Music and the Allied Arts--Decorative Arts A

Music and the Allied Arts--Decorative Arts A

             This category includes art objects that are usually of a high high-quality and also includes both the useful and beautiful.  Although these art objects are often labeled as “useful art”, this designation should not suggest that the other art forms are not useful.  These art objects are often allied to music simply by fact that they beautify the place where we music.  They decorate a sanctuary, rehearsal room, classroom, or concert hall. 

            There has been much debate during previous centuries over whether or not Christians should decorate God’s houses of worship with these art objects.  Because of this debate many churches that have been constructed in the past one hundred years are almost devoid of any artistic decoration.  Where should the Christian stand on this issue?  To help answer this question I have included a small portion of the description of how the Temple was decorated and embellished with art objects and expensive overlays. 

                2Ch 3:6-10 And he garnished the house with precious stones for beauty: and the gold 

               was gold of Parvaim.  He overlaid also the house, the beams, the posts, and the walls

               thereof, and the doors thereof, with gold; and graved cherubims on the walls. And the

               weight of the nails was fifty shekels of gold. And he overlaid the upper chambers with

               gold.  And in the most holy house he made two cherubims of image work, and overlaid

               them with gold.  2Ch 3:14 And he made the vail of blue, and purple, and crimson, and

                fine linen, and wrought cherubims thereon.

As one can see the Temple was very artistically decorated with fine linen and Gold.  Its furnishings included much statuary and other ornately decorated objects.  So, there is absolutely no biblical prohibition on the decorative arts in a place of worship, or any other place for that matter.