Beyond the Fields

I recently had a job interview and had difficulty answering the question, “Who has influenced you the most?”

So many people, from all walks of life, have influenced me; I am in my 50’s, so that it is a lot of people.

I’m not sure I succeeded at making it clear, but at this stage in life, my answer pointed to the authors I met along the way. The authors that took me beyond the fields of rural North Carolina.

My personal desire to be the best I could be drove me & influenced many decisions. This desire drove me to bookstores, churches, conferences, and peoples’ homes.

I really was interested in faith (God) and wisdom, and how my creativity fit into the world.

At one point, I became really confused about Christianity and artistic pursuits. When I once referred to myself as a writer who happened to be a Christian, an elder quickly told me, “No, you are a Christian, who happens to be a writer.”

And that meant I should remain within certain boundaries that often excluded artists outside the Christian faith.

Hmmm.

Enter Dr. Francis A. Schaeffer to the rescue. Dr. Schaeffer was “a theologian with a deep interest in the arts,” (Art & the Bible).

That little paperback printed in 1973 claimed “The Christian is the one whose imagination should fly beyond the stars.”

I learned to appreciate diverse artists; Schaeffer assures the reader that one doesn’t have to dismiss interesting or superior art based on the artist’s worldview, ethnicity, or religion. Appreciating art, or I would add any fine work, does not mean I accept a particular worldview.

In my public university education, I would often hear talk in the literary circles denouncing “dead white men.” I never really entered those conversations because I found it offensive. Especially in a culturally diverse English department. I always thought that meant every culture & ethnicity.

It was a “dead white man” that taught me “a work of art has a value in itself,” (Art & the Bible, p. 33).

I could mention many more men, but I won’t at this time, in a blog. They deserve more space because the wisdom I gleaned from their words sharpened my critical thinking, my theological understanding, and deepened my artistic appreciation. They were often “the drivers” that led me to a stronger me.

So the real answer to “Who has influenced you the most?” definitely includes, most respectfully, a bunch of dead white men.