The Arts and the Bible

Throughout its history, the Christian church has had a troubled relationship with the arts, whether literature, poetry, music, visual arts, or other forms of artistic expression. This volume is not designed to resolve the issues, but it is designed to present a number of different statements about various dimensions of the arts in their relationship to the Bible. The Bible is the document that stands behind the Christian church as an inspiration to it and to its arts. As a result, we have divided this volume into six parts: perspectives on the arts, culture and art, visual enactments, contemporary interpretations, music, and the Bible and literature. Many of the issues that the history of the interaction of the arts and the Bible within the Christian church has uncovered are insightfully and artfully addressed by this book. The wide range of contributors runs the gamut from practicing artists of various media to scholars within varied academic fields.

Stanley E. Porter is president, dean, and professor of New Testament and holder of the Roy A. Hope Chair in Christian Worldview at McMaster Divinity College, Hamilton, ON, Canada. Besides his research and writing in Greek language and linguistics, he is a keen advocate for the arts within the Christian church. In particular, he is very interested in how literature can help to enlighten and elevate Christian faith.



Wendy J. Porter is professor of music and worship at McMaster Divinity College, Hamilton, ON, Canada. She is an accomplished musician in both classical and contemporary idioms. She has recorded three CDs of contemporary Christian music and done major research on most areas of church music, from the earliest Christian hymn to contemporary worship music. She recently published Early English Composers and the Credo.