Sex in Art
The Erotic Christian Imagination
by John Peck
How do the three words "Christian," "sex," and "art" fit together? This is a vital question in our time, not only for the Christian doing art but also for the Christian encountering art.
Our culture confronts us with art products which have to do with sex and which are unacceptable to our moral sense as Christians, and we call these products "pornographic." We are also confronted with some art products that offend the social standards of the larger society to which we belong. These products have usually been called "obscene."
If we want to talk about what obscenity is and is not in art, we might look for an example of sex in art in the Bible. When we do, our minds go to one book: The Song of Solomon. If we look at that book, we have to admit that in the Scriptures themselves there is artwork about sex, and, furthermore, there are points in chapters 4 and 7 that are so potentially explicit that most translations muff them.1 Nevertheless, we would not call these passages pornographic or obscene. We could call them "erotic."
by John Peck
How do the three words "Christian," "sex," and "art" fit together? This is a vital question in our time, not only for the Christian doing art but also for the Christian encountering art.
Our culture confronts us with art products which have to do with sex and which are unacceptable to our moral sense as Christians, and we call these products "pornographic." We are also confronted with some art products that offend the social standards of the larger society to which we belong. These products have usually been called "obscene."
If we want to talk about what obscenity is and is not in art, we might look for an example of sex in art in the Bible. When we do, our minds go to one book: The Song of Solomon. If we look at that book, we have to admit that in the Scriptures themselves there is artwork about sex, and, furthermore, there are points in chapters 4 and 7 that are so potentially explicit that most translations muff them.1 Nevertheless, we would not call these passages pornographic or obscene. We could call them "erotic."
posted by LD at 1:58 PM
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