Creativity

Creativity is impossible to manufacture. More often than not, we just copy the latest trend. That's not to say all copying is wrong. I understand the logic. Why reinvent the wheel? If it works, do it. At some point, though, our copying of the latest trend drones away into uninspiring sameness.

We can see this tendency especially in pop Christianity. Music, preaching, Sunday services, church programs all seem to follow the cookie-cutter mold of what works. Systematic theologies, for instance, seem to take the same scientific approach (try reading Calvin's Institutes and contrast it with some of the newer Systematic Theologies). Popular Christian music's lyrics, music, and vocals all seem to sound the same. Everybody seems to want to sound like their hero preacher. Technology probably makes matters worse. I wonder if information overload makes us more prone to copying what we hear. How can we recover our creativity?

Before the how question can be answered, we should probably address the why. I think creativity makes us better people who live more fulfilling lives, and I'm not talking about fulfilling your Joel Osteen fantasy. Perhaps an example from my workplace might help. I am a programmer. I work with a team of people to convert a program from an old (ancient) platform to a new(er) platform. Each person I work with contributes their ideas on how best to do this conversion project. We certainly copy each other a great deal, but we face challenges along the way that demand unique solutions. As a team and as individuals, we need creativity to make the project go smoothly - to face these challenges. If we restrict ourselves too much to one way of thinking, I do not believe the project would go as smoothly or the end product would be as strong.


Christianity especially makes creativity difficult - even heresy is difficult to create nowadays (I mean is Love Wins really all that creative anyways?). For instance, a creative pen toward the doctrine of the Trinity is not well looked upon and shouldn't be. Yet, I think we should examine doctrine with a critical eye. We will often rediscover the truth of a particular doctrine, but maybe the process of rediscovery has given us a new way to communicate its content. At other times, we may find that contemporary understanding of the issue is wrong, and we can work to correct that understanding. Either way, we can enrich our lives and the lives of others through this process.


Creativity is difficult work for me. I have three ways that I've tried to promote creative thinking in my own life. First, I try to really know the subject. The more I know the subject the more I am able to look at the issue in different ways. While I do depend on people I agree with, I try to keep an open mind toward those I don't agree with. They may ultimately have the wrong the conclusion, but at least they approach the issue differently than those I depend upon the most. In my recent study of Romans 1, I found that I agreed most with Douglas Moo's approach to the chapter. Carson and Morris did not deviate much from Moo so I gleaned less from them than I did from Dunn though I disagreed with him more. The more I read, the more I felt like like I understood the subject and I was able to formulate my own thoughts.

Secondly, I don't limit my interests to one field of study. My passion is the Bible (theology, the languages, hermeneutics, etc.), but I've tried to make sure that I listen to good music, read good books, watch good movies. I try to understand the content as well as the medium through which the content was communicated. Oftentimes, the medium is the creative part. Honestly, I feel like I'm more of an admirer of good work than I am a producer. But engaging with these creative works helps me to think that way when it comes to studying my passion.

Thirdly, I have no delusions of grandeur. As high as my standards are, I'm sure I have reinvented the wheel several times in my journey towards creativity. Though creativity comes naturally to some people, I understand that I will have to work hard. I am in a constant evaluation mode. My goal is to get better at thinking and communicating.

I want to be able to find ways to creatively communicate my thoughts (hopefully creative ones) to others. I want  to be able to find ways to make an art of my science. I can't paint like van Gogh. I can't write like C.S. Lewis. I can't speak like Martin Luther King Jr. Then again, I don't want to.