The imagination is the vital bridge between the heart and the mind. It is the means by which the Spirit begins to reconnect what was disintegrated by the Fall. This explains why the majority of the Bible is seeking to recapture our imaginations, whether it is the poetry of the psalms, the imagery of the prophets or the luminous parables of Jesus.
It is appropriate, then, that we start this series with Luke's Gospel, because he is more preoccupied with the Holy Spirit than any other Gospel writer. After all, it is Luke who, in his second volume, tells us the story of the coming of the Spirit at Pentecost. From the very beginnings of the church, the Holy Spirit was recapturing the imaginations of the first followers of Jesus, reintegrating their hearts and minds. The Spirit enabled them to bring selves made whole once more to the task of understanding those "secrets of the kingdom" (Lk. 8:10).
An Overview of Luke: The Gospel of Amazement.
A review by Mark Weber, Editor of Christian Music Daily.com
Scholars and artists discuss ‘cultivating a holy imagination’ here
As we proceed in this process, we will discover a new appreciation for the work of biblical scholarship, for the men and women who have received the call to vocationally study the Word and share the fruits of their strenuous labor with you and me. Along the way we will discover a fresh appreciation of scholarship—not as an end in itself but as a beginning. Often we are tempted to believe that the commentary or the lecture is an end, the final word. Here are the facts: record, digest, and the work is done. To the contrary, I hope we will see that the thoughtful commentary is only where you and I begin. The lecture is only the seed, not the fruit. You and I are called to move forward on our own, interacting with heart and mind, continually asking what all the facts mean. This is our calling, just as academic scholarship is the calling of the commentator. Most of us are not scholars. Perhaps we should begin thinking of ourselves as "imaginators," or "biblical imaginators"—or, better yet, "christological biblical imaginators." We are being conformed to his image as we engage our hearts and minds, by means of the imagination, with the Word of God.
The Biblical Imagination Series
This series intends to work its way through all four Gospels, illustrating all along what it means to take the imagination seriously in the understanding of the Bible. These are not, strictly speaking, a collection of academic books, although I intend to draw from the best scholarly sources. Instead, I hope to present a fresh way to approach the Gospels for the lay reader. If the scholarly book or article represents not the end but only the beginning, I intend to take what responsible scholars have faithfully and arduously fought for and demonstrate what it might look like to engage with their facts and with the Scripture on our own, to take their facts and ask what they mean in a larger sense.
Beginning with the Gospel of Luke, the Biblical Imagination Series is an invitation to work through the Gospels along with me. I will take seriously the individual life of each Gospel writer, as well as the life situations that called forth each individual book. Instead of dealing with the texts line by line, or even word by word, we will work with larger blocks of material, looking for major themes and trying to grasp the flow of the story of the life of Jesus. I will do my best to ask good questions and to always be aware of your presence on the journey with me. So consider this my personal invitation to join me as we make our way through the Gospels.
Visit the Patheos Book Club for more conversation about Luke: The Gospel of Amazement, and cultivating a biblical imagination.
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