Images and Idols: Creativity for the Christian Life

by Ryan Lister and Thomas Terry

Christians ought to be leading the way in creativity, but we rarely do. God is the Creator of all things and he created us in His image. Creativity is woven into the very fabric of our humanity. Therefore, Christians should value and champion creativity, as a vital part of our image-bearing role. Instead Christians often don’t know what to do with creatives and creatives don’t know what to do with Christianity. On one side you have Christians who neglect or discount art, imagination, and beauty altogether. On the other, you have artists who make idols out of each of these good things. Ryan Lister, a theology professor, and Thomas Terry, a spoken word artist and founder of Humble Beast, team up to help restore the connection between creativity and theology. Images & Idols is a theological and artistic exploration of creativity in the Christian life. It will help creatives build a strong theological foundation for their art, while challenging the church to embrace a theology of beauty and creativity.