A Christian view [of the arts] should stand as a corrective to the prevailing utilitarian spirit of a technological society, though in fact Christians have often perpetuated the utilitarian outlook to the disparagement of literature.

Faced with the charge of the nonusefulness of literature, Christian apologists for literature have tried to meet the argument on its own terms, showing that literature is useful after all. It teaches truth, apologists say, or it moves people to good moral behavior. While there is truth in these arguments, there is something inherently wrong with minimizing the aesthetic dimension of literature. A defense of beauty, form, and creativity can be rooted in biblical example and doctrine. . . .

God himself is a creator, and the world he created is a world that is beautiful as well as [functional]. This creative God made people in his image--that is, with a capacity for creativity and beauty. . .

The example of the Bible confirms the importance of literary form and beauty.

Leland Ryken, "Thinking Christianly about Literature"