Why Dance?
I love to dance. My experience as a dancer began as a child in an American family with strong ties to our Dutch heritage. In order to maintain these ethnic roots, my parents encouraged us to participate in Dutch dancing…
A journal of theology, imagination, and the arts.
Going to “Church” with Les Murray
The first time Les Murray’s poem, “Church,” was published, in 2005, it was accompanied by an interview with the poet. Valentina Polukhina asked: “You are regarded as an eccentric Australian voice, a rural poet speaking for an urban culture, a…
Hipster Christianity: A Review
A review of Hipster Christianity by Brett McCracken (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Books, 2010) Brett McCracken’s exploration of ‘Hipster Christianity’ has been the subject of much discussion in recent months. In September, my blog co-contributor Greg Stump published a post…
Reminder: Public Forum on Neil Gaiman’s ‘Sandman’ Comics
We hope to see you there!
Makoto Fujimura: An Introduction to His Work
Boston-born and now New York City-based artist Makoto Fujimura has gained an ascendancy among artists working in contemporary art, and particularly among evangelical Christians. Why Fujimura’s work strikes a chord with art viewers lies in the unique visual language with…
Featured Artist: Makoto Fujimura
Comparisons between Makoto Fujimura’s art and Japanese haiku poetry seem inevitable and appropriate. Of the haiku tradition, one scholar writes, So the poet presents an observation of a natural, often commonplace event, in plainest diction, without verbal trickery. The effect…
Narrative Persuasion
I recently asked 24 young artists[1] who were Christians to consider two questions: What does your craft require of you? What does the church require of your craft? Their answers revealed the tensions they felt trying to “fit” into two…
If Scripture Is Not a Script, Then What Is It?
Among Christian theologians and ethicists who utilise theatrical metaphors and models, it is common to assign to Scripture the role of script. If life is a drama being played out on the world stage, the argument goes, then Scripture is…
For the Beauty of the Earth: A Review
A Review of Bouma-Prediger, Steven. For the Beauty of the Earth: A Christian Vision for Creation Care, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2010.) The end of the twentieth century and the beginning of the twenty-first has seen a dramatic rise…