Artistic freedom at 250

OPINION:

Artistic freedom is essential for the future of America. It is not negotiable and it must not to be taken for granted, for there will always be censors and bad actors seeking to restrict the art they find offensive.

While Christian fundamentalists overstepped in their desire for censorship last century, the progressives are overstepping today as they censor, sue and cancel those who want to sing a different tune.

Why does this matter? The simple truth is that art has the power to unite and divide cultures. This was a core claim of Pitirim Sorokin, who founded the sociology department at Harvard. He experienced the lack of creative freedom and the peril of propaganda in Soviet Russia as a young man. His vast research while at Harvard confirmed over and over the necessity for art to unite a country.

The American experience is beautiful and unique. When we come together, singing “The Star-Spangled Banner” before a baseball game, it is more than tradition. It is a remembrance of the precious freedoms we have and what they cost. Our freedoms are not free, and it’s worth remembering and sharing with our neighbors of every race, creed and tongue.

Slavery ended because people used their creativity to expose the uncomfortable truth. It was creative freedom that allowed Harriet Beecher Stowe to sell millions of copies of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” exposing the evils of slavery and compelling men to fight to stop slavery.

National anthems, flags and seals are not silly little things. They are shorthand for the great story of which we are a part. It is not a perfect story, but the story is not over yet. We continue to strive to be united, and we continue to expose evil, opposing injustice and seeking a more perfect union where human flourishing is known by more and more people every year.

But creativity dies under tyranny. When artists kneel to the demands of kings and elites, everyone suffers. First, the artist suffers because she is not free to create what is in her heart. Second, the audience suffers because they are robbed of the true depth of ideas and imagination of their fellow citizen. Third, society suffers as culture begins to shrink and shrivel under the censors’ fear-infused edicts.

Censorship is alive and well, but it isn’t coming from the White House. It is coming from Hollywood themselves. This is evident in the artists they refuse to support as well as the artists they insist on silencing. From the CEOs of major media companies to the halls of the American Civil Liberties Union, censorship is alive and well.

Just take a few minutes to explore the outrageous court cases against Jack Phillips and Masterpiece Cakeshop, or Barronelle Stutzman and her flower shop, or 303 Creative. The desire to punish and destroy artists who will not bend the knee to progressive ideology is clear. If it wasn’t for the inspiring defense of the First Amendment for artists by Alliance Defending Freedom, our nation would be in a far worse place, and the rights of artists would be shrinking annually. Thankfully, they were able to go to the Supreme Court and win victories for creative freedom for all.

Tragically, the Oscars are doubling down on requiring progressive stories and characters to qualify for their award, which in turn promotes propaganda as efficiently as any fascist tyrant. Like Disney, many companies have been obsessed with progressive ideas, stories and characters. But the audiences are sick of propaganda. Even “South Park” skewered Disney for the tired, woke, progressive stories we are all sick of. Sadly, until my friends on the left recognize the enemies to their left, it will continue.

If the republic is going to flourish, conservatives need to embrace the value and power of songs, movies and the arts. But more than that, they need to invest in the next generation of creatives. Liberals need to reject the fanaticism of the progressive censors and return to the liberal ideas they were founded upon.

Our best days are ahead of us if we can stop the censorship from the progressives, and if we can return to celebrating what is true, good and beautiful. Our faith is not in our republic or man’s abilities, but in the hands of God who can direct our path.

• Rev. Joel Pelsue is the founder and president/CEO of the Arts & Entertainment Ministries (www.a-e-m.org) as well as the Arts & Entertainment Institute. He is a Presbyterian minister, pastoring now for over 20 years both in New York and in Los Angeles. Joel lives in Los Angeles with his wife Michelle and their three children. Joel has a B.A in Philosophy from Westmont College in Santa Barbara, CA., and his M.Div. from Reformed Theological Seminary. Joel recently enjoyed a sabbatical studying theology and aesthetics in London at King’s College and the National Gallery and is currently writing a book on beauty as a result of those studies.