Brian Godawa is a prolific writer in the Christian supernatural fiction genre. His series Chronicles of the Nephilim, Chronicles of the Apocalypse, and his latest series Chronicles of the Watchers are superb examples of what Godawa attempts to convey in his The Imagination of God: Art, Creativity and Truth in the Bible.
The opening chapter makes a simply assertion but one that is commonly misunderstood and sometimes denied; namely that reason, logic and imagination are not mutually exclusive gifts. Modern people tend to gravitate toward one of two extremes and dismiss the other. Godawa argues that this should not be the case. One example of the polarizing effect of focusing on reason and logic over and against imagination is that modern people lose the ability to both use and benefit from image, metaphor, and parable/allegory in understanding the Bible and in evangelism.
In chapter two Godawa begins to trace the history of the unnecessary tension between word and image by starting with the rise of reason in the Enlightenment. Christians followed their secular counterparts in stating unequivocally that empirical data was the supreme filter by which all data must pass. Unwittingly, these Christians placed shackles on the Bible and its wonderful story, and left subsequent generations of believers with the challenging task of breaking free from these chains. The Bible is a supernatural book written by people with a supernatural worldview. By affirming rationalism (science and reason alone determine truth) believers of the era really forsook the power of the Bible to transform lives by denying the power of image to convey truth.
Chapter three finds the author introducing the basis for reason and offering an additional consideration. Traditionally, philosophy and theology are constructed upon three foundational systems of thought and inquiry – metaphysics, epistemology, and ethics. In other words, Christians develop their theology utilizing the tools of reality (metaphysics), knowledge (epistemology), and morality (ethics). Godawa argues for the inclusion of aesthetics among the four necessary systems of thought and inquiry. He uses the wilderness Tabernacle and the later Temple as powerful illustrations of symbol and image. That God gave specific instructions about the construction of the Tabernacle and Temple is understood. What many modern believers perhaps do not grasp is that God intentionally introduced Himself through the rich colors, textures, pictures, and layout of the Tabernacle and Temple. In this way God was appealing to the Hebrew people through their eyes and minds. This serves as a very early declaration that God’s people are to love him with their heart, soul, and mind.
In chapter four Godawa continues to trace the timeline of history and the impact on the Church. The Reformation followed the Enlightenment era and ushered in a seismic shift in artistic expression that lasts even today. The Reformers are often judged erroneously with rejecting art in every form. The truth is that the Reformers, many of whom were artists, merely unshackled art from the idolatrous use employed by the Roman Catholic Church. At the time of the Reformation icons and their worship was in full bloom within the Roman Church. The Reformers stood against the use of icons and their veneration as “holy relics.” One important result of the Reformation was the ability of artists to express the wonder and beauty of God through their efforts without explicitly using Bible characters or well-known Bible stories as backdrops. This new approach also supported the Reformers ideal that all of life was sacred, not just the time spent in worship or church attendance.
Chapter five finds Godawa presenting the natural tensions which arose from word and propositions versus image and pictures. This is most vividly seen in the theological concepts of immanence and transcendence. Sadly an either or construct has arisen which leads many Christians into a mindset which demands they reject imagination, word picture, and image as both able and in some cases necessary to a Gospel presentation.
The movie Passion of the Christ is a prime example of the power of the visual medium to convey much more than words might. The cruelty visited upon Jesus Christ in the hours leading up to His crucifixion created an indelible impression on the minds of believers and unbelievers alike. A simple reading of the associated narratives without the visual effects would not have had near the result. Therein lies the force of this chapter and its contribution to Godawa’s argument – the visual often bridges the abstract by taking the narrative and turning it into a visual. In this way narrative imagery incarnates truth and speaks to the mind and heart of people.
This is a particularly interesting chapter in which the author presents a wonderful analysis of movie genre and type and how movie makers attempt to tell their story utilizing persuasion through identification, reflection, love story, generalization, and subversion. This last technique serves as the subject for chapter six.
Without explanation, the idea that Bible storytelling as subversion will cause consternation among Christians. What does it mean that the Bible presents itself in many cases as subversive? Godawa explains his use of subversion as the “radical reinterpretation or undermining of commonly understood images, words, concepts, or narratives” (p.97). In chapter six the author presents a number of examples where the Bible takes known motifs and reinterprets them to underscore biblical truth. Godawa presents Jude’s use of 1 Enoch concerning Michael the Archangel, Paul’s use of the Greek Menander’s line from Thais in 1 Corinthians 15:53, as well as the Apostle’s use of the familiar Isthmian games and the victor’s celebration as illustrative of Christ’s victory he expounds in 2 Corinthians 2:14-16 and Colossians 2:15, as examples of the biblical writers giving new meaning to know words and images.
In chapter seven Godawa continues his theme of the Bible as subversion but broadens the scope to include discussion of how the Bible subverted cultures (Jewish, Greek, Roman) and efforts that offer subversive stories based on the biblical narrative (especially within the motion picture industry). Most notable for this writer is Godawa’s presentation of the parables of Jesus as direct and intentional subversion of the commonly held beliefs of the Jewish people. That Jesus did this in such a way that people were brought to saving faith through an understanding of the implications of Jesus’ teaching and that the unrighteous were infuriated and rejected Him is a key indicator of this strategy being employed.
Chapter nine tackles the modern infatuation with the answer to the question, “What would Jesus do?” Godawa tweaks the question to ask, “What art would Jesus do?” His point here is that historically Christians have been quick to dismiss all forms of artistic expressions when they fall into certain categories without understanding the worldview being advanced in each effort. Should Christians reject all forms of horror and violence in movies? Should an R rating place an artistic effort off-limits for Christians? Godawa argues that it should not. Doing so would place movies that have a clear Christian message such as The Passion of the Christ, Braveheart, and Last of the Mohicans to name a few, in the non-viewable category. Conversely, movies with a PG rating do not guarantee family friendly or Bible friendly content. The Bible actually presents numerous genres such as poetry, romance, violence, erotic, and even sarcasm and absurdist drama to convey its message (see p. 151 for these and other examples). This chapter serves as a real self-check for Christians to ascertain if consistency is being employed in the evaluation of modern media.
The book is concluded with an Afterward where the author reflects on his journey of balance and a correct understanding of how to approach art and image within the context of Christian living all for the express purpose of glorifying God in every word and deed. This is followed by an Appendix where he answers nine prominent objections.
Godawa has written a book that makes a valuable contribution to the conversation about Christianity and the arts. He has laid out a full spectrum argument that takes into account the historical developments and the Church’s response to the movements of Enlightenment, Reformation, and Modernism. An important point that Godawa raises is the need for Christians to fully understand their Bible and the many facets and nuances it presents. As a common friend to both author and this reviewer is fond of saying, “it is not my job to protect you from your Bible.” The Bible is much more than the vast majority of Christians understand it to be. Godawa urges his readers to approach the Bible with fresh eyes and minds, renewed by an understanding of the grand message God has delivered to us through word and image.
An electronic copy of this book was provided to this reviewer for the purpose of writing a review. No other remuneration was offered or received.