Overview

Apart from the work of God in creation, it's notoriously difficult to explain the presence of beauty in the world and man's appreciation for it. Indeed, the aesthetic realm (with its array of phenomena which engage the senses, the mind, and the heart) not only suits the biblical account of the universe, but also points toward it. In making this case, sixteen writers address the shortcomings of naturalistic narratives, the virtues of theistic accounts (particularly those grounded in Christ), and the manner in which the various arts resonate with Scripture. Along the way, readers will encounter the peacock's tail and Farnsworth House; a Schubert piano sonata and ""chopsticks""; Kintsugi and Kitsch; Hugh of St. Victor and Hans Urs von Balthasar; Kandinsky and Eisenstein; the Lydian and Phrygian modes; eucatastrophe and liminal space; McDonald's and Don Quixote; Smeagol and the Blobfish; Stockhausen and Begbie; Adorno and Kinkade; Mount Auburn Cemetery and Narnia; Fujimura and Schopenhauer.

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9781666715088

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Reviews

"""Apologetical Aesthetics has so many virtues that it is hard to know where to start and where to stop. In the field of upper-level Christian scholarship on aesthetics, this book ranks as the best of the best. The scope of research is so breathtaking that it is hard to imagine that any important source on the subject has been omitted from consideration. . . . As a work of apologetics, the authors strike an admirable balance between claiming too much for beauty and too little."" --Leland Ryken, Emeritus Professor of English at Wheaton College, and author of Recovering the Lost Art of Reading: A Quest for the True, the Good, and the Beautiful ""This wide-ranging collection of provocative essays offers a cogent and sophisticated response to the confused banalities of contemporary naturalistic science. It establishes that our understanding of aesthetics affects our understanding of science and life, and that aesthetics in the pursuit of Truth or God advances human flourishing. A rewarding read."" --Arthur Pontynen, Emeritus Professor of Art History, University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, and author of For the Love of Beauty"

Apologetical Aesthetics has so many virtues that it is hard to know where to start and where to stop. In the field of upper-level Christian scholarship on aesthetics, this book ranks as the best of the best. The scope of research is so breathtaking that it is hard to imagine that any important source on the subject has been omitted from consideration. . . . As a work of apologetics, the authors strike an admirable balance between claiming too much for beauty and too little. --Leland Ryken, Emeritus Professor of English at Wheaton College, and author of Recovering the Lost Art of Reading: A Quest for the True, the Good, and the Beautiful This wide-ranging collection of provocative essays offers a cogent and sophisticated response to the confused banalities of contemporary naturalistic science. It establishes that our understanding of aesthetics affects our understanding of science and life, and that aesthetics in the pursuit of Truth or God advances human flourishing. A rewarding read. --Arthur Pontynen, Emeritus Professor of Art History, University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, and author of For the Love of Beauty Apologetical Aesthetics has so many virtues that it is hard to know where to start and where to stop. In the field of upper-level Christian scholarship on aesthetics, this book ranks as the best of the best. The scope of research is so breathtaking that it is hard to imagine that any important source on the subject has been omitted from consideration. . . . As a work of apologetics, the authors strike an admirable balance between claiming too much for beauty and too little. --Leland Ryken, Emeritus Professor of English at Wheaton College, and author of Recovering the Lost Art of Reading: A Quest for the True, the Good, and the Beautiful This wide-ranging collection of provocative essays offers a cogent and sophisticated response to the confused banalities of contemporary naturalistic science. It establishes that our understanding of aesthetics affects our understanding of science and life, and that aesthetics in the pursuit of Truth or God advances human flourishing. A rewarding read. --Arthur Pontynen, Emeritus Professor of Art History, University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, and author of For the Love of Beauty

Author Information

Mark Coppenger is Retired Professor of Christian Philosophy and Ethics at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is the author of Moral Apologetics for Contemporary Christians (2011) and Cases and Maps: A Christian Introduction to Philosophy (2019). He also edited A Skeptic's Guide to Arts in the Church: Ruminations on Twenty Reservations (2018). William E. Elkins Jr. is pastor of Chickasha (OK) Reformed Church. He has served in the Middle East as a chaplain for the Oklahoma National Guard. Richard H. Stark III teaches at Palmetto Christian Academy in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina. He has also taught adjunct courses for his alma mater, North Greenville University, as well as Anderson University (SC).

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