More Christians than ever before are studying and working in music, painting, sculpture, theater, television, film, architecture and more. Are you one of them? If so, you, like artists in every discipline, face the challenge of working in a way that is both wholly Christian and wholly contemporary. Hilary Brand and Adrienne Chaplin have written this practical and inspirational guide for you. In Art and Soul you’ll find encouragement for developing a Christian worldview from which you can approach your craft. Here the best teaching on Christianity and the arts during the past fifty years is digested and reapplied, supported by a wealth of quotes from artists, critics and Christian thinkers. A wide range of illustrations, both historical and contemporary, illuminates the text as Brand and Chaplin explore the conflicting influences on Christians entering or working in the arts. They correlate the major biblical themes of creation, fall and redemption to the business of making art. And they examine the nature and purpose of the arts — along with the way you experience and interpret them. Finally, you’ll find helpful guidelines on practicing and developing your art. Here is the book to help you meet the challenges facing you today — both from the world of art and from the world of the church.

Table of Contents 

• • Preface
  • Foreword
  • Introduction

  Part One

  • Deconstructed, Disillusioned and Distrusted: Conflicting influences on the Christian artist
  • 1 Art in a post-modern age 3
  • 2 Art and the quest for the spiritual 16
  • 3 Art and a suspicious church 25

  Part Two

  • Garden, Serpent and Sacrifice: Returning to primary sources
  • 4 Art and the Bible 37
  • 5 Art and a playful God 40
  • 6 Art and a fallen world 48
  • 7 Art and the possibility of redemption 57

  Part Three

  • Worldview, Worship and the Work of Art: Applying the Bible to some basic art issues
  • 8 Art and an integrated worldview 67
  • 9 Art as a valid Christian activity 69
  • 10 Art as a means of worship 79
  • 11 Art in its rightful place 88

  Part Four

  • Seeing, Weighing and Interpreting: Some attempts at definition and pointers for assessment
  • 12 Art and a way of seeing 99
  • 13 Art and blurred boundaries 110
  • 14 Art and how it works 123
  • 15 Art and interpretation 136

  Part Five

  • Rooted, Respectful and Real: Some ways forward for Christians in the arts
  • 16 Art and new technology 151
  • 17 Art as honest labour 158
  • 18 Art as a proper job 166
  • 19 Art as a twenty-first century calling 176
  • Notes 189
  • List of Illustrations 207
  • Further Reading 211
  • Useful Contacts 213
  • Index 217