Visual Faith: Art, Theology, and Worship in Dialogue

By William A. Dyrness

How can art enhance and enrich the Christian faith? What is the basis for a relationship between the church and visual imagery? Can the art world and the Protestant church be reconciled? Is art idolatry and vanity, or can it be used to strengthen the church? Grounded in historical and biblical research, William Dyrness offers students and scholars an intriguing, substantive look into the relationship between the church and the world of art.

Faith and art were not always discordant. According to Dyrness, Israel understood imagery and beauty as reflections of God's perfect order; likewise, early Christians used art to teach and inspire. However, the Protestant church abandoned visual arts and imagery during the Reformation in favor of the written word and has only recently begun to reexamine art's role in Christianity and worship. Dyrness affirms this renewal and argues that art, if reflecting the order and wholeness of the world God created, can and should play an important role in modern Christianity.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0801022975
• ISBN13: 9780801022975
• Release Date: January 2001
• Publisher: Baker Academic
• Length: 194 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.0" x 9.1"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Celebrate the artist within (and within church)

William A Dyrness, Visual Faith: Art, Theology and Worship in Dialogue (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2001) This book critiques the traditional Protestant prejudice against visual arts and aesthetics, and invites Christians to have new vision for the arts and a recovery of visual imagination. Until the Renaissance, art was made almost purely for devotional purposes, but Calvin and the Reformation distrusted images and elevated the word as primary. Recently, society's resurging interest in the visual arts (and the images of popular culture) has been paralleled by a renaissance of interest in the arts among Christians. Theologians like Paul Tillich and Francis Schaeffer paved the way, and Dyrness expounds the wealth of theological justification for celebrating the beauty, creativity and imagery of art. The art world can be confusing with its proliferation of forms and styles. It is a context that does not suit modern Christians who like convincing, rational presentations. Yet it is a rich context for exploring meaning, spirituality, and worship in interactive, collaborative and visual ways. Dyrness is Professor of Theology and Culture at Fuller Seminary and his love of art and its interaction with theology is contagious. Emerging churches that are seeking to enjoy and worship with beauty and creative arts will find helpful background here. Originally reviewed in Darren Cronshaw `The Emerging Church: Spirituality and Worship Reading Guide.' Zadok Papers S159 (Autumn 2008).

Perspective

This book brings a whole new perspective to the table of Christianity and the arts. Dyrness is able to argue that such things are an essential part of Christian life, especially if we are to live holistically. I enjoyed it very much.

Phenominal Scholarly Overview

I really enjoyed how this book looked very practically at the arts and the evolution of them within the church. It gives not only a historical requirement to continue to press for more artistic use and involvement in the modern movement of the church, but also gives practical ways in which to do so. If you're involved in creative arts ministry in any capacity, you probably should read this book in order to get your berings.