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Evolution and the Imago Dei
The Artist as Translator

 

Artists are uniquely equipped to assist with the difficult task of reconciliation. Their view of the world is at once open, exploratory, passionate, and compassionate. As a result, they often take on conflicting issues, provide an imaginative ground for dialogue, and attempt to create a synthesis that enables people to connect and communicate.

Our world has become increasingly political, especially in certain arenas of dialogue. The science-faith dialogue, for example, has become increasingly charged in the US in the area of evolutionary theory, especially in the light of ongoing and recent discoveries in biogeography, paleontology, embryology, and genetics. There is a need for reconciliation and open dialogue.

A grant from the BioLogos Foundation—which was founded by a scientist who was a man of faith—has given Image, and especially the artists who form a vital part of our community, an opportunity to assist with that dialogue.

Because artists deal with the concrete—stories, images, materials—they embody ideas and themes that would otherwise remain abstract, producing surprisingly accessible results. Their work not only enriches the private life of many individuals but broadens out to impact the church (through sermons, worship, and other activities) and the culture (through a variety of media).

Image published a special issue, Evolution and the Imago Dei, featuring essays, poems, short stories, and a book review engaging the intersection of art, faith, and science. Accompanying the issue are study guides for undergraduate students and church adult study classes.

In addition to a special issue of Image journal, this grant from the BioLogos Foundation has also enabled Image to publish Good Letters blog posts, host special Glen Workshop seminars on art, faith, and science, and host a colloquy to explore the ground between theology and science.

The colloquy was held in November 2013 on Whidbey Island, Washington. In attendance were nine artists, led by editor Gregory Wolfe with key contributions from theologian Dr. Jeremy Begbie and environmental scientist Calvin DeWitt. The artists in attendance were selected for their demonstrated interest in the theme of creation—a theme that also runs through their artworks. They also presented video and music selections and readings from their own body of work.

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Evolution and the Imago Dei

Read the poems, essays, and more from special Image issue 85.

Web Exclusive: A Conversation with Natalie Settles


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Darwin and the Problem of Time


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Where Are You?


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The Evolving Song


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The Arrow of Time


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Immersed in Mystery


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The Feverfew


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Reductionist Confessions


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Sons of Noah


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Notes toward Knowing


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Two-Book Wisdom


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Rock, Paper, Scissors


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A Conversation with Jeremy Begbie


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Ecologies of Knowing


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When God Dreamed Eve through Adam


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In the Beginning


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Infantile Paralysis


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Elegy for a Microbe Hunter


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The Microbiome and the Boson


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Prodigal Body


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Orange and Spices


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Return to the Beginning


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The Music before the Music


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In the Beginning Was the Word


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Christmas Morning in a Hotel Room


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Poem in July


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June


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And I Will Look for You in Fields of Poppies


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How Long the Long Winter


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Middle Distance, Morning


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Evolution


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Manifest, by Reason of Birth


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Fire in Freedom


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The Moss Method


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Give Dust a Tongue


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Pavane for a Dead Princess


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No Better Place to End


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Art, Faith, and Science on the Good Letters Blog

Explore the ways in which art can help us perceive and engage the mysteries of creation. 

Cry Melodies

| November 16, 2015

Canticle of Creation

| September 22, 2015

No Better Place to End, Part 2

| August 13, 2015

No Better Place to End, Part 1

| August 12, 2015

Redrawing the Tree of Life in Yellowstone

| August 6, 2015

Poets and Pope Embrace our Planet

| July 28, 2015

The Horseshoe Crab’s Evolutionary Success

| July 24, 2015

A Conversation with Artist Natalie Settles, Part 2

| July 16, 2015

A Conversation with Artist Natalie Settles, Part 1

| July 15, 2015

The Dissonant Note

| June 30, 2015

The Science and Sundayness of Play

| June 3, 2015

Neil deGrasse Tyson’s Cosmos and the Megachurch

| April 8, 2015

The Bible, Science, and Higher Education

| March 19, 2015

Science and Faith: an Evolving Conversation

| February 24, 2015

God’s Grandeur

| February 12, 2015

Living With Darwin

| February 10, 2015

My Big Bang Theory

| November 5, 2014

Raising Kids in the Creation/Evolution Divide, Part 2

| October 23, 2014

Raising Kids in the Creation/Evolution Divide, Part 1

| October 22, 2014

Rubble and Re-Creation

| September 24, 2014

The Creationist Crisis Reprise

| August 28, 2014

Eiseley, Darwin, and the Weird Portentous

| August 1, 2014

Scientific Passions

| May 23, 2014

Crying Ocean

| April 23, 2014

Beauty’s Victory

| April 3, 2014

Creation, Evolution, and the Over-Active Imagination, Part 2

| March 27, 2014

Creation, Evolution, and the Over-Active Imagination, Part 1

| March 26, 2014

A Blaze of Holy Unease, Part 2

| February 11, 2014

A Blaze of Holy Unease, Part 1

| February 10, 2014

Beyond Sight: The Imago Dei Project

| January 28, 2014

Face to Face: The Imago Dei Project

| December 30, 2013

Eve, the Apple, and the Need To Know: The Imago Dei Project

| October 29, 2013

The Evolution of Evolutionary Language: The Imago Dei Project

| October 25, 2013

This project was made possible through the support of a grant from The BioLogos Foundation’s Evolution and Christian Faith program. The opinions expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of BioLogos.

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