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Naming the Spirit: Pneumatology Through the Arts
Discover the deep connection between theology, the arts, and the work of the Holy Spirit in Naming the SpiritIn this book, W. David O. Taylor and Daniel Train bring together a remarkable group of theologians, scholars, and artists to offer a fresh perspective on pneumatology through the creative lens of the arts.Each chapter unpacks a particular name for the Holy Spirit and examines its significance, using examples from a variety of artistic mediums—music, poetry, visual art, film, and even landscape architecture. Far from being just a theoretical exploration, the book seeks to be a catalyst for renewal in theology and the arts, aiming to inspire new avenues of thought and engagement within classrooms, churches, and beyond.Curated by Taylor and Train, two leading voices in theology and the arts, Naming the Spirit is a rich, interdisciplinary work that promises to deepen our understanding of the Holy Spirit's work in the world through the profound lens of artistic expression.This book is an essential resource for professors, students, ministry leaders, and artists who are looking to enrich their understanding of art in relation to the Holy Spirit. Order Naming the Spirit today and discover a new way to engage with the Holy Spirit through the beauty of the arts.
239 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 2, 2025
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45 people want to read
About the author
W. David O. Taylor
14 books73 followersW. David O. Taylor is Assistant Professor of Theology and Culture at Fuller Theological Seminary. He is the author of "Open and Unafraid: The Psalms and the Life of Faith" (Thomas Nelson: 2020), "Glimpses of the New Creation: Worship and the Formative Power of the Arts" (Eerdmans: 2019) and editor of "For the Beauty of the Church: Casting a Vision for the Arts" (Baker: 2010). He has written for The Washington Post, Image Journal, Christ & Pop Culture, and Christianity Today, among others. An Anglican priest, he has lectured widely on the arts, from Thailand to South Africa. He lives in Austin with his wife Phaedra, a visual artist and gardener, and his daughter Blythe and son Sebastian. Twitter: @wdavidotaylor. Instagram: @davidtaylor_theologian.
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December 26, 2025
What does the Holy Spirit have to do with the arts and culture? Perhaps, they have much to do with each other. Of course, when it comes to the Holy Spirit, there are many definitions. After all, the Spirit is like the wind that cannot be tamed. Yes, it can be tapped into, but not controlled. So could one explore the identity role of the Spirit in conversation with the arts?
Naming the Spirit offers a series of essays, edited by W. David O. Taylor, Associate Professor of Theology and Culture at Fuller Theological Seminary, and Daniel Train, an assistant professor of theology and the arts at Duke Divinity School. It carries a foreword by Pentecostal theologian and professor of theology and mission at Fuller Theological Seminary, Amos Yong. As Yong reminds us, in the essays present in "Naming the Spirit," we are equipped "to experience the beautiful as pneumatized." (p. xiii). That is what we find in this collection of essays: reflections on various forms of beauty that reveal something intriguing about the Holy Spirit.
In "Naming the Spirit," a series of essayists, brought together by the editors, Taylor and Train, reflect on the work of the Holy Spirit through the lenses provided by the arts. This project is part of a larger movement within theology to engage with the arts. When it comes to the arts, the essayists remind us that art is more than paintings and sculpture. Thus, the essayists reflect on pneumatology through forms of art and culture that range from paintings to music to film to landscape architecture. As the editors note, they "invited the contributors of this volume to focus on the doctrine of the persona and work of the Holy Spirit and to explore how such a doctrine might both illuminate and be illuminated through a work of art." With that in mind, each essayists was asked to choose one of the names of the Holy Spirit and then bring that name or concept into conversation with a "particular form of art" (pp. 33-4).
Appropriately, I suppose, the first chapter, authored by Steven Guthrie, focuses on "The identity of the Holy Spirit and the Posture of the Artist." This chapter provides the foundation for what is to come by connecting the Holy Spirit with the work of the artist, whatever art form that might involve. The keyword spoken of here is the Greek Pneuma, which involves wind and breath. The following chapter, authored by Jonathan Anderson, adds another level to the discussion by imagining the outpouring of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost. This chapter does include images and reflections on them, allowing us to consider the visual nature of theology.
With these opening chapters laying a foundation for further reflection, the remaining essayists pick out images of the work of the Holy Spirit and engage them through specific forms of art, including music, film, poetry, and landscape architecture. What we discover here is a rather nuanced and fulsome encounter with the Holy Spirit.
Naming the Spirit offers a series of essays, edited by W. David O. Taylor, Associate Professor of Theology and Culture at Fuller Theological Seminary, and Daniel Train, an assistant professor of theology and the arts at Duke Divinity School. It carries a foreword by Pentecostal theologian and professor of theology and mission at Fuller Theological Seminary, Amos Yong. As Yong reminds us, in the essays present in "Naming the Spirit," we are equipped "to experience the beautiful as pneumatized." (p. xiii). That is what we find in this collection of essays: reflections on various forms of beauty that reveal something intriguing about the Holy Spirit.
In "Naming the Spirit," a series of essayists, brought together by the editors, Taylor and Train, reflect on the work of the Holy Spirit through the lenses provided by the arts. This project is part of a larger movement within theology to engage with the arts. When it comes to the arts, the essayists remind us that art is more than paintings and sculpture. Thus, the essayists reflect on pneumatology through forms of art and culture that range from paintings to music to film to landscape architecture. As the editors note, they "invited the contributors of this volume to focus on the doctrine of the persona and work of the Holy Spirit and to explore how such a doctrine might both illuminate and be illuminated through a work of art." With that in mind, each essayists was asked to choose one of the names of the Holy Spirit and then bring that name or concept into conversation with a "particular form of art" (pp. 33-4).
Appropriately, I suppose, the first chapter, authored by Steven Guthrie, focuses on "The identity of the Holy Spirit and the Posture of the Artist." This chapter provides the foundation for what is to come by connecting the Holy Spirit with the work of the artist, whatever art form that might involve. The keyword spoken of here is the Greek Pneuma, which involves wind and breath. The following chapter, authored by Jonathan Anderson, adds another level to the discussion by imagining the outpouring of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost. This chapter does include images and reflections on them, allowing us to consider the visual nature of theology.
With these opening chapters laying a foundation for further reflection, the remaining essayists pick out images of the work of the Holy Spirit and engage them through specific forms of art, including music, film, poetry, and landscape architecture. What we discover here is a rather nuanced and fulsome encounter with the Holy Spirit.
Displaying 1 of 1 review