To Set the World Aflame - by W David O Taylor (Hardcover)

About the Book

A trusted pastor and theologian argues that an artist's vocation is to be a caretaker of the imagination, a custodian of the emotions, a steward of physical reality, and a creator of life-giving metaphors that serve the common good and bear witness to the fullness of God's creation.

Book Synopsis

Artists are more than creatives; they are stewards of truth, goodness, and beauty.

In To Set the World Aflame, W. David O. Taylor casts a sweeping theological vision for the vocation of artists. Drawing on three decades of work as a scholar, pastor, and global arts advocate, he shares how artists can shape the aesthetic imaginations of others and serve the common good. With insights from Scripture, history, theology, aesthetics, missiology, and the field of spiritual formation, Taylor explores how artists are called to be

- caretakers of the imagination, custodians of the emotions, and stewards of the senses;
- makers of life and meaning for the common good;
- wholly alive and wholly themselves; and
- witnesses to creation as the theater of God's glory and grace.

This inspiring resource shows artists how all that they make--from art installations and moving pictures to graphic novels, gourmet meals, and Gothic cathedrals--brings us into an intentional and intensive experience of the aesthetic aspect of our lives. Artists invest our lives with vibrancy and meaning in a way that enables us to enter into the fullness of God's creative and recreative purposes for our world.

About the Author

W. David O. Taylor (ThD, Duke Divinity School) is associate professor of theology and culture at Fuller Theological Seminary. An Anglican priest, he has lectured widely on the arts from Thailand to South Africa, and he has written for The Washington Post, Religion News Service, Image Journal, Christianity Today, Comment, and The Gospel Coalition. His books include A Body of Praise, Prayers for the Pilgrimage, Glimpses of the New Creation, and Open and Unafraid: The Psalms as a Guide to Life. In 2016, Taylor produced a short film on the psalms with Bono and Eugene Peterson. He lives in Austin, Texas.