Visual Faith: Art, Theology, and Worship in Dialogue

by William A. Dyrness

Publisher:

Baker Academic

, 2001

Overview

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.

Please note that this volume will not include images.

Praise for the Print Edition

Both theological and practical, this wide-ranging study will be of special interest to all who want to get beyond the sterile prejudices that have so often marred the relation between visual art and Protestantism.

—Jeremy Begbie, Thomas A. Langford Research Professor of Theology

Dyrness advocates ‘careful historical and theological reflection’ and puts this into practice in ways that satisfy the academic mind. Most of all, however, he emerges as a theologian of the arts with a message for the churches. He offers a well-founded critique of traditional Protestant prejudice against matters visual and artistic, and he issues an inspiring challenge to follow the Spirit into richer modes of praise and worship.

—Graham Birtwistle, associate professor, The University of Sheffield

A refreshing and welcome addition to the growing discourse on a Protestant recovery of visual imagination and the need for Christians of all stripes to engage and exploit the visual arts—both in the secular marketplace and within the worshiping life of the church.

—E. John Walford, professor of art history, Wheaton College

The image-oriented insularity found in certain sectors of the Protestant church is sensitively and thoughtfully challenged by Bill Dyrness in this insightful guide. Visual Faith weaves together a compelling case for the collaboration between art and Christianity. Placing the complex world of contemporary art making within historical, theological, and cultural contexts, Dyrness affirms the necessity of images in the ongoing vitality of the church and her mission.

—Barry Krammes, professor of art, Biola University

Product Details

• Title: Visual Faith: Art, Theology, and Worship in Dialogue
• Author: William A. Dyrness
• Series: Engaging Culture
• Publisher: Baker Academic
• Publication Date: 2001
• Pages: 190

About the Author

William A. Dyrness is a professor of theology and culture at Fuller Theological Seminary. He is the author of many books, including The Earth Is God’s: A Theology of American Culture.

Product Details

• Title: Visual Faith: Art, Theology, and Worship in Dialogue
• Author: William A. Dyrness
• Series: Engaging Culture
• Publisher: Baker Academic
• Print Publication Date: 2001
• Logos Release Date: 2013
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
• Subject: Christianity and art
• ISBNs: 9781441256850, 0801022975, 9780801022975, 1441256857
• Resource ID: LLS:VISFAITHDYRNESS
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2022-09-30T03:38:14Z

About William A. Dyrness

William Dyrness, professor of theology and culture, joined the Fuller faculty in 1990 and served as dean of the School of Theology from 1990 to 2000. He teaches courses in theology, culture, and the arts, and was a founding member of the Brehm Center for Worship, Theology, and the Arts. Dyrness has over 30 years of teaching experience in the United States, the Philippines, Kenya, and South Korea. He has published work in a variety of fields, including theology and culture, apologetics, theology and art, and global missions. His recent works include Poetic Theology (2010), A Primer in Christian Worship (2009), the Global Dictionary of Theology (co-edited with Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen, 2008), Senses of the Soul: Art and the Visual in Christian Worship (2008), Reformed Theology and Visual Culture: The Protestant Imagination from Calvin to Edwards (2004), Visual Faith (2001), Changing the Mind of Missions with James F. Engel (2000), and The Earth Is God's: A Theology of American Culture (1997). He has also served on the national boards of Christians in the Visual Arts (Wenham, MA), 1999 to 2005, and Development Associates International (Colorado Springs, CO), 2000 to the present, and is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA). He is currently at work on a major research project funded by the Henry Luce Foundation on the use of visual images in worship in Christian, Buddhist, and Muslim communities. Additionally, he is currently writing a book with art historian Dan Siedell on the religious influences of modern art.