a book i’d like to read: christian imagination

I’d like someone to write a book about Christian imagination. If it’s not too much to ask, I’d like the author to cover the following themes.

The historical role of imagination in Christian spiritual formation. How did the early church view the imagination? Lamin Sanneh’s latest book, Disciples of all Nations, makes me wonder about the place of imagination in the early non-western church in respect to the often stifling philosophical concerns of Rome.
Imagination’s shifting priority. When was the Christian imagination most nurtured as a means of discipleship? What has competed for the imagination over time?
The role of the arts and artists in the church. It seems that a high view of Christian imagination- the use of our creative minds to envision what God has done, is doing and will do- would demand a high view of artistic vocations. A diminished view of imagination means that artists generally must pursue their vocations outside the bounds of Christian community.
The affect of technology on imagination. Here I have in mind everything from the printing press to projection screens in church sanctuaries. Did increased literacy and access to books (including the Bible) mean that Christians has less use for imagination? Does our current internet access to free or cheap art stimulate or stifle the imagination?
A theology of the imagination. Do we have ways of speaking biblically about the life of the mind, including it’s creative capacity? Is our ability to see the activity of God peripheral to our faith, or is there something fundamental about the imagination to those living within God’s coming kingdom?
Imagination practices. I’d like this author to point out practices that can develop the capacity for Christian imagination. I’m interested in what aspects of culture might be helpful to grow this capacity and what things can only be practiced and created by the Church.

Anything you’d add to a book about Christian imagination? If you’re reading this and are interested in writing this book, could you hurry up please? I’d really like to read it.

David Swanson

January 13, 2009

book, theology

christian imagination, lamin sanneh

6 responses to “a book i’d like to read: christian imagination”

Leigh

January 13, 2009 at 6:37 pm

This all sounds fascinating! I think that you should write the book since you’ve already come up with a good outline. Have fun and let us know when it’s published!

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randymolson

January 14, 2009 at 2:41 pm

I agree with Leigh, your idea your book! I will wait, not so patiently and prod you periodically.

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Susan Richmond

January 14, 2009 at 7:30 pm

I love reading books like you are proposing. Have you read Chesterton’s “Orthodoxy”? He tackles imagination there. Also, have on my to-read pile, Dorothy Sayers, “Mind of the Maker”. You can see I have a fondness for these Inklings. Just read “My Name is Asher Lev” for book group and it was a great novel about imagination and faith, in this case, Judaism. I agree, you would be a great author to tackle this.

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David

January 14, 2009 at 11:21 pm

Thanks for the recommendations Susan. I’ve read Orthodoxy, though it’s been a while. The others are new to me.

I appreciate that some of you think I could write this book. Very kind. But really, I think we’d all benefit if someone with a bit more expertise wrote the book.

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christian imagination: a bibliography « signs of life

January 27, 2009 at 5:16 am

[…] a bibliography By David Thanks to those of you who left comments on my recent post, a book i’d like to read: christian imagination. Susan recommended three different books on this subject: Orthodoxy, Mind of the Maker, and My […]

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Pastor Dwight Jester

March 11, 2012 at 6:50 pm

David, I can write an article on the imagination. There is no need to write a book. God came to me on 1/1/2011 and told me that He and Satan were at war in your imagination. Since that time he has been revealing to me how the imagination controls all of us by either having the false beliefs of Satan, or the true beliefs of God in our imagination. All things that people do either come from the false beliefs coming from Satan, or the true beliefs coming from God. If your beliefs come from God, you get free of the false beliefs of Satan. Therefore you grow up into all things in Jesus Christ. It is the key to being “born again”, and maturing in your Christian Life. Many people, who call themselves Christian are controlled in their imagination without realizing it. I minister to people all the time and the majority of them believe they are Christians. They may be, but they have not matured in their Christian life and never will as long as their imagination is still somewhat being controlled by Satan. If you want to pursue this further, let me know, Pastor Dwight Jester
dwightj1@bellsouth.net

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