I received the following question recently:

“What is the difference between porn and art or movies or writing or photos that affirm and communicate very frankly that making love in a loving marriage is something that glorifies God? What about art that communicates that the human body is a beautiful thing that glorifies God because we are fearfully and wonderfully made?”

Here was my response:

“Your question appears to cover a couple of different categories and therefore a broader answer is provided.  Let’s start by defining our terms. 

Art can be defined as a creative expression that attempts through various mediums to capture a person’s understanding of and response to the physical universe as well as the artist’s experiences within this universe.  Pornography can be defined as any sexually explicit expression that has as its primary intent, the arousal of sexual desires within human beings, and results in the degradation of the human body, reducing it to little more than an instrument of self-centered pleasure.

So how do we determine if what is called art by some is actually art or is rather instead pornography?

Christian responses to the question of whether or not art that contains expressions of nudity or sexual activity are in fact art or are really pornography have generally fallen within three categories: Prohibition, abstinence, and moderation.  Prohibition results in legalism and total rejection of all forms of art that contain any type of nudity or suggestiveness.  Abstinence is the same as prohibition in practice.  The difference is that those who abstain from viewing any form of art do so as a willing choice and not necessarily because they have rejected every category.  Moderation seeks to find a balance in viewing art forms and relies on the Holy Spirit for guidance.

Scripture does speak to this issue rather clearly.  For example in 1 Corinthians 6:18-20 (NASB) we read: “Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body.  Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?  For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.”

We are informed in Romans 12:1-2 (NASB) that this includes our mind: ^“Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.  And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” 

The Apostle Paul encouraged the Philippian Christians with these words: “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things” (4:8, NASB).

Difficulty arises when people appeal to a pluralistic approach to values, i.e., one person’s pornography is another person’s art.  Christians must reject this because we have a responsibility to guard ourselves from any influence detrimental to our spiritual wellbeing.  

Another argument that is often appealed to on this subject is framed along the lines of “God created our bodies and therefore they are beautiful.”  It does not follow however, that because God created our bodies and gave mankind the gift of sexuality that this beauty and its sexual expression are free to be manifested for any and all to observe.  The story of Michelangelo and his first venture into painting people nude is a fitting illustration.  When the artist’s instructor challenged him to defend his decision to paint people in this way Michelangelo is said to have responded, “I want to see man as God sees man.”  His wise instructor offered the needed corrective, “But you are not God.” 

Christians must understand that the world system is intent on twisting and disfiguring all that God has declared good.  The human body and sexuality are things that God has created and determined to be good.  With renewed, transformed, and Spirit filled minds we are able to see the difference between what God has declared good and what the world system has perverted. 

Ravi Zacharias in his book Deliver Us From Evil makes this point succinctly.  “If an artist seeks to portray the unclothed human body as art while bringing to that rendering his or her own lustful and vile intentions, the unworthy motive of the artist cannot be denounced by the unthinking canvas” (p. 63).  It remains for the Christian who has the mind of Christ to discern those things.  It is not art or pornography that is morality’s sovereign.  God has declared what is right and it is the Christian’s responsibility to agree with His declaration.”

Your thoughts?