CHRISTIANITY & CRITIQUE: Tips for Reviewers

For artists, there are few things as intimidating as being on the receiving end of criticism. I'm not talking about the occasional negative comment in a balanced review (though even these can be hard to take) -- I'm talking about a full-out critique, complete with a one- or two-star rating and a long string of paragraphs dissecting every flaw in a piece of work that you spent hours perfecting. Ever had that experience? It's not much fun.

Of course, the reviewers who compose these critiques aren't merciless writers out on a mission to destroy your reputation and tear your self-confidence to shreds. All artwork deserves critique to some extent, and reviewers who ignore flaws and consistently give positive feedback are labeled "too nice" and their opinions lose credibility in the eyes of others. In the art business, while plenty of lackluster work is being produced, a lot of emphasis is placed on brutal honesty (just look at the success of judges like American Idol's Simon Cowell)-- add these two factors together, and the creative realm is every critic's dream.

A problem arises when the critic is a Christian. How do you reconcile fruits of the Spirit like love, gentleness, and patience with your honest opinions about a piece of art? If the artist is also a Christian, how do you treat them as a brother and respect their efforts for God while still pointing out the flaws in their work? The Bible is clear, however, that honesty and encouragement can co-exist, and with a little discernment Christian reviewers can write critiques that don't crush the spirits of hard-working artists. If you're a reviewer, here are 5 tips you should keep in mind when giving negative feedback...

1. Find your Base

Criticism can generally be broken down into three parts. There's personal preference, which judges work based on your tastes; quality, which judges work by how much effort seems to have been put into it and how well it does its intended job; and Biblical compatibility, which judges work according to standards that are clearly spelled out in God's word. For instance, if you're reviewing a CD, a personal-preference critique would say something like, "The accompaniment is boring and the lyrics are sappy." A critique based on quality might say, "The instruments are off-key and the recording sounds very tinny." A Bible-based critique could argue, "The lyrics of seem to glorify sin and make unnecessary sexual references."

Of these three options, Bible-based criticism is the most valid and important -- after all, God's opinion is the only one that really counts. Quality-centered critique comes second: the Bible does speak about putting heartfelt effort into everything we do and "working as for the Lord" (1 Cor. 15:58), so there's nothing wrong with reminding Christians of the high standards they should aim for. It is criticism based on personal preference that reviewers should steer away from. This kind of critique is extremely biased and doesn't reflect God's love for diversity in the Christian body: just because you don't like a certain style or genre doesn't mean that God can't use it to reach someone else. Critique that slams work for being "too fancy" or "too simple" or "too bold" for your tastes is petty and self-centered, so it's best to avoid these sort of comments and instead, focus your review on quality and Biblical compatibility.

2. Not all Things are Useful

Who is going to see your critique, and what effect is it likely to have? These two questions are crucial in deciding how you want to map out the review. Consider the following situations:

- If you are going give your opinions straight to the artist, is it likely to encourage them and help them improve, or will it simply leave them feeling embarrassed and inadequate?

- If you plan on sharing the review with the art community as a whole, is it going to teach them discernment and inspire better effort, or could it introduce a spirit of competition and encourage artists to adopt a people-pleasing attitude to get good reviews from critics like you?

- If you're writing a review for the general public, is it meant to help them navigate through the many products out there and choose something that's worth their money, or is it more likely to promote a critical attitude that will prevent people from truly enjoying art because they're too busy picking out its flaws?

In each scenario, critique could have either a positive or a negative effect on those involved, and it's up to you to decide how big the risk is and what you can do to minimize it. If you find that your review isn't likely to serve others in a positive way, maybe it's best not to write one at all.

3. Keep the Audience in Mind

If a piece of art doesn't quite work for you, there's a big chance it wasn't intended to. Art can be aimed at very specific age, geographic, cultural, or gender groups. A work that is intended for western, male teenagers who belong to the "skater" culture isn't going to have a deep impact on a traditionally-minded, elderly female living in Japan, who shies away from anything "bold" or "loud" and prefers art that is elegant and subtle. What doesn't work for you may easily work for someone else, so it's a good idea to identify the artist's intended audience and try viewing the piece from their point of view. You can even find a few people who belong to that intended audience and use their opinions on the work to shape your review.

4. Avoid Harshness

"Speak the truth in love," the Bible says, and although I may be taking this passage out of context, I think it's extremely relevant advice for Christian reviewers. There's no denying that the use of sarcasm, ridicule, and harshness in reviews has its benefits: it might draw laughs from your audience, make you appear intimidating, or make your compliments seem more desirable. Sadly, all of these personal 'advantages' come at the expense of other peoples' feelings and reputations -- and, worst of all, at the expense of the Bible message. Christians are called to be living proof that God conforms people to his nature, so if God was forgiving and gentle towards us, it's our job to pay that forward to our fellow Christians.

An easy way to salvage a less-than-loving review is to use a thesaurus. Identify potentially-hurtful sections in your review and reword them to be more neutral. Change "ugly" to "unattractive." Opt for "plain" instead of "boring." Write "silly" instead of "stupid." It might take some of the 'punch' out of your review, but it'll certainly make you sound more mature and reasonable. Keep in mind that if you have to rely on harsh words to make your review stand out, it's probably lacking in substance and depth. You can further reduce harshness simply by adding some positive comments to the mix: if you search hard enough, you'll probably find at least one thing about the work that you can sincerely compliment. Even if the piece is a train-wreck overall, the fact that you took time to find something positive in it will likely say more about your character -- and God's love -- than about the work itself.

5. Make it Better

It's easy to write a detailed investigation into the shortcomings of a work, but it's much harder to actually do something about the problems you see. After you've identified the problems, the last thing you should do is sit back and relax. If that piece of work was really worth no more than 1 star -- and God calls for 5-star efforts -- there's something seriously wrong.

What will you do about it?

You could, for instance, use your talents to create something of higher quality as an alternative to the lackluster work done by others. Or, if you're not talented in that particular area, you could offer support, encouragement, and practical help to people who are. Either way, criticism alone is useful unless it inspires improvement, and as someone who actively perpetuates critique, it's your job to actively participate in making things better!

Article by Oksana K.




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