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Imagine That: Discovering Your Unique Role as a Christian Artist
Why are we artists? How does God experience art? What is the artist’s calling in relation to God, the church, and the world?
Drawing from his experiences performing Mozart, playing “dive bars", and leading worship and the arts in the church, author Manuel Luz seeks to answer the questions that artists often ask. Laced with humorous and sometimes poignant anecdotes, Imagine That is a thought-provoking journey through the convergence of art and faith. Luz has been a working musician, writer, pastor, and even amateur cartoonist for more than 40 years, and in Imagine That he lays out his case for a uniquely Christian approach to the vocation of artist, using theologically rich and artist-friendly language.
In the end, Imagine That affirms and equips Christian artists for the special kind of ministry that only they can do.
Drawing from his experiences performing Mozart, playing “dive bars", and leading worship and the arts in the church, author Manuel Luz seeks to answer the questions that artists often ask. Laced with humorous and sometimes poignant anecdotes, Imagine That is a thought-provoking journey through the convergence of art and faith. Luz has been a working musician, writer, pastor, and even amateur cartoonist for more than 40 years, and in Imagine That he lays out his case for a uniquely Christian approach to the vocation of artist, using theologically rich and artist-friendly language.
In the end, Imagine That affirms and equips Christian artists for the special kind of ministry that only they can do.
- GenresArt
200 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
6 people are currently reading
44 people want to read
About the author
Manuel Luz
5 books3 followersManuel Luz is the creative arts pastor of Oak Hills Church in Folsom, California, and has been an active advocate for worship and the arts for more than twenty-five years. He is also the author of Imagine That, a working musician and songwriter, and the co-inventer of the musical instrument the WalkaBout.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
January 27, 2011
As a reviewer of books and music that are mostly produced by Christians, I struggle with how to balance a critique of the quality of the art with the message it’s trying to convey. Clearly, we don’t want to give things positive reinforcement simply because it deals with Christian ideas or mentions Jesus. What role, then, does being a Christian play in influencing the art that’s produced? Is art simply another evangelistic tool, furthering an agenda, or is it an expression of the artist wherein their Christian worldview cannot help but emerge?
These are the types of issues and questions tackled by Manuel Luz in Imagine That: Discovering Your Unique Role as a Christian Artist. Luz has quite a background. He’s been a minor rock star, proficient on numerous instruments and having contributed to almost 50 albums. He’s been a rocket scientist (no kidding), and he’s now a creative arts pastor at a church in California. He draws liberally from this personal experience in the book as he wrestles with how to articulate a “theology of art.”
Luz begins this theology in chapter 1 exactly where he should, with the character of God. Since God is the master Creator and Artist, and since we bear His image, it should come as no surprise that we are drawn to create and experience art. As kids, we all have a creative impulse, but as we grow older, we suppress this as we determine we aren’t good enough or we’re “just not the creative type.” We are all, though, drawn to the transcendence of art at some level. It reflects God. Luz’s description of how music works, for example, which draws on both his creative and scientific sides, is staggering and will help you see God in music.
The strongest chapter in the book is chapter 2, where Luz discusses how art and faith intersect. Using a quote from Francis Schaeffer, Luz differentiates between art that is simply a vehicle for a particular message (such as Christianity), and art that honestly reflects the artist’s unique view of the world. Obviously these are not black and white categories and there will be some overlap. For the Christian, this will reflect themes of brokenness and redemption, but these come out honestly in the art and are not forced.
Luz states, “We are like the flowers of the field, each of which glorifies our God simply by being what He created it to be.” He also quotes Eric Liddle from the movie Chariots of Fire about how he feels God’s pleasure when he runs. Chapter 2 also includes a discussion of “Christian Music” and how many in the industry don’t take the above view. In the pursuit of “success,” what we tend to end up with is “religious platitudes wrapped in watered-down art.”
The other chapters on “the artist in community,” “art as a spiritual discipline,” and “the calling of the artist” are all solid as well, even though I feel like some momentum was lost after the first 2. Some will take issue with Luz’s claims about how art should function in the church at times, as he advocates a somewhat non-traditional approach, but for the most part, his theology is very biblical and accurate.
The arts have been somewhat pushed aside in the Church, which is a shame. Art, done well, can help us experience truth about God in new and profound ways. Luz has developed a solid, though not exhaustive, theology of art in which to operate and accomplish this. Imagine That should be required reading for all Christian artists and those of us who would critique it.
These are the types of issues and questions tackled by Manuel Luz in Imagine That: Discovering Your Unique Role as a Christian Artist. Luz has quite a background. He’s been a minor rock star, proficient on numerous instruments and having contributed to almost 50 albums. He’s been a rocket scientist (no kidding), and he’s now a creative arts pastor at a church in California. He draws liberally from this personal experience in the book as he wrestles with how to articulate a “theology of art.”
Luz begins this theology in chapter 1 exactly where he should, with the character of God. Since God is the master Creator and Artist, and since we bear His image, it should come as no surprise that we are drawn to create and experience art. As kids, we all have a creative impulse, but as we grow older, we suppress this as we determine we aren’t good enough or we’re “just not the creative type.” We are all, though, drawn to the transcendence of art at some level. It reflects God. Luz’s description of how music works, for example, which draws on both his creative and scientific sides, is staggering and will help you see God in music.
The strongest chapter in the book is chapter 2, where Luz discusses how art and faith intersect. Using a quote from Francis Schaeffer, Luz differentiates between art that is simply a vehicle for a particular message (such as Christianity), and art that honestly reflects the artist’s unique view of the world. Obviously these are not black and white categories and there will be some overlap. For the Christian, this will reflect themes of brokenness and redemption, but these come out honestly in the art and are not forced.
Luz states, “We are like the flowers of the field, each of which glorifies our God simply by being what He created it to be.” He also quotes Eric Liddle from the movie Chariots of Fire about how he feels God’s pleasure when he runs. Chapter 2 also includes a discussion of “Christian Music” and how many in the industry don’t take the above view. In the pursuit of “success,” what we tend to end up with is “religious platitudes wrapped in watered-down art.”
The other chapters on “the artist in community,” “art as a spiritual discipline,” and “the calling of the artist” are all solid as well, even though I feel like some momentum was lost after the first 2. Some will take issue with Luz’s claims about how art should function in the church at times, as he advocates a somewhat non-traditional approach, but for the most part, his theology is very biblical and accurate.
The arts have been somewhat pushed aside in the Church, which is a shame. Art, done well, can help us experience truth about God in new and profound ways. Luz has developed a solid, though not exhaustive, theology of art in which to operate and accomplish this. Imagine That should be required reading for all Christian artists and those of us who would critique it.
January 22, 2022
This book is amazing. So many wonderful insights from a man who clearly "knows his stuff." This book deals not just with the arts aspects of Christianity but with how to be an artist who represents Christ well. I read this book for the second time in research for my doctoral dissertation and I came away challenged and inspired. I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Luz a few years ago when were were both speaking at a conference. His authenticity was just palpable. This book is open and honest and extremely well written. If you are an artist looking to serve God with your gift or a church leader looking to embrace the "creative hands in the body of Christ," this book is a must read.
April 1, 2018
Must-read for Christians involved in the arts
This is an excellent resource for Christians trying to find their place in the arts. Good food for thought with discussion questions at the end of the chapters to help guide your thinking or for group work.
This is an excellent resource for Christians trying to find their place in the arts. Good food for thought with discussion questions at the end of the chapters to help guide your thinking or for group work.
April 2, 2017
what drives me crazy about the book is how it potrays GOD as the master artist and humans as artists following HIS footsteps...i recommend this book for students of Arts and Religion
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews