! (64).
McManus also has an interesting discussion about developing our own story. He observes: “We don’t see people for who they are; we see them through the filter of everyone we’ve ever known” (73). He adds; “Truth is not nearly as powerful as interpretation” (72). He also claims that our experiences are not nearly as powerful in our lives as our memories (85). He argues that we must interpret our experiences for them to have meaning. Therefore, how we choose to interpret our experiences determines the joy as well as the success of our lives.
McManus claims that the human imagination is the most profound and unique aspect of being human (95). I might challenge this point. Generally the possession of a soul or the ability to reason has been recognized as humanity’s most unique trait. Nonetheless, he suggests that, “Everything that exists began as an idea” (93). Therefore, we must cultivate our imagination as it has the power to create much beauty in an often, colorless world. He suggests that every creative act ought to bring life to others (109). This is certainly a noble view of art, as opposed to a much more self-focused view of an artist.
I liked McManus’s discussion of dealing with limitations. As an artist, I know personally how limited I am! But he notes that “We aren’t limited because we have limitations; we are limited because we haven’t embraced them” (149). He challenges readers to not allow themselves to be defined by their limitations (152). His ongoing challenge to his readers is to refuse to be buttonholed into a dreary, unfulfilling life. Rather, to imagine what God might do through their lives if they let Him write the script of their lives, rather than accepting the critical and negative interpretations that others have made of them.
As in so many books like this, there are times when it appears that readers are being encouraged to write their own story for their life and to take the brush firmly in their grip for whatever becomes of their life. Yet at other times McManus clearly encourages readers to allow their Creator to narrate and unfold their life as only He can. Clearly it is best to allow our Creator to define us, and our purpose, rather than to spend our entire lives searching, unaided, for meaning.
This book was easy to read. McManus is a good writer and makes a number of interesting comments. Because he makes some broad sweeping statements and because he views life through his own artistic perspective, he invites a certain amount of push back from the reader. Nevertheless, his style also causes readers to consider a perspective they might never have thought about before. Certainly in an age of political correctness and trends, we all need to be challenged to let our Creator guide us to become the masterpiece He designed us to be.
This book is good for more logical, linear type thinkers like me to read, on occasion. It adds texture and beauty to what can at times be a drab, uninspired perspective on life. Nevertheless, you may also want to pick up a more rational, systematic work next to garner further support and biblical foundation for such an artistic view of life.
by Richard Blackaby