First CRC Library

Christian communities have often been divided over the value of art. Some have seen the arts as unimportant—a luxury, but certainly not a necessity. Others have contended that art is a vital expression of what it means to be a human being created in the image of God. For Calvin Seerveld, engaging the arts is part of living faithfully as a Christian. In Bearing Fresh Olive Leaves (Piquant Books, 2000), he calls us to practice redemptive artistry—art that brings hope and healing to our troubled world.

This book challenges Christians to think. Committed lay Christians, says Cobb, are already theologians; he wants them to realize this and then to become good theologians.

Laypersons are just as capable as professional theologians of intellectual hard work, but they no longer expect the church to ask this of them. Cobb discusses why it is important for Christians to think about their own beliefs and assumptions. He encourages readers to find and become conversation partners. He also suggests steps a Christian's thinking may take; sources the individual can draw on, including how professionals can help; and where this thinking may lead. Cobb asserts that if there is a renewal of thinking in the church, there will be church renewal. The goal is to focus and sharpen one's thinking so that it is one's own, and to apply that thinking to one's being and acting. Each chapter ends with a section "Doing Your Theology" which is a list of questions for reflection and discussion.

Chapter titles include: On Becoming What You Are: A Theologian; Ethics and Theology; Shaping Up; Biblical Authority; Christians and Jews; Professionals: Help and Hindrance; Christian Counterattack; A Critique of Economics; A Critique of the University; An Afterword on Church Theology