Evangelicals and the Arts in Fiction

Evangelicals and the Arts in Fiction PDF Author: John Weaver
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 0786472065
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 225

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Book Description
This book is an exploration of how the relationship of evangelicals to the arts has been portrayed in fiction for the last century. The author argues that evangelicals are consistently seen as enemies of the arts by non-evangelical writers. The artist (typically represented by a literal artist, occasionally by a scientist or reluctant messiah) typically has to fight for liberation from such cliched character types as the failed evangelical artist, the rube or the hypocritical pastor. Rather than resist the cliche of anti-art evangelicalism, the book contends that evangelicals should embrace it: this stereotype is only hurtful so long as one assumes that the arts represent a positive force in human society. This work, built off the scholarship of John Carey, does not make that assumption. Surveying the current pro-artistic views of most evangelicals, the author advances the argument that evangelicals need to return to their anti-art roots. By doing so they would align themselves with the most radical artistic elements of modernism rather than with the classicists that the movement currently seems to prefer, and provide space for themselves to critique how secular artistic stereotypes of evangelicals have economically and artistically marginalized the evangelicals' community.

Evangelicals and the Arts in Fiction

Evangelicals and the Arts in Fiction PDF Author: John Weaver
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 0786472065
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 225

Get Book Here

Book Description
This book is an exploration of how the relationship of evangelicals to the arts has been portrayed in fiction for the last century. The author argues that evangelicals are consistently seen as enemies of the arts by non-evangelical writers. The artist (typically represented by a literal artist, occasionally by a scientist or reluctant messiah) typically has to fight for liberation from such cliched character types as the failed evangelical artist, the rube or the hypocritical pastor. Rather than resist the cliche of anti-art evangelicalism, the book contends that evangelicals should embrace it: this stereotype is only hurtful so long as one assumes that the arts represent a positive force in human society. This work, built off the scholarship of John Carey, does not make that assumption. Surveying the current pro-artistic views of most evangelicals, the author advances the argument that evangelicals need to return to their anti-art roots. By doing so they would align themselves with the most radical artistic elements of modernism rather than with the classicists that the movement currently seems to prefer, and provide space for themselves to critique how secular artistic stereotypes of evangelicals have economically and artistically marginalized the evangelicals' community.

The Arts and the Christian Imagination

The Arts and the Christian Imagination PDF Author: Clyde Kilby
Publisher: Paraclete Press
ISBN: 161261888X
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 256

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Book Description
Dr. Clyde Kilby was known to many as an early, long and effective champion of C. S. Lewis, and the founder of the Marion E. Wade Center at Wheaton College, IL, for the study of the works of Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien and other members of the Inklings. Less known is that Dr. Kilby was also an apologist in his time for arts, aesthetics and beauty, particularly among Evangelicals. This collection offers a sampler of the work of Dr. Clyde Kilby on these themes. He writes reflections under four headings: "Christianity, Art, and Aesthetics"; "The Vocation of the Artist"; "Faith and the Role of the Imagination"; and "Poetry, Literature and the Imagination." With a unique voice, Kilby writes from a specific literary and philosophical context that relates art and aesthetics with beauty, and all that is embodied in the classics. His work is particularly relevant today as these topics are being embraced by Protestants, Evangelicals, and indeed people of faith from many different traditions. A deeply engaging book for readers who want to look more closely at themes of art, aesthetics, beauty and literature in the context of faith. "What a great gift to read the collected writings of this gentle, brilliant visionary, teacher and friend! I can say, like so many others, it was Clyde Kilby who set my course in life. Like the dandelions he tended all winter, we flourished under his wisdom and care. Now his remarkable words on the page act as a kind of resurrection. We can hear his voice again and bless his memory." —Luci Shaw, Poet, Writer in Residence, Regent College Author of Thumbprint in the Clay "The Arts and the Christian Imagination is a landmark book. Its scope is breathtaking, bringing together in one place well-known "signature" essays by Clyde Kilby and unknown but equally excellent ones. The essays in this book, masterfully edited, sum up what a whole era wanted to say about literature and art in themselves and in relation to the Christian Faith." —Leland Ryken, Professor Emeritus English, Wheaton College, Author of The Christian Imagination "It was my great privilege to take several classes with Clyde Kilby when I was a student at Wheaton. Now a new generation, and readers far from the Chicago suburbs, have the chance to experience the sparkle, wit, aesthetic insight, and deep Christian commitment that made Kilby such an unusually captivating teacher. Even without his hobbit-like presence, his words remain a true inspiration." —Mark A. Noll, Author of Jesus Christ and the Life of the Mind, Francis A. McAnaney Professor of History, University of Notre Dame "Thousands owe to this giant of Wheaton their ability to hear literary voices with Gospel-tuned ears. This sampler of his hugely influential writing will make the reader profoundly grateful for a man whose legacy is beyond measure." —Jeremy Begbie, Thomas A. Langford Research Professor of Theology — Duke Divinity School, Director of Duke Initiatives in Theology and the Arts "Samuel Johnson said people need to be reminded more often than they need to be instructed. Dr. Kilby reminds us of what it means to be made in the image of God and how art, in our creation and reception of it, illuminates, articulates and glorifies that original great mimesis. With wisdom and relevance, this collection provides a touchstone for the spiritual thinker in its reconciliation of art's true and beautiful purpose with the unspeakable, inimitable mystery of God." —Dr. Carolyn Weber, Professor and speaker, Award-winning author of Surprised by Oxford; Holy is the Day "To read the reflections of C.S. Kilby on art and the Christian imagination is to engage one of the most pertinently constructive interior critiques of American evangelical culture in the 1960's. His biblically formed imagination saw good and truth in what seemed to many of his generation astonishing places—French Catholic philosophers, agnostic novelists, psychic experimentalists, off-beat artists, mathematicians, mentally disturbed poets--and he asked fellow evangelicals, comfortably certain of the categories of their own perception, to examine whether or not some alien accounts did not square better with a biblical view of the human person than their own rigidities. To read these essays is to hear again his distinctively gentle voice in the classroom, and once again to gather many pearls of wisdom." —David Lyle Jeffrey, Distinguished Professor of Literature and the Humanities Honors Program, Senior Fellow, Baylor Institute for Studies in Religion, Baylor University "As I read Dr. Kilby's words in this book, "Love, not duty, sends the artist forth," I recalled my class with him fifty years ago. I can still almost hear his voice as he read from Wordsworth: "what we have loved others will love, and we will show them how." That line perfectly describes Clyde Kilby's life and work. As his student, I love what my dear Professor of English literature loved. I treasure this collection of his essays on Arts and Christian Imagination." —G. Walter Hansen, Professor Emeritus Fuller Seminary, Co-author of Through Your Eyes: Dialogues on the Paintings of Bruce Herman

When Art Disrupts Religion

When Art Disrupts Religion PDF Author: Philip Salim Francis
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0190279761
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 233

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Book Description
When Art Disrupts Religion lays bare the power of encounters with the arts to unsettle and overturn deeply ingrained religious beliefs and practices. Grounded in the accounts of more than 80 Evangelicals who experienced such a sea-change of religious identity, the book bridges the gap between aesthetic theory and lived religion, while exploring the interrelationship of religion and art in the modern West.

The Faithful Artist

The Faithful Artist PDF Author: Cameron J. Anderson
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
ISBN: 083089442X
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 304

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Book Description
Drawing upon his experiences as both a Christian and an artist, Cameron J. Anderson traces the relationship between the evangelical church and modern art in postwar America. While acknowledging the tensions between faith and visual art, he casts a vision for how Christian artists can faithfully pursue their vocational calling in contemporary culture.

Discovering God Through the Arts

Discovering God Through the Arts PDF Author: Terry Glaspey
Publisher: Moody Publishers
ISBN: 0802498884
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 266

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Book Description
What does art have to do with faith? For many Christians, paintings, films, music, and other forms of art are simply used for wall decoration, entertaining distraction, or worshipful devotion. But what if the arts played a more prominent role in the Christian life? In Discovering God through the Arts, discover how the arts can be tools for faith-building, life-changing spiritual formation for all Christians. Terry Glaspey, author of 75 Masterpieces Every Christian Should Know, examines: How the arts assist us in prayer and contemplation How the arts help us rediscover a sense of wonder How the arts help us deal with emotions How the arts aid theological reflection and so much more. Let your faith be enriched, and discover how beauty and creativity can draw you nearer to the ultimate Creator.

The Evangelical Imagination

The Evangelical Imagination PDF Author: Karen Swallow Prior
Publisher: Baker Books
ISBN: 1493441914
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 298

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Book Description
"Provides plenty of fodder for those wishing to explore what evangelicalism is and reimagine what it might become. It's an eye-opener."--Publishers Weekly Contemporary American evangelicalism is suffering from an identity crisis--and a lot of bad press. In this book, acclaimed author Karen Swallow Prior examines evangelical history, both good and bad. By analyzing the literature, art, and popular culture that has surrounded evangelicalism, she unpacks some of the movement's most deeply held concepts, ideas, values, and practices to consider what is Christian rather than merely cultural. The result is a clearer path forward for evangelicals amid their current identity crisis--and insight for others who want a deeper understanding of what the term "evangelical" means today. Brought to life with color illustrations, images, and paintings, this book explores ideas including conversion, domesticity, empire, sentimentality, and more. In the end, it goes beyond evangelicalism to show us how we might be influenced by images, stories, and metaphors in ways we cannot always see.

The Evangelicals

The Evangelicals PDF Author: Frances FitzGerald
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1439143153
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 607

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Book Description
* Winner of the 2017 National Book Critics Circle Award * National Book Award Finalist * Time magazine Top 10 Nonfiction Book of the Year * New York Times Notable Book * Publishers Weekly Best Books of 2017 This “epic history” (The Boston Globe) from Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Frances FitzGerald is the first to tell the powerful, dramatic story of the Evangelical movement in America—from the Puritan era to the 2016 election. “We have long needed a fair-minded overview of this vitally important religious sensibility, and FitzGerald has now provided it” (The New York Times Book Review). The evangelical movement began in the revivals of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, known in America as the Great Awakenings. A populist rebellion against the established churches, it became the dominant religious force in the country. During the nineteenth century white evangelicals split apart, first North versus South, and then, modernist versus fundamentalist. After World War II, Billy Graham attracted enormous crowds and tried to gather all Protestants under his big tent, but the civil rights movement and the social revolution of the sixties drove them apart again. By the 1980s Jerry Falwell and other southern televangelists, such as Pat Robertson, had formed the Christian right. Protesting abortion and gay rights, they led the South into the Republican Party, and for thirty-five years they were the sole voice of evangelicals to be heard nationally. Eventually a younger generation proposed a broader agenda of issues, such as climate change, gender equality, and immigration reform. Evangelicals now constitute twenty-five percent of the American population, but they are no longer monolithic in their politics. They range from Tea Party supporters to social reformers. Still, with the decline of religious faith generally, FitzGerald suggests that evangelical churches must embrace ethnic minorities if they are to survive. “A well-written, thought-provoking, and deeply researched history that is impressive for its scope and level of detail” (The Wall Street Journal). Her “brilliant book could not have been more timely, more well-researched, more well-written, or more necessary” (The American Scholar).

The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind

The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind PDF Author: Mark A. Noll
Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing
ISBN: 1467464627
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 323

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Book Description
Winner of the Christianity Today Book of the Year Award (1995) “The scandal of the evangelical mind is that there is not much of an evangelical mind.” So begins this award-winning intellectual history and critique of the evangelical movement by one of evangelicalism’s most respected historians. Unsparing in his indictment, Mark Noll asks why the largest single group of religious Americans—who enjoy increasing wealth, status, and political influence—have contributed so little to rigorous intellectual scholarship. While nourishing believers in the simple truths of the gospel, why have so many evangelicals failed to sustain a serious intellectual life and abandoned the universities, the arts, and other realms of “high” culture? Over twenty-five years since its original publication, The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind has turned out to be prescient and perennially relevant. In a new preface, Noll lays out his ongoing personal frustrations with this situation, and in a new afterword he assesses the state of the scandal—showing how white evangelicals’ embrace of Trumpism, their deepening distrust of science, and their frequent forays into conspiratorial thinking have coexisted with surprisingly robust scholarship from many with strong evangelical connections.

A Peculiar Orthodoxy

A Peculiar Orthodoxy PDF Author: Jeremy S. Begbie
Publisher: Baker Academic
ISBN: 1493414526
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 343

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Book Description
World-renowned theologian Jeremy Begbie has been at the forefront of teaching and writing on theology and the arts for more than twenty years. Amid current debates and discussions on the topic, Begbie emphasizes the role of a biblically grounded creedal orthodoxy as he shows how Christian theology and the arts can enrich each other. Throughout the book, Begbie demonstrates the power of classic trinitarian faith to bring illumination, surprise, and delight whenever it engages with the arts.

Eyes Wide Open

Eyes Wide Open PDF Author: William D. Romanowski
Publisher: Brazos Press
ISBN: 1441200800
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 272

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Book Description
Grounded in Christian principles, this accessible and engaging book offers an informed and fascinating approach to popular culture. William D. Romanowski provides affectionate yet astute analysis of familiar, well-loved movies and television characters from Indiana Jones to Homer Simpson, and he speaks with historical depth and expertise on films from Casablanca to Crash and music from Bruce Springsteen to U2. Romanowski's confessional approach affirms a role for popular culture in faithful living. Practical, analytical approaches to content, meaning, and artistic style offer the tools to participate responsibly and imaginatively in popular cultural activities. An engaging read, this new edition introduces students and thoughtful readers to popular culture--one of the most influential forces in contemporary society.