Christian Arts vs.Christian Entertainment By Sandra J. Williams


From mime to music, dance and drama, the arts have found a new home within the church. No longer are our churches’ Arts auxiliaries limited to the annual Easter and Christmas plays. There has been an explosion of sorts, whereby exceptionally talented members of the congregation are using their various gifts to glorify God. But wait, there’s more! While glorifying God, they are expressing the Gospel message in a fresh, new and exciting way.


For some, the accep-


tance of ministries beyond preaching, teaching and singing in the church is frowned upon. Some believe that if the world does not receive the message the way they received it in the days of old, it’s too bad. For others, however, the arts within the church are a godsend. Members, who once had only the choice of ushering or singing in the choir, now have a myriad of choices to display their gifts.


40 INSPIRATIONTODAY If the church is truly


interested in the Gospel of Jesus Christ reaching the entire world, then the church must minister by every means possible, including ministry for those who are auditory, visual and kinesthetic learners. For some, this means that the message of the cross will be told through a story, visualized through drama or through dance.


Mika Gilliam, who was licensed as a missionary in the Church of God in Christ approxi- mately three years ago, uses her gift of storytelling to minister to God’s people: “I am involved in storytelling for children, targeting ages 5-11,” she says. “All stories are originally written and created by me, based on biblical principles.” And due to the way she presents her stories, they are accepted in schools, as well as outreach and non-profit programs.


When asked how she got started, Missionary Gilliam gave a heartfelt response: “Being saved and filled with the Holy Ghost at the age of seven, I knew all too well what God could do with the heart of a child. As a result, I had a burning desire to reach children with the Gospel of Jesus of Christ. And after much prayer, the Lord inspired me to utilize my love for the arts and


theatre to create a storytelling character named Ms. Muffin, a Southern Bell from Morning Star, Texas, who loves to tell children about Jesus! I currently write original stories with the main character as Billy Dan, a fun-loving little guy who always seems to need the Lord to get him out of trouble. Then I utilize Ms. Muffin to creatively share stories with nuggets sprinkled throughout the stories which share the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and/or biblical principles, with children in a way that they can easily hear, interpret, understand, and prayerfully, immediately apply biblical principles to their everyday lives. I love it and have received a great deal of positive feedback from parents, leaders, school teachers, principals, children, and even teenagers, who have had the opportunity to hear stories told by Ms. Muffin.”


Missionary Gilliam says children have been saved through her ministry, in addition to being taught excellent moral character and behavior, based on biblical principles. She believes there is a


simple difference between Christian entertainment and Christian arts ministry: “Christian entertainment can be enjoyable; however, the purpose of art ministry should, at the core, be driven by the desire to


reach and win others for Christ and share God’s Holy Word with creativity, empowerment, encouragement, and the inspiration to seek God with a heart of sincerity and the desire to implement growth and change in their everyday lives.”


Queen Phillips for Inspiration Today: Where do you see yourself going in this business?


Missionary Gilliam: “Prayer-


fully, I will have the opportunity to share this unique ministry with more children across the St. Louis area and eventually the country. Addi- tionally, I hope to produce a line of children’s books with Ms. Muffin and Billy Dan as some of the featured characters.” A number of Christians surveyed agreed that they enjoy Christian entertainment in the form of movies, books, video games, etc. The question is, however, whether they understand the difference in Christian arts as ministry versus pure entertainment. Clearly, some do not. Some venture to say that entertainers can be anointed. While it is agreed that entertainers are talented and gifted, the word “anointed” is gener- ally associated with one who is doing the will of the Father for the sake of spreading the Gospel message, while being empowered to change lives.


Angelica LaGrone dances regularly at Harvest Church in St. Louis and considers her dancing to be ministry: “My motivation for [dancing] is Kingdom business,” she says. “I want to minister to people through dance. I want to see people saved, lives changed and delivered, all for the Glory of God.” Angelica believes that Christian entertainment is for the Christian population. Her belief lines up with an article published by Seeking Alpha, a premiere website for actionable stock market options and analysis. Ian Cooper, a writer for


Seeking Alpha, says Christian enter- tainment is booming: “225 million Christians are starving for family- friendly themed products. This is further substantiated by Christianity Today magazine, which published an article stating that the secular entertainment industry is increasingly shifting its focus to attract the Christian audience.” Church members may be spending substantial amounts of money to obtain good, clean fun; however, it is important to know the difference between Christian A\arts and entertainment so that that which is allowed into the church remains holy.


Perhaps the best test for


those interested in the Christian arts is to ask themselves several questions:


Am I competing against anyone? Did God direct me to this ministry? What do I hope to accomplish for the Kingdom by being a part of this? I think it is important to note that while the Christian arts ministry can be entertaining, its main focus is to please God. This is evidenced by those who stated that their motivation in the arts is spiritual and not carnal. While the praises of men are sometimes encouraging, they are not the wind beneath the ministry. Those who are truly in ministry have a deep desire to please God through it.


It doesn’t matter if it’s song, dance, storytelling, drama, spoken word, music or another art form. They perform for an audience of one, bringing glory to the Kingdom of God.


Both Missionary Gilliam and Angelica LaGrone agreed that at the end of the day, they simply wanted to hear the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”


Sandra J. Williams is an author and missionary at New Mount Zion COGIC (St. Louis, MO), Eastern Missouri First Jurisdiction.


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