Baptized Imagination: The Theology Of George Macdonald (ashgate Studies In Theology, Imagination And The Arts) (ashgate Studies In Theology, Imagination And The Arts)
by Kerry Dearborn /
2006 / English / PDF
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The imagination has been called, "the principal organ for knowing
and responding to disclosures of transcendent truth." This book
probes the theological sources of the imagination, which make it a
vital tool for knowing and responding to such disclosures. Kerry
Dearborn approaches areas of theology and imagination through a
focus on the 19th century theologian and writer George MacDonald.
MacDonald can be seen as an icon whose life and work open a window
to the intersection of word, flesh and image. He communicated the
gospel through narrative and image-rich forms which honour truth
and address the intellectual, imaginative, spiritual, and emotional
needs of his readers. MacDonald was also able to speak
prophetically in a number of areas of contemporary concern, such as
the nature of suffering, ageing and death, environmental
degradation, moral imagination and gender issues. Dearborn explores
influences which shaped him, along with the wisdom he has offered
in the formation of significant Christian writers in both the
nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Authors such as C.S. Lewis,
G.K. Chesterton, Dorothy Sayers, J.R.R. Tolkien, W.H. Auden,
Frederick Buechner and others attribute to MacDonald key paradigm
shifts and insights in their own lives. A study of MacDonald does
not offer a formulaic approach to theology and the imagination, but
the possibility of gleaning from his rich harvest relevant
nourishment for our own day. It also provides a context in which to
assess potential weaknesses in imaginative approaches to theology.
The imagination has been called, "the principal organ for knowing
and responding to disclosures of transcendent truth." This book
probes the theological sources of the imagination, which make it a
vital tool for knowing and responding to such disclosures. Kerry
Dearborn approaches areas of theology and imagination through a
focus on the 19th century theologian and writer George MacDonald.
MacDonald can be seen as an icon whose life and work open a window
to the intersection of word, flesh and image. He communicated the
gospel through narrative and image-rich forms which honour truth
and address the intellectual, imaginative, spiritual, and emotional
needs of his readers. MacDonald was also able to speak
prophetically in a number of areas of contemporary concern, such as
the nature of suffering, ageing and death, environmental
degradation, moral imagination and gender issues. Dearborn explores
influences which shaped him, along with the wisdom he has offered
in the formation of significant Christian writers in both the
nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Authors such as C.S. Lewis,
G.K. Chesterton, Dorothy Sayers, J.R.R. Tolkien, W.H. Auden,
Frederick Buechner and others attribute to MacDonald key paradigm
shifts and insights in their own lives. A study of MacDonald does
not offer a formulaic approach to theology and the imagination, but
the possibility of gleaning from his rich harvest relevant
nourishment for our own day. It also provides a context in which to
assess potential weaknesses in imaginative approaches to theology.