We are in the midst of a New Renaissance where advancing technology is now the backdrop for the latest developments in art and media.
A lot has changed since the Sistine Chapel or Gutenberg’s press, and this time around, Christians are not the ones leading the way. In many fields, they are nowhere to be seen, indistinguishable from the unbeliever in their craft. Many in the workplace have laid down the sword of the Spirit in favor of a spirit of pragmatism, and the new technology empire that fuels art and media is run largely by those who hate Christian principles—Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Amazon. Netflix is full of sexual and political propaganda, from “adult” content to children’s shows. YouTube and other social platforms are limiting the spread of Christian ideas. Even video games now promote unbiblical lifestyles and biases.
How do Christians today claim dominion in these areas and faithfully grow a cultural return for the Kingdom? How do we have a global impact on social media, film, technology, and gaming?
The Harvest Is Plentiful, The Laborers Few
I am a homeschool graduate and a college dropout. I left university because I ran out of money, got married, and started my own studio. I had no degree, no connections, and no money, but in the course of 10 years, we would work with Disney, Marvel, Capitol Records, the Dallas Cowboys, Red Bull, Amazon, and many more. I attribute this success to the grace of God and the tenacity that comes from the homeschool learning ethic.
Not only would I work on 8-figure creative campaigns for these international studios, but I also said no to a lot of projects that didn’t fit my Christian principles. Teams like Warner Brothers even came back to us with altered concepts after we turned them down. We saw firsthand how our willingness to bring Christ into our work paved the way for real impact in our industry . . . but I’ve also seen how rare it is to find other Christians leading the way in the arts, media, and technology. There are few Christian minds in this space and even less Christian money.
I believe there is a New Renaissance underway with the rapid advancement of creative technology and social media, but there are too few Christian craftsmen ready to claim this space. “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”
The First Renaissance: A Return to the Classics and a Push to the Future
The first Renaissance marked both an advance toward the future and a return to the past.
Men like Erasmus were returning to the original Greek manuscripts of the Scripture to improve on the Latin Vulgate that had dominated for over a millennium. The Scholastics in the previous generation had focused more on biblical commentaries like Peter Lombard’s Sentences or even commentaries on these commentaries, but the Renaissance thinkers were returning to the original sources. The artists of the Renaissance drew from classical antiquity—Michelangelo’s David, The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci, the Sistine Madonna, and The School of Athens by Raphael.
This return to the past fueled advances in art and learning that would have an everlasting impact within the church and without. The Bible was translated into the common languages—German, French, English, Spanish, and many more. Dante was among the first to write his high literary work in the common vernacular, bringing classic characters like Virgil into the common tongue. The Gutenberg Press made these literary works and new translations available at a fraction of the cost of hand-copied manuscripts. Columbus led a revolutionary expedition to the New World. Galileo championed Copernican heliocentrism. Da Vinci became the “father of modern science,” and it should be argued that each of these men was fueled by a Christian insight into the world. Even where a personal faith or strength of character falters in these historical figures, a deeply Christocentric culture abounded in support of these advances.
In these key areas of cultural impact—the sciences and art—the leading figures stood openly on the beauty and bounty of Christian culture and principles.
Our Christian Roots
Today in America, even children carry in their pockets the ability to craft art and information that will reach millions of viewers in the form of videos, photos, writing, or even games. So why are Christians today not having the same impact amidst a new wave of technological advancement?
If we want to capture the spirit of the first Renaissance, we have to return to our deep roots in the same way. Many Christians in America have lost touch with our foundation. There is a pervading “cultural Christianity” in our country that has lost its saltiness (Matthew 5:13). Almost 82% of students in America (according to the 2021 census ) are attending a public school system that is increasingly secular in nature, detaching education from a Christian worldview.
Over the last decade, I’ve watched as more and more of this crucial frontier is abandoned to unbelievers—movies and shows, games, social media, and technology. So many Christians have limited their producing and financing to “Christian” content that isn’t crafted to compete with the general art and media market. It is watered-down art spoon-fed to the overwhelming population of cultural Christians, a far cry from the Renaissance men whose distinctly Christian art is lauded universally as some of the best art in the world.
While homeschool programs that follow a Christ-centered worldview, such as the Classical Conversations program that I attended, are at the forefront of this effort, we need to encourage more. We need Christians who will enter these industries with a distinctly Christian influence, but we also need to equip them to compete in these crafts with excellence.
What did Galileo, da Vinci, or Michelangelo have that is lacking in our Christian work today?
I believe it was their deep knowledge across many disciplines, spanning back to the classical era, as well as pushing forward into new discoveries that set them apart. With programs like CC, we have begun that work of equipping our students with a deep knowledge that is essential for creating art that fulfills the depths of the human heart, but with the rapid advancement of technology that is used in production, there is also a need to constantly be learning and advancing on the frontier.
There are only a handful of colleges or programs that accomplish this today, and none of them are run by Christians.
The New Renaissance: A Kingdom Future
I’ve worked with hundreds of artists from all over the world, and I’ve seen an incredibly broad sample of what passes for art and media education in the U.S. and beyond. Schools that connect students with active, industry-leading artists are almost non-existent, and the price tag at those schools that do—like Gnomon in Los Angeles—reflects that.
This is something our studio, Three Division, is seeking to change, and we’re not alone.
We are building the educational resources Christians need to overtake art and technology for Christ. We have embraced a mentorship model where students are connected with masters in their trade for an intensive 7-week or 10-week cohort. All of our mentors are veterans in their field, actively creating for the biggest brands in the world but doing so with a distinctively Christian approach. We are building a network of Christian studios and Christian funding to connect students with real-world projects where they can cut their teeth in film, animation, product design, marketing, game production, and more.
Get Involved—Support Christian Artists
If you are a student, a donor, or a studio called to this field, now is the time to get involved. Our studio is still small by so many metrics, yet we’ve been able to reach over 100 million viewers across our digital work alone, and we’ve been blessed with the opportunity to impact some of the largest brands in the world. We are on the cusp of a new frontier, a moment in history where individuals and small teams can have a huge impact across the digital landscape.
“Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw, each one’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each one’s work. If anyone’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward” (1 Corinthians 3:12-14).
Are we building on our foundation with gold or hay? Now is the time to encourage our students and support Christian artists who are entering this battlefield. If we want to see lasting legacies like those coming out of the Renaissance, we need to invest the same kinds of resources— money, time, and prayer.
If we are faithful with our talents, God will bring growth.
