FCS utilizes the arts as a vehicle to build community, bring to life a biblical worldview, and equip students to participate in giving glory to God through artistic endeavors. Our repertoire of productions includes recognized classics as well as exemplary works written, orchestrated, choreographed, and produced by FCS students and faculty.
All FCS students enjoy a great benefit from their school’s Fine and Performing Arts tradition. Through the high quality and rich content of the Fine Arts program, FCS seeks to build an encouraging educational community, focused on bringing a biblical worldview to life and equipping students to give glory to God through their artistic endeavors.
Philosophy of Fine Arts
The expression of the arts is a reflection of the nature and character of a creative God. Beauty is an attribute of God and is therefore, a theological, objective concept—not one of personal preference. Beauty needs no justification other than the fact that what is beautiful, brings glory to God. All beauty is God’s beauty, wherever it is found. Beauty is linked to goodness and truth in a Trinitarian fashion. The concept of beauty cannot be apprehended apart from its connection to goodness and truth. Truth cannot be understood without its connection to goodness and beauty. Goodness cannot be comprehended except in its relationship with truth and beauty.
Art that is purely message-driven usually fails as art because of a lack of understanding this Trinitarian concept. Unfortunately, this problem is also rampant in the Christian realm of the “arts.” Music, paintings, and literature that are bereft of any redeeming aesthetic value are lauded solely on the basis of the “Christian” content that the work portrays. This is a myopic and limited understanding of a Christian worldview because the manner in which something is said is just as important as what is said.
No biblical justification is needed for beauty, goodness, and truth as these inherently reveal the divine nature. Therefore, the structure and aim of the Fine Arts Department is to utilize the arts as a vehicle to build community, to make incarnate the philosophy and worldview taught in Humanities and other courses, and to equip students to participate in giving glory to God through artistic endeavors.
As such, the material chosen will be of the highest quality (preferably recognized classics whenever possible), pertain to the time period being studied in humanities, and challenging in such manner as to expand the students’ abilities and understanding.
