THE ART OF NEW CREATION:
Trajectories in theology and the arts
Edited by Jeremy Begbie, Daniel Train and W. David O. Taylor.
InterVarsity Press. 241 pages. £25.99
ISBN 978 1 514 003 268
The Art of New Creation is a collection of essays, covering themes from general revelation to racism and poetry to placemaking.
Theologians, musicians, poets and painters lift the lid on different ways in which our eschatological hope of new creation can find expression through the arts.
After Jeremy Begbie’s typically lucid introduction, the book unfolds in three main sections. In the first we find a range of essays which explore how we can think about various different art forms in a theologically informed way. This leads onto a smaller collection of conversations between leading theologians and creatives, which originated at a three-day symposium hosted by Duke Divinity School. There are then some first-hand accounts from practicing artists who share their own perspectives and experiences of being Christians working in the arts. The book closes with a sermon by N. T. Wright, preached at the symposium.
Art and injustice
I found this book to be fascinating, informing and at times challenging. The timing of the release added two new lenses through which the writers were developing their reflections – the Covid-19 pandemic and issues surrounding systemic racism. Both added further poignancy in highlighting the ways in which different art forms can stand against injustice, but can sometimes even propagate it. But the overarching tone was an encouragement to a whole range of creatives to use their God-given gifts and skills to sow seeds of beauty into ugliness and order into chaos. Having myself spent some time considering the intersection of music and theology, it was rewarding to hear a broader range of artistic perspectives and have my eyes and heart expanded to the huge, if under-tapped, potential to bless the world through the arts. As N.T. Wright puts it: ‘In the world of new creation, the vocation of the artist is central.’
These essays do have a range of conceptual difficulty, but are well worth the time and effort. I hope it will be a great encouragement to those who dive in.
