Principles & Style

Style fluctuates in response to change: personal, historical, cultural. Our personal style changes with our priorities: when we transition from school to adulthood, when we move to a new part of the country, when we get new hobbies or make new friends. Fashion by the decades is always defined by the concerns of that era. Church buildings are influenced by the popular theology of the day. All art movements develop their look when a group of artists share a philosophy.

I learned in theatre school that style is an expression of value. If Christians live by definitive values that transcend culture, does that prescribe a particular style?

All Christians looking the same way, creating and consuming the same art? Certainly not! One only has to look at creation to know there are many ways to be beautiful.

Absolute truth refers to a statement that is true at all times, places, and for all people. Principles are similar. A principle guides us in truth regardless of our circumstances.

“an overarching theme that's important to grasp about Principles vs. Methods is that you are free… you should be dogmatic about Principles, as long as they're Biblical ones, and then you should be giving… latitude in terms of Methods.” - Sheologians, Principles vs. Methods

Christian fellowship is a biblical principle; Wednesday night prayer meeting is a method. Loving your neighbor is a biblical principle; baking a pie for the new neighbor is a method. The method does not replace the principle. Principles equip us to make decisions unique to our situation or season. When we’re strong with biblical principles, we can be flexible regarding the methods.

In art, value informs our style. When we are firm in our values it allows for greater freedom of expression. If we emphasize methods over principles, we look for prescriptive style. Without an actionable understanding of principles, artists rely on societal permission over authentic creativity. We often mock stylistic in-breeding in closed circles, especially where fear of failure is high, but often fail to guard against it.

Few art styles, if any, have singularly Christian influence. Great cathedrals got their style from Roman basilicas. Narnia is based in pagan mythology. Modern worship songs comes from rock and stadium country. Regardless of origin, if art is enduring, there is something of beauty that interests us. Following the principles of redemption and refinement, I believe much of secular art and style is available to Christians when it can be aligned with biblical principles.

Joshua Porter, former Christian hardcore musician now pastor, makes the argument for punk when it follows the principle of rebellion against the “ruler of this age.” He speaks about the concept as an underlying theme in the book, Death to Deconstruction: Reclaiming Faithfulness as an Act of Rebellion. Making punk music is the method, in his case, aligned with the principle of resisting the devil. Radical? Porter claims Christianity always has been.

You may dislike his style or conclusion but we believe God looks at the heart. Perhaps your style is more in line with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir but you likely differ with those artists on key values. This doesn’t become prescriptive in how you have to enjoy art. Your taste for a particular style speaks to your values even if the artist doesn’t completely align. Style does not always equal the same values; shared values don’t produce identical style.

Holding principles and methods in proper order fosters a culture of creative freedom. The legalist says, you have to follow my method; the Christian says, follow God’s principle. It takes a humble heart to know my method, no matter how passionate I am about it, is not the standard. And humility guards us against violating a principle for the sake of a method.

Here are some considerations for practicing style as an expression of values:

Practice ordering principles and methods. If you don’t like something, are you offended by the style or the value? Guard against discrediting a work (or worse a person!) because you assume it violates a principle. Warning, this practice can expose idols of the heart.

Another style isn’t inherently a threat. Guard against seeing someone else’s tastes as a threat to you. Too often indie creatives have come to expect judgement from the mainstream and justify their self-importance. Give someone the same freedom you’re ready to claim for yourself.

Likewise, guard against dismissing the individual as belonging to another, lesser category than yourself. When someone shares a style you may not align with, don’t get offended! Look for a shared principle and what you can learn from it.

Consider, does your style reflect your values? The phrase “style is an expressions of value” is a tool in understanding art. It claims that by observing art, we learn something about the artist and can further interpret the art with that knowledge. If you’re feeling burnt out in your style, perhaps it no longer reflects you or your current values.

“Transformation unfolds within the safeguards of orthodoxy.” - Joshua Porter, Death to Deconstruction

You can still be passionate about your style and methods! If our principles are in proper order, we gain freedom to create and can truly enjoy style. Don’t pull back from bold stylistic choices in your work for fear of man. Likewise, enjoy spirited discussions on style and method, especially with those rooted in good principles.