What do you think?
Manifest: Our Call to Faithful Creativity
32 chapters exploring the intersection of faith and creativity in our lives, our churches, our homes and our world.
“Like an artesian well, human creativity springs from deep within the soul. An endless supply; the more that is released, the more bubbles to the surface.”—Kay D Rizzo
“Being heard amid the din may at times require creativity that confronts and jolts the soul awake, but at other times it calls for creativity that gently stirs.”—Gary Krause
“Not only does the Bible show us God as a creative genius, . . . the Bible itself is the highest possible testimonial to the value God places on human creativity.”—Trudy Morgan Cole
“I’ve discovered that when I share the stories of God and His friends I am able to speak to every issue Christians confront. . . . Stories. Always stories.”—Dick Duerkson
“The arts should flourish within Christian community and ministry because God is the Creator, Jesus is the head of the church and the Holy Spirit is with us.”—Glenn Townend
“Expressing our creative spirit is the natural way the Creator intended us to glorify Him and serve one another.”—Terry Benedict
“Like an artesian well, human creativity springs from deep within the soul. An endless supply; the more that is released, the more bubbles to the surface.”—Kay D Rizzo
“Being heard amid the din may at times require creativity that confronts and jolts the soul awake, but at other times it calls for creativity that gently stirs.”—Gary Krause
“Not only does the Bible show us God as a creative genius, . . . the Bible itself is the highest possible testimonial to the value God places on human creativity.”—Trudy Morgan Cole
“I’ve discovered that when I share the stories of God and His friends I am able to speak to every issue Christians confront. . . . Stories. Always stories.”—Dick Duerkson
“The arts should flourish within Christian community and ministry because God is the Creator, Jesus is the head of the church and the Holy Spirit is with us.”—Glenn Townend
“Expressing our creative spirit is the natural way the Creator intended us to glorify Him and serve one another.”—Terry Benedict
279 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 13, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 14, 2017
This book is a keeper.
Almost every chapter provided some nugget of insight into the creative process. I felt encouraged and invigorated by the thoughts of each author as they pondered what it means to be faithful to God through an expression of creativity.
It was the last section of the book—Living, however, where I started to spike the book with bookmarks so I could go back and meditate on the practical and pragmatic reflections of different authors. As the rubber met the road, I felt a sense of challenge that had not come through previously.
p 152-153, quoting Mark Dreisdadt on why Christian television lacks creativity:
1. Most Christian television is created to please the donors, not to reach unbelievers
2. Most Christian television is about ministry exposure and product sales than about evangelism and discipleship
3. Many people give to Christian television ministry because they believe they have a right to exist, not because they actually watch it
4. Hollywood takes what is fake and makes it look real while Christian TV tends to take what is real and make it look fake
p 156 -157
Reflecting on the design of Noah's ark (and also to a lesser extent, Solomon's Temple, Nehushtan and the Tabernacle of Moses):
Could it be that God has designs for structures that will withstand the onslaught of natural disasters on our planet today? Could it be He yearns to give us access to these designs through intimacy with Him?
On Nehushtan: could it be that God longs to use art as a means of healing as we look to Him through the medium of creative design?
p 160
We should be working with the Holy Spirit to bring Jesus His full reward. ... How amazing to be able to give Jesus a gift that we will only be able to deliver while in this earthly condition.
Almost every chapter provided some nugget of insight into the creative process. I felt encouraged and invigorated by the thoughts of each author as they pondered what it means to be faithful to God through an expression of creativity.
It was the last section of the book—Living, however, where I started to spike the book with bookmarks so I could go back and meditate on the practical and pragmatic reflections of different authors. As the rubber met the road, I felt a sense of challenge that had not come through previously.
p 152-153, quoting Mark Dreisdadt on why Christian television lacks creativity:
1. Most Christian television is created to please the donors, not to reach unbelievers
2. Most Christian television is about ministry exposure and product sales than about evangelism and discipleship
3. Many people give to Christian television ministry because they believe they have a right to exist, not because they actually watch it
4. Hollywood takes what is fake and makes it look real while Christian TV tends to take what is real and make it look fake
p 156 -157
Reflecting on the design of Noah's ark (and also to a lesser extent, Solomon's Temple, Nehushtan and the Tabernacle of Moses):
Could it be that God has designs for structures that will withstand the onslaught of natural disasters on our planet today? Could it be He yearns to give us access to these designs through intimacy with Him?
On Nehushtan: could it be that God longs to use art as a means of healing as we look to Him through the medium of creative design?
p 160
We should be working with the Holy Spirit to bring Jesus His full reward. ... How amazing to be able to give Jesus a gift that we will only be able to deliver while in this earthly condition.
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July 30, 2026I contributed to this volume, but this review is based on all the other chapters that aren’t mine. I so much appreciate the creative folks who can talk about how and why they go about the work of making beauty. There are so many different perspectives here. I highly recommend dipping into it if you’re a person who wants to make good art and to think about the reasons why. Especially good for Christians, but there are lessons for everyone.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews