For the Beauty of the Church
by W. David O. Taylor | Book Summary
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Author: W. David O. Taylor
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So what should be the church's attitude towards the arts? Though the question must be answered thoughtfully, the ultimate reality is that artists can provide real value to the church. Though certain dangers must be avoided, the arts can provide something to the church that cannot be found in a pastoral sermon or an authoritative reading of Scripture. There is a beauty, which finds its source in God, that the arts can bring into the lifeblood of the church community that is hard to replicate through any other means. Pastors have a responsibility to nurture and encourage artists to bring them into the fold of the church community.
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For the Beauty of the Church is a collection of essays by different authors examining the role of the arts in the church, edited by W. David O. Taylor. Each author hails from a different background — some simply appreciate the arts, and others are artists themselves. The authors recount a wide variety of experiences with the arts in their lives and apply the principles gleaned from those experiences to the contemporary world of the arts and the church. Taylor himself is an artist and a tireless advocate for the arts. An arts pastor for eight years at the Hope Chapel in Austin, Texas, Taylor is now a doctoral candidate at Duke Divinity School.
For the Beauty of the Church
by W. David O. Taylor
[ Book Summary ]
| Author | W. David O. Taylor |
| Publisher | Baker Books |
| Date | March 1, 2010 |
| Pages | 204 |
Overview:
The subject of the arts has not been one without controversy in Christian history. Still today, art is a divisive topic in the Christian community. Is art a waste of time? Is it too sensuous, too worldly? Is it a distraction from more serious aspects of worship? There are significant, major figures of Christian thought who have answered those questions in completely opposite ways.
So what should be the church's attitude towards the arts? Though the question must be answered thoughtfully, the ultimate reality is that artists can provide real value to the church. Though certain dangers must be avoided, the arts can provide something to the church that cannot be found in a pastoral sermon or an authoritative reading of Scripture. There is a beauty, which finds its source in God, that the arts can bring into the lifeblood of the church community that is hard to replicate through any other means. Pastors have a responsibility to nurture and encourage artists to bring them into the fold of the church community.
For the Beauty of the Church is a collection of essays by different authors examining the role of the arts in the church, edited by W. David O. Taylor. Each author hails from a different background — some simply appreciate the arts, and others are artists themselves. The authors recount a wide variety of experiences with the arts in their lives and apply the principles gleaned from those experiences to the contemporary world of the arts and the church. Taylor himself is an artist and a tireless advocate for the arts. An arts pastor for eight years at the Hope Chapel in Austin, Texas, Taylor is now a doctoral candidate at Duke Divinity School.