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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.
- GenresTheology
239 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 2, 2025
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.
April 7, 2026
Summary: An essay collection considering the different names for the Holy Spirit, using works of art to deepen our understanding.
Many of us wrestle to understand the person and work of the Holy Spirit. While scripture is always our ultimate authority, artistic works often illuminate the narratives of scripture. They depict in image and sound the character and work of God in the world. This book focuses in on the Holy Spirit, looking at names and aspects of the work of the Spirit from both theological and artistic perspectives. The essays are authored by both theologians and artists, some co-written.
Steve Guthrie open the collection considering the Greek term for Spirit, pneuma, which can mean “wind” or “breath.” He reflects on the poetic “fecundity” of this term. It speaks to God’s life-giving breath, his word-bearing breath, and the dynamic wind of God. Then Jonathan A. Anderson uses portrayals of Pentecost in early church art. Thus, he considers the spaciality of “descent,” the visual form of this outpouring in tongues and fire, the persons on whom the Spirit is poured,- and from where this outpouring occurs. Christina Carnes Ananias explores how Olafur Eliasson’s Beauty illustrates Basil’s contention that light and the image it illuminates cannot be separated.
Several collaborative essays follow. Erin Shaw and Taylor Worley reflect on the shalom of the Spirit. Shaw’s art is influenced by Native American ideas and worldview. She draws on the notion of kincentricity as an expression of what shalom means–the interdependency of all things flourishing in relationships of reciprocity. From discs of various sizes to wound balls of string, she expresses this idea. Then Devon Abts and Joelle Hathaway return to the idea of pneuma, connecting our breath and the breath of the Spirit. They do so through an analysis of Ross Gay’s “A Small Needful Fact,” written upon the death of Eric Garner whose last cry was “I can’t breathe.”
Finally, Phil Allen Jr. and Justin Ariel Bailey move from breath to breadth. They consider the work of the Spirit in creating habitable spaces for people through Dea Jenkins BLK Halos, an artistic installation for artistic resistance and liturgical performance in a black-walled room with textile creations. Then, perhaps the greatest example of creating a “habitable space” came when the Spirit “overshadowed” Mary. Chelle Stearns explores Oliver Messiaen’s Vingt Regards sur l’Enfant-Jesus. She reflects on how Messiaen captures the work of the Spirit in Mary, with her full assent, and how the Spirit may similarly work in the church.
Julian Davis Reid describes the Spirit’s prompting during a performance to enfold “Holy, Holy, Holy” into “Give Me Jesus” as a lead in to exploring the Spirit’s convicting work. Amy Whisenand Krall also draws on a musical performance. “Hope for Resolution” serves as the basis to reflect on maintaining the unity of the Spirit. Having sung this piece, it joins an ancient chant and an African praise song into a seamless garment of sound. Finally, in this section on music, Shannon Steed Sigler considers Charles Wesley’s “resignation,” and both the spiritual and creative freedom that followed.
Lastly, the concluding two essays turn to film and landscape architecture. David W. McNutt and Wesley Vander Lugt consider Terence Malik’s The Tree of Life. They focus on its insights into the comforting and disrupting work of the Spirit. Jennifer A. Craft and W. David O. Taylor describe the renovation of Laity Lodge’s landscape, using native species requiring less maintenance. They see this as an illustration of the Spirit’s particularizing work. No one size fits all!
Part of the impact of a book like this is to be able to experience the artistic works. The book renders some of these and links to others. The chapter on maintaining the unity of the Spirit was powerful because I’ve sung “Hope for Resolution” and knew its significance. The person and work of the Holy Spirit is not known merely through cognition or affect. The Spirit acts upon our physical world. People know Him through their senses and in their bodies. So, this collaboration of theologians and artists helps open up the reader to that deeper knowing.
_______________________
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for review.
Many of us wrestle to understand the person and work of the Holy Spirit. While scripture is always our ultimate authority, artistic works often illuminate the narratives of scripture. They depict in image and sound the character and work of God in the world. This book focuses in on the Holy Spirit, looking at names and aspects of the work of the Spirit from both theological and artistic perspectives. The essays are authored by both theologians and artists, some co-written.
Steve Guthrie open the collection considering the Greek term for Spirit, pneuma, which can mean “wind” or “breath.” He reflects on the poetic “fecundity” of this term. It speaks to God’s life-giving breath, his word-bearing breath, and the dynamic wind of God. Then Jonathan A. Anderson uses portrayals of Pentecost in early church art. Thus, he considers the spaciality of “descent,” the visual form of this outpouring in tongues and fire, the persons on whom the Spirit is poured,- and from where this outpouring occurs. Christina Carnes Ananias explores how Olafur Eliasson’s Beauty illustrates Basil’s contention that light and the image it illuminates cannot be separated.
Several collaborative essays follow. Erin Shaw and Taylor Worley reflect on the shalom of the Spirit. Shaw’s art is influenced by Native American ideas and worldview. She draws on the notion of kincentricity as an expression of what shalom means–the interdependency of all things flourishing in relationships of reciprocity. From discs of various sizes to wound balls of string, she expresses this idea. Then Devon Abts and Joelle Hathaway return to the idea of pneuma, connecting our breath and the breath of the Spirit. They do so through an analysis of Ross Gay’s “A Small Needful Fact,” written upon the death of Eric Garner whose last cry was “I can’t breathe.”
Finally, Phil Allen Jr. and Justin Ariel Bailey move from breath to breadth. They consider the work of the Spirit in creating habitable spaces for people through Dea Jenkins BLK Halos, an artistic installation for artistic resistance and liturgical performance in a black-walled room with textile creations. Then, perhaps the greatest example of creating a “habitable space” came when the Spirit “overshadowed” Mary. Chelle Stearns explores Oliver Messiaen’s Vingt Regards sur l’Enfant-Jesus. She reflects on how Messiaen captures the work of the Spirit in Mary, with her full assent, and how the Spirit may similarly work in the church.
Julian Davis Reid describes the Spirit’s prompting during a performance to enfold “Holy, Holy, Holy” into “Give Me Jesus” as a lead in to exploring the Spirit’s convicting work. Amy Whisenand Krall also draws on a musical performance. “Hope for Resolution” serves as the basis to reflect on maintaining the unity of the Spirit. Having sung this piece, it joins an ancient chant and an African praise song into a seamless garment of sound. Finally, in this section on music, Shannon Steed Sigler considers Charles Wesley’s “resignation,” and both the spiritual and creative freedom that followed.
Lastly, the concluding two essays turn to film and landscape architecture. David W. McNutt and Wesley Vander Lugt consider Terence Malik’s The Tree of Life. They focus on its insights into the comforting and disrupting work of the Spirit. Jennifer A. Craft and W. David O. Taylor describe the renovation of Laity Lodge’s landscape, using native species requiring less maintenance. They see this as an illustration of the Spirit’s particularizing work. No one size fits all!
Part of the impact of a book like this is to be able to experience the artistic works. The book renders some of these and links to others. The chapter on maintaining the unity of the Spirit was powerful because I’ve sung “Hope for Resolution” and knew its significance. The person and work of the Holy Spirit is not known merely through cognition or affect. The Spirit acts upon our physical world. People know Him through their senses and in their bodies. So, this collaboration of theologians and artists helps open up the reader to that deeper knowing.
_______________________
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for review.
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