Ohhh CJMorgan.

Is there such a thing as an openly Christian art critic?

Anyone who is a born again Christian will have his focus entirely on Jesus Christ, The Word, witnessing, prayer and fellowship.
These are the "circle of life" for committed christians.

Art is a dark underworld... full of evil spirit influences...drugs, booze, sexual perversion etc.

Who, who is on-fire for The Lord, ever goes there with any seriousness?
There are many who are going to call The Lord, Lord on the last day... but simply will not make it.

Committed born again Christian art critics dont exist.
Many art critics who refer to themselves as christians because they live in a so-called christian country, will exist.

"Art is a dark underworld... full of evil spirit influences...drugs, booze, sexual perversion etc."

Once again Gibo demonstrates the amazing lack of understanding and his willingness to accept lies that comes from having a " focus entirely on Jesus Christ, The Word, witnessing, prayer and fellowship. "

It seems such a small step (if any) from Gibo's approach to running round an art gallery with a chisel and tin or paint (or maybe a burning brand). Thankfully much of the church is somewhat better informed than Gibo.

CJ in answer to your question, given the attempts to tie Hansons work to child sex abuse and the history of the organised church on that front it's always going to be difficult for any official response that appears to support what others claim is child abuse. It's an issue which has little to do with their mission and where comment taken out of context could remind people of a history most are trying to put behind them.

The extremists will generally lack the insight to see the complexities of the issue and the moderates such as Graham won't have the same history of belting people with their christianity.

R0bert

"Who, who is on-fire for The Lord, ever goes there with any seriousness?"

gosh, I never realised you "Christians" had a hard-on for Jesus

so getting back to the Catholic Priest who sexually abused me as a 12 year old at Confession, had he fallen out of lust/love for Jesus?

was he too an adulterer?

and do kids have more fun in Infantry as adults have in adultery?

religion seems a bit to complex for my logical mind

Gibo,

I don't know what you are going on about. I am a Born Again Christian, somewhat progressive, I'm not active in the arts world but I am involved in the nudist movement (as are quite a number of Christians, although they don't usually let people in their churches know). I think the Bill Henson photos are fine. They are in no way offensive. Far more harm was done the the girl in the photo by comments from Kevin Rudd and others calling them "Revolting".

The human body is God's creation and is nothing to be ashamed of.

By the way Gibo, I know who you are. I actually discovered this website doing Google searches on authors you had mentioned on your posts on the news.com.au forum. As I previously stated Gibo, I'm not an art critic, but just because I'm a Christian doesn't mean I can't involve myself in secular entertainment.

SNAKE... I better cruise off for a while :)

Right now.. I'm post cuppa.. b4 that I'd been preparing components for a job.. zip to the puter.. quick post.. back to prep work.. Most of my posts are done between 5:00am and 7:00am.

DD.. regarding child abuse.. please take the trouble read these words of Jesus:

Mark 9:42 "And if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone tied around his neck. If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out.And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell...

I think from that you can predict the end of that mans life if he does not repent in sack-cloth and ashes from the heart.

Perhaps there is a message for Henson in that passage also? I don't know.. but he does.

ROBERT.. if we GBs wax eloquent about Hensons art.. we will be called 'wowsers' and 'fundamentalist creeps'....

Which of course is pretty strange when there are secularists out there saying the same thing.

But...that's the Christian life. John the Baptist lost his head over his criticism of a dodgy marriage relationship of a big shot.

Jesus Christ wants His people on fire... not pansying around with the world including a fallen world of artists etc.
If not... His Promise is to spit you out of His Mouth.
He wants no lukewarm.
As christians we cant dance with a half-hearted commitment.
Soon the end of the great spirit war wraps up.
We know this because we can see it in the increase in wars, earthquakes, famines and diseases spoken about in Luke chapter 21/Matthew chapter 24 and in the rise of the worlds final dictator and his rotten microchip on either the right hand or forehead system of watching everyone via satellite.
Its in Revelation 13:16-18 and 14:9-11 and "they" are starting to chip folks now.
We are not to receive that mark/chip... 14:9-11.
Hell is the reward (check out Mary K Baxter a divine revelation of hell and mark of the beast 666).
Committed christians need to be out telling the world that Jesus is coming soon.