Friday 8 July 2016

For His glory?

"Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." 1 Corinthians 10:31 (NKJV)

Adult colouring is very popular right now and has really taken off with Christians too. A lot of what is sold as adult colouring has links to world faiths e.g. mandalas are related to Hinduism and Buddhism. Zentangle is a popular expression for many of the designs available at the moment. Zen is a particular form of Buddhism and zentangle is a modern version of 'artistic meditation'. Whilst on occasions it might be difficult to distinguish between zentangle and doodles, this is because some use the word incorrectly or loosely. Technically and speaking, you cannot have a Christian zentangle without it being an oxymoron (Exodus 20, verse 3). You may also notice the word 'mindfulness' popping up all over the place, particularly in relation to colouring. 'Mindfulness' is predominantly associated with Buddhism, although it also shares links with Hinduism also.


So as Christians who are interested in adult colouring, we have to ask ourselves whether our artwork, including our colouring is for the glory of God. I believe passionately that the God who created us in His own image, deposited creativity in each and every one of us. That is true of human beings the world over. We have a capacity for original creativity unparalleled by any other species. Every human being, whether they seek to follow God or not, has been gifted with creative ability. Using the gifts and talents God has given us is 100% biblical. For that reason alone, I would encourage all believers to make space for some form of creativity in their lives.



At the same time, God's people can use gifts or talents for their own purposes and in so doing, corrupt that which was intended for good. We see an example of this whilst Moses (Moshe in Hebrew) was up the mountain collecting the ten commandments. Meanwhile, at the base of the mountain, we see his older brother Aaron, using creative ability to produce a golden calf, an object of idolatry. It did not end well. 


The bible talks about the use of imagination which is a power for good or evil. There is also enough information about meditation in the bible for us to be able to distinguish between Judeo-Christian meditation and other forms practised within the world.


My brethren, do not be children in your intellects, but be infants in evil and be fully mature in your intellects. (Aramaic Bible in Plain English)


Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (King James 2000 Bible)