Pictures of Jesus - Sinful Art?

[Richard King]

I thought this article was interesting.

Sorry I don't know how to link it with a hypertext word so I gotta put the whole mess on here:


http://www.timesanddemocrat.com/articles/2007/06/22/features/doc467b4c539e200337234337.txt

 

[VaughanRSmith]

Good on him. It's about time someone did something about it, I'm sick of seeing Jesus pictures everywhere.

To hyperlink text, highlight it, and press the link button up the top of the text box (the one with the world and the chain sign). Then a little box comes up for you to put the link in.

Or, use the following syntax (witout spaces before and after the [ ] 's)

[ URL="http://www.google.com/" ]Here is your link.[ /URL ]

will look like

Here is your link.

 

[Gryphonette]

This guy's my new hero!

I loathe made-up images purported to be of Jesus. Had the LORD intended us to know what His Son looked like in the flesh, He would have left either an image or a word description. Instead, we've neither.

What really burns my bacon is how He is inevitably portrayed as handsome, even though Isaiah 53:2a says:

"He has no stately form or majesty
That we should look upon Him,
Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him."

Really? His appearance is attractive in man-generated images, heaven knows.

Bah. Humbug!

 

[Augusta]

I am glad this book is out. I would like to get it. I have had debates with the RC's on my husbands side about this issue. It would be nice to see the way he argues it.

Good comments Josh, but you are right I dont' see them showing up yet. Maybe there is an approval process.

 

[Davidius]

 

[AV1611]

To hyperlink text, highlight it, and press the link button up the top of the text box (the one with the world and the chain sign). Then a little box comes up for you to put the link in.

This:

 

[VirginiaHuguenot]

The book is available for purchase here.

The study is available online here:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

 

[dannyhyde]

Looks like I got beat to the punch, as I have a book coming out from the Reformed Fellowship on this subject, entitled, "In Living Color: Pastoral Counsel on Images of Christ." From the contents of Mr. Griffin's book, it looks like a straight rejection of images, while mine does that, rejecting man's media of images while adding chapters on the Word and Sacraments as God's media...

I'll have to buy his book and interact with it...

 

[NaphtaliPress]

Danny,
Other than Mr. Griffin's and your forthcoming title, are you aware of any other recent books on this subject?

 

[dannyhyde]

Hi Chris,

No, I do not know of much out there. This is one of the reasons why Jeff Myers (PCA minister, FV advocate) says the Reformed have never rejected images of Jesus for art and education. In my book, I deal with Rev. Myers' paper on the limited use of images (found here) in the first chapter. Myers responds to the little Banner of Truth pamphlet by Peter Barnes, Pictures of Jesus.

Here is the table of contents for In Living Color: Pastoral Counsel on Images of Christ:

Introduction
1 Man’s Media: Images
2 God’s Media: Preaching
3 God’s Media: Sacraments
Conclusion

It's very brief (130 pages or so), but I do interact with Myers (as well as Chuck Baynard) in rejecting all images for any reason, while making the classic Reformed case for the Word and Sacraments as God dramatic media for the Church in this age, since we are pilgrims awaiting to see him (1 Peter 1:8).

 

[NaphtaliPress]

Danny,
Thanks; and I'm glad you are taking Meyers on. Do you deal with the bugaboo over WLC 109 "mental images"?

 

[dannyhyde]

Hi Chris,

Yes, I interact a little with Myers and Weilersbacher (RPCNA, 1974 essay), who both say it is beyond Scripture. I do so under the heading of the preaching of the Word, dealing with the use of imagination and vivd language in preaching.

 

[NaphtaliPress]

Thanks; good. It's MEyers, though, isn't it?

 

[Beoga]

I do not believe that we should make any sort of image of Christ or God (much to the dismay of my friends since I won't go and see Evan Almighty). One of the verses that I believe support this is the Second Commandment:
Exodus 20:
4"You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, (ESV)

However, in looking at these verses, it seems to me that if we were to use this passage in support of the idea that we should not make any sort of image of God, that we would have to believe that any sort of art is not allowed. This is because it says that we should not make images out of anything in Heaven or on Earth.
Thoughts?

 

[VaughanRSmith]

I do not believe that we should make any sort of image of Christ or God (much to the dismay of my friends since I won't go and see Evan Almighty). One of the verses that I believe support this is the Second Commandment:
Exodus 20:
4"You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, (ESV)

However, in looking at these verses, it seems to me that if we were to use this passage in support of the idea that we should not make any sort of image of God, that we would have to believe that any sort of art is not allowed. This is because it says that we should not make images out of anything in Heaven or on Earth.
Thoughts?

I think it is further illustrated here:

"Therefore watch yourselves very carefully. Since you saw no form on the day that the LORD spoke to you at Horeb out of the midst of the fire, beware lest you act corruptly by making a carved image for yourselves, in the form of any figure, the likeness of male or female, the likeness of any animal that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged bird that flies in the air, the likeness of anything that creeps on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the water under the earth. And beware lest you raise your eyes to heaven, and when you see the sun and the moon and the stars, all the host of heaven, you be drawn away and bow down to them and serve them, things that the LORD your God has allotted to all the peoples under the whole heaven.
(Deu 4:15-19)

I think it isn't pushing the text to say that since we haven't seen Jesus, we should be careful not to make an image of him for ourselves.

 

[SRoper]

I just skimmed Meyers's essay and found it rather interesting. Does anyone deal with his presentation of the historical use of images of Christ in the Reformation and post-Reformation church?