The Artistic Sphere: The Arts in Neo-Calvinist Perspective

“For many decades, the Kuyperian tradition has been at the forefront of nourishing a Christian imagination in the world of the arts. This excellent collection proves the point, as well as demonstrating how Neo-Calvinism can resource artists and Christian thinkers to tackle together the challenges of the future.”

“The Artistic Sphere is an engaging antidote to stereotypes that often cluster around Calvinism and visual images. These essays are not characterized by a uniform viewpoint. There are refreshing differences of emphasis and interpretation in the way topics like beauty, the imagination, or the social roles of art are discussed. This book is an excellent introduction to how the visual arts were and are shaped, understood, and used in Reformational cultures.”

“These carefully selected essays from over a dozen theorists offer a fascinating tour of the rich perspectives and signature insights of the Kuyperian aesthetic tradition. The result is a first of its kind: a feast of theorists, central ideas, and productive themes that form the most significant tradition of theological aesthetics in the modern world. This rich collection evinces what those within the tradition have long believed: the Neo-Calvinist approach is invaluable for anyone seeking to offer a theological engagement with the arts in the twenty-first century. It's exactly what we have been needing: a readable overview of the most influential, least-known theological aesthetics in the modern period. What a gift!”

“The Artistic Sphere is an indispensable collection of essays, skillfully tracing the legacy of Reformed theological aesthetics for over one hundred years, from Kuyper to Romaine and beyond. With its Christian perspective deeply rooted in Scripture, this book offers a redemptive model for those in art and theology.”

“This book serves as an excellent example of how commitment to a theological tradition can represent not the narrowing down of a vision for the arts, in this case the visual arts, but an expansive vision for such arts; how rootedness within a particular tradition results not in limited possibilities for the arts but in richly varied possibilities for both content and form; and how the faithful immersion in an artistic tradition, here a Neo-Calvinist one, leads not to the stifling of honest debate but instead to generative discourse. This book is a tremendous gift to the heirs of the Kuyperian tradition—and to those of us also who stand outside it.”

“During my days as an art student, I hungered for a Christian worldview that celebrated the visual arts. When I came upon the writings of Francis Schaeffer and Hans Rookmaaker, it was a welcome feast. Their books introduced me to Reformed thought and led me naturally to the writings of Nicholas Wolterstorff, Calvin Seerveld, and E. John Walford—brilliant thinkers, all featured in this collection—who mined theological and aesthetic territory in fresh ways while remaining grounded in the material world and attuned to the artist's vocation. Like all traditions, Neo-Calvinist aesthetics advanced in fits and starts, but in this volume coeditors Roger D. Henderson and Marleen Hengelaar-Rookmaaker present a fine selection of essays, old and new, giving us a first-rate primer on visual art and Christian faith viewed through the lens of Reformed thought.”