Images and Idols

Christians ought to be leading the way in creativity, but we rarely do.

God is the Creator of all things and he created us in His image. Creativity is woven into the very fabric of our humanity. Therefore, Christians should value and champion creativity, as a vital part of our image-bearing role. Instead Christians often don’t know what to do with creatives and creatives don’t know what to do with Christianity. On one side you have Christians who neglect or discount art, imagination, and beauty altogether. On the other, you have artists who make idols out of each of these good things.

Ryan Lister, a theology professor, and Thomas Terry, a spoken word artist and founder of Humble Beast, team up to help restore the connection between creativity and theology. Images& Idols is a theological and artistic exploration of creativity in the Christian life. It will help creatives build a strong theological foundation for their art, while challenging the church to embrace a theology of beauty and creativity.

THOMAS J. TERRY is the founder and executive director of Humble Beast, a record label and ministry in Portland, Oregon. As a spoken word artist and a member of Beautiful Eulogy, he seeks to bring creativity and theology together to glorify the Lord who created them both. Thomas lives with his wife, Heather, and two boys, Tobin and Kuyper, and serves as the Executive Pastor at Trinity Church of Portland.

RYAN LISTER is a professor of theology at Western Seminary in Portland, Oregon. He is the author of The Presence of God: Its Place in the Story of Scripture and the Story of Our Lives and serves as Director of Doctrine & Discipleship for Humble Beast, where he helped start the Canvas Conference. He lives in Portland, Oregon with his wife, Chase, and their four children.