Images and Idols: Creativity for the Christian Life

by Thomas J. Terry; J. Ryan Lister; Jackie Hill-Perry

Publisher:

Moody Publishers

, 2018

Christians ought to be leading the way in creativity, but we rarely do.

God is the Creator of all things, and He created us in His image. Creativity is woven into the very fabric of our humanity. Therefore, Christians should value and champion creativity as a vital part of our image-bearing role. Instead Christians often don’t know what to do with creatives and creatives don’t know what to do with Christianity. On one side you have Christians who neglect or discount art, imagination, and beauty altogether. On the other, you have artists who make idols out of each of these good things.

Ryan Lister, a theology professor, and Thomas Terry, a spoken word artist and founder of Humble Beast, team up to help restore the connection between creativity and theology. Images & Idols is a theological and artistic exploration of creativity in the Christian life. It will help creatives build a strong theological foundation for their art, while challenging the church to embrace a theology of beauty and creativity.

From the Back Cover

Many Christians are skeptical about what creativity might do to their faith. At the same time, a lot of creatives worry about what Christianity might do to their talents.

But it doesn’t have to be this way.

God and creativity are not in opposition. Far from it. God is the creator of creativity. He made you creative. This is why your creativity needs theology and why your theology needs creativity. If we really want to know and practice creativity to its fullest, we should begin where creativity begins. We should begin with God.

When we do, we find that where many Christians have stayed silent, God still speaks. And where the world so often distorts, God gives clarity.

Now is the time to listen. Now is the time to see creativity from God’s perspective.

God is reclaiming creativity. For His glory. And for our good.

Contents

Top Highlights

“That which is ‘good for food’ is also ‘pleasant to the sight’ (Gen. 2:9). This isn’t arbitrary. Instead, Eden shows us that God always intended for life and beauty to be connected. They are a pair. In God’s estimation, to know life is to know beauty, and to know beauty is to know life. To know both, then, is to know God’s purposes in this world. Eden is the epicenter of life, which means life and beauty are tethered to one another in God.” (source)

“Christian should use these arts to the glory of God, not just as tracts, mind you, but as things of beauty to the praise of God.” (source)

“Creativity actually needs direction, which means creativity needs a starting line.” (source)

Product Details

• Title : Images and Idols: Creativity for the Christian Life
• Authors:
  • Terry, Thomas J.
  • Lister, J. Ryan
  • Hill-Perry, Jackie
• Publisher: Moody Publishers
• Publication Date: 2018
• ISBN: 9780802497338

About the Authors

THOMAS J. TERRY is the founder and executive director of Humble Beast, a record label and ministry in Portland, Oregon. As a spoken word artist and a member of Beautiful Eulogy, he seeks to bring creativity and theology together to glorify the Lord who created them both. Thomas lives with his wife, Heather, and two boys, Tobin and Kuyper, and serves as the Executive Pastor at Trinity Church of Portland.

RYAN LISTER is a professor of theology at Western Seminary in Portland, Oregon. He is the author of The Presence of God: Its Place in the Story of Scripture and the Story of Our Lives and serves as Director of Doctrine & Discipleship for Humble Beast, where he helped start the Canvas Conference. He lives in Portland, Oregon with his wife, Chase, and their four children.