Creative Writing: A Faith and Learning Bibliography
Prepared by Randall A. Smith, Ph.D., Martha G. Krystaponis, Joy E. Patterson, and Deanna J. Vanderver
While compiling the bibliography, the editors attempted to balance general and focused research. On the one hand, we included books related to the broad field of creative writing, from pedagogy to practice. On the other hand, we included many books related specifically to the intersection of a biblical, or Christian, worldview and creativity, composition, and aesthetics. Overall, the bibliography should prove useful to teachers, students, and writers regardless of worldview perspective. If you have suggestions for other works to include, please contact Dr. Randall Smith (Creative Writing Department Chair, Belhaven University, Jackson, MS) at [email protected].
Parenthetical material at the end of individual bibliographical entries indicates call numbers or holdings for the Belhaven University Warren A. Hood Library.
Biblical Worldview / Philosophy of Aesthetics
Abrams, Meyer H. The Mirror and the Lamp: Romantic Theory and the Critical Tradition.
Oxford UP, 1971.
Barratt, David, Leland Ryken, and Roger Pooley, eds. The Discerning Reader: Essays on
Christian Literary Criticism. Baker, 1995. (261.58/D6311)
Bass, Alice. The Creative Life: A Workbook for Unearthing the Christian Imagination.
InterVarsity, May 2001. (248.4/B293c)
Bayles, David and Orland, Ted. Art and Fear: Observations On the Perils (and Rewards) of
Artmaking. Image Continuum, 2001. (701.15/B343a)
Begbie, Jeremy, ed. Beholding the Glory: Incarnation Through the Arts. Baker, 2000.
(261.57/B395) ---. Sounding the Depths: Theology Through the Arts. SCM, 2003. (246/So84)
---. Voicing Creation’s Praise: Towards a Theology of the Arts. Clark, 1991. (246/B393v)
Bohm, David. On Creativity. Routledge, 2003. EBSCOhost eBook Collection Database.
Bond, Fiona. The Arts in Your Church. InterVarsity, 2001.
Brand, Hilary, and Adrienne Chaplin. Art and Soul: Signposts for Christians in the Arts. 2nd
ed. InterVarsity, 2002. (261.57/B733a)
Briner, Bob. Roaring Lambs: A Gentle Plan to Radically Change Our World. Zondervan,
1993. (261.1/B771r)
Brown, Frank Burch. Good Taste, Bad Taste, and Christian Taste: Aesthetics in Religious Life.
Oxford UP, 2000. (246/B813g)
---. Religious Aesthetics. Princeton UP, 1993. (261.57/B813r)
Brown, W. Dale. Conversations With American Writers: The Doubt, the Faith, the In-
Between. Eerdmans, 2008. (810.90054/B8156c)
---. Of Fiction and Faith: Twelve American Writers Talk About Their Vision and Work.
Eerdmans, 1997. (813.5409/B815o)
Brueggemann, Walter. Finally Comes the Poet: Daring Speech for Exclamation. Augsburg
Fortress, 1989. (251/B832f)
Budd, Luann. Journal Keeping: Writing for Spiritual Growth. InterVarsity, 2002.
Buechner, Frederick. The Clown in the Belfry: Writings on Faith and Fiction. Harper, 1992.
(252.051/B86c)
---. Telling the Truth: The Gospel as Tragedy, Comedy, and Fairy Tale. Harper, 1977.
(251/B86t) Bustard, Ned, ed. It Was Good: Making Art to the Glory of God. Square Halo, 2000.
(704.948/B968i)
Card, Michael. Scribbling in the Sand: Christ and Creativity. InterVarsity, 2002.
(233.5/C178s)
Carlson, Paula J., and Peter S. Hawkins, eds. Listening for God: Contemporary Literature and
the Life of Faith. 4 vols. Augsburg Fortress, 1994-2003.
Carson, D. A. Christ and Culture Revisited. Eerdmans, 2008. (261.C239c)
Chester, Tim and Steve Timmis. Total Church: A Radical Reshaping around Gospel and
Community. Crossway, 2008.
Chesterton, Gilbert K. The Essential Gilbert K. Chesterton, Volume I: Non-Fiction. Wilder,
2008.
ChiLibris. A Novel Idea: Best Advice on Writing Inspirational Fiction. Tyndale, 2009.
Crouch, Andy. Culture Making: Recovering Our Creative Calling. InterVarsity, 2008.
(261.0973/C8848c)
Dawson, Paul. Creative Writing and the New Humanities. Routledge, 2004. EBSCOhost eBook
Collection Database. 2005.
Dockery, David S., and Gregory Alan Thornbury, eds. Shaping a Christian Worldview: The
Foundation of Christian Higher Education. B&H, 2002. (230.0711/Sh22D6)
Dreyfus, Hubert and Sean Dorrance Kelly. All Things Shining. Free, 2011.
Dyrness, William A. Reformed Theology and Visual Culture: The Protestant Imagination from
Calvin to Edwards. (230.42/D994r)
---. Visual Faith: Art, Theology and Worship in Dialogue. Baker, 2001. (246/D994v)
Eliot, T. S. Christianity and Culture. Harvest, 1988. (306.6/EL46c) ---. Selected Essays. Rev. ed. Harcourt, 1950. (824.912/EL46se)
Elsheimer, Janice. The Creative Call: An Artist’s Response to the Way of the Spirit. Shaw,
2001. (248.4/EL76c)
Falke, Cassandra. Intersections in Christianity and Critical Theory. Palgrave, 2010.
Fant, Gene C. Jr. God as Author: A Biblical Approach to Narrative. B&H, 2010.
(225.6/F211g)
Farley, Edward. Faith and Beauty: A Theological Aesthetic. Ashgate, 2001.
Gaebelein, Frank Ely. The Christian, the Arts, and Truth: Regaining the Vision of Greatness.
Multnomah, 1985. (261.57/G118c)
Gallagher, Susan V., and Roger Lundin. Literature Through the Eyes of Faith. Harper, 1989.
(809/G135L or 261.58/G135L)
Garber, Marjorie. The Use and Abuse of Literature. Pantheon, 2011.
Gasque, Laurel. Art and the Christian Mind: The Life and Work of H. R. Rookmaaker.
Crossway, 2005.
Griffin, Emilie, ed. Syllable of Water: Twenty Writers of Faith Reflect On Their Art. Paraclete,
2008. (808.06623/Sy54)
Gunn, Giles B. Literature and Religion. Harper, 1971. (809.9331/G9565L)
Hansen, Ron. A Stay Against Confusion: Essays on Faith and Fiction. Harper, 2002.
Harbinson, Colin, ed. The Creative Spirit: A Journal of the Arts and Faith. Special Edition:
Redeeming the Arts. 4.2 (2005).
Hart, David Bentley. The Beauty of Christian Truth: the Aesthetics Of Christian Truth.
Eerdmans, 2004.
---. The Beauty of the Infinite: the Aesthetics of Christian Truth. Eerdmans, 2003. (230/H251b) Harvey, Andrew. The Essential Mystics: Selections from the World’s Great Wisdom Traditions.
Harper, 1997.
Hoffecker, W. Andrew, ed. Revolutions in Worldview: Understanding the Flow of Western
Thought. P&R, 2007. (190/R3286)
Holberg, Jennifer L., ed. Shouts and Whispers: Twenty-One Writers Speak About Their
Writing and Their Faith. Eerdmans, 2006. (810.9382 Sh82H6)
Holmes, Arthur Frank. All Truth Is God’s Truth. InterVarsity, 1979. (230/H734a)
---. The Idea of a Christian College. Eerdmans, 1987. (377.8/H734i2)
Jensen, Robin M. The Substance of Things Seen: Art, Faith, and the Christian Community.
Eerdmans, 2004.
Johnson, Greg. The World According to God: A Biblical View of Culture, Work, Science, Sex
and Everything Else. InterVarsity, 2002.
Keller, Timothy. The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism. Dutton, 2008.
(239/K2848)
Kincannon, Karla M. Creativity and Divine Surprise: Finding the Place of Your Resurrection.
Upper Room, 2005.
La Rivière, Leen. Creative—and Christian! Piquant, 2005.
Leax, John. Grace Is Where I Live: The Landscape of Faith and Writing. WordFarm, 2004.
(277.3/L489g)
L’Engle, Madeleine. Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art. Farrar, 2001.
(261.57/L547w)
Levy, Sandra M. Imagination and the Journey of Faith. Eerdmans, 2008.
Lewis, C. S. The Abolition of Man. Harper, 2001. (370.1/L585ab) ---. An Experiment in Criticism. Cambridge UP, January 1992.
---. Of Other Worlds: Essays and Stories. Harvest, 2002. (823.912/L585o)
---. On Stories: And Other Essays on Literature. Harvest, 2002. (809/L585o)
Lockerbie, Bruce. The Timeless Moment: Creativity and the Christian Faith. Simon, 1980.
Lundin, Rodger. Invisible Conversations: Religion in the Literature of America. Baylor U,
2009. (810.9382/In899)
Malone, Michael, et al. Listening for God: Contemporary Literature and the Life of Faith.
Augsburg Fortress, 2003.
Mariani, Paul L. God and the Imagination: On Poets, Poetry and the Ineffable. U of Georgia P,
2002.
McElroy, Scott. Finding Divine Inspiration: Working with the Holy Spirit in Your Creativity.
Destiny Image, 2008.
McGrath, Alister E. Creation (Truth and the Christian Imagination). Augsburg Fortress,
2005. (233.11/M178c)
---. Incarnation (Truth and the Christian Imagination). Augsburg Fortress, 2005. (232/M178i)
Merton, Thomas. No Man Is an Island. Shambhala, 2005. (248/M558n)
---. Raids on the Unspeakable. New Directions, 1966. The Seven Storey Mountain. Harvest,
1999. (271.125/M558s)
---. Thoughts In Solitude. Farrar, 1999.
Merton, Thomas, and Christine M. Bochen, eds. Thomas Merton: Essential Writings. Orbis,
2000. Mod. Spiritual Masters Ser.
Merton, Thomas, and Sue Monk Kidd, eds. New Seeds of Contemplation. New Directions,
2007. Milbank, John, Graham Ward, and Edith Wyschogrod. Theological Perspectives on God and
Beauty. Trinity P, 2003.
Miller, Donald. Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality. Nelson,
2003. (277.3/M613b)
Moreland, J. P. Philosophical Foundations for a Christian Worldview. InterVarsity, 2003.
(261.51/M814c)
Myers, Kenneth A. All God's Children and Blue Suede Shoes: Christians & Popular Culture.
Crossway, 1989. (261/M989a)
Nichols, Stephen J. Getting the Blues: What Blues Music Teaches Us about Suffering and
Salvation. Brazos, 2008.
Niebuhr, H. Richard. Christ and Culture. Harper, 1956. (261/N551c)
Noland, Rory. The Heart of the Artist. Zondervan, 1999. (248.88/N712h)
O’Connor, Flannery. The Habit of Being: Letters of Flannery O’Connor. Farrar, 1988.
(813.54/Oc5h)
---. Mystery and Manners: Occasional Prose. Farrar, 1969. (813.54/Oc5m)
Paglia, Camille. Sexual Personae: Art and Decadence from Nefertiti to Emily Dickinson.
Vintage, 1991.
Peterson, Eugene H. Tell It Slant: A Conversation on the Language of Jesus in His Stories and
Prayers. Eerdmans, 2008. (226.06/P4426t)
---. Eat This Book: A Conversation in the Art of Spiritual Reading. Eerdmans, 2006.
(220.071/P4426e)
Plate, S. Brent. Blasphemy: Art That Offends. Black Dog, 2006.
Robinson, Marilynne. The Death of Adam: Essays on Modern Thought. Picador, 2005. Romaine, James. Objects of Grace: Conversations on Creativity and Faith. Square Halo,
2002. (261.57/R66o)
Rookmaaker, Hans R. Art Needs No Justification. InterVarsity, 1978. (701/R673a)
---. The Complete Works of Hans R. Rookmaaker. Ed. Marleen Hengelaar-Rookmaaker. 6
vols. Piquant, 2002.
---. The Creative Gift: Essays on Art and the Christian Life. Crossway, 1981. (261.57/R673c)
Rosenberg, David, ed. Communion: Contemporary Writers Reveal the Bible in Their Lives.
DoubleDay, 1996.
Ryken, Leland. Culture in Christian Perspective: A Door to Understanding and Enjoying the
Arts. Multnomah, 1986. (261.57/R982c)
---, ed. The Christian Imagination: Essays on Literature and the Arts. Baker, 1981.
(246/C462)
---, ed. The Christian Imagination: The Practice of Faith in Literature and Writing. Rev. ed.
Shaw, 2002. (261.58/C462e2)
---. How to Read the Bible as Literature. Zondervan, 1985. (220.66 R982h)
---. The Liberated Imagination: Thinking Christianly About the Arts. Shaw, 2000.
(261.57/R982L)
---. Words of Delight: A Literary Introduction to the Bible. 2nd ed. Baker, 1993.
(809.93/R982w2)
Ryken, Philip Graham. Art for God’s Sake: A Call to Recover the Arts. P&R, 2006. (261.57/
R982a)
Sayers, Dorothy L. The Mind of the Maker. Harper, 1987. (230/Sa99m)
Schaeffer, Francis A. Art and the Bible. InterVarsity, 1973. (261.57/Sch13a) ---. How Should We Then Live: The Rise and Decline of Western Thought and Culture.
Crossway, 2005. (909/Sch13h)
Schaeffer, Franky. Addicted to Mediocrity: Contemporary Christians and the Arts. Crossway,
1981.
Scott, Nathan A., Jr., ed. The Broken Center: Studies in the Theological Horizon of Modern
Literature. Yale UP, 1968.
---. The New Orpheus: Essays Toward a Christian Poetic. Sheed, 1964. (801.9/Sco853n)
Seerveld, Calvin. Bearing Fresh Olive Leaves. Piquant, 2000. (701 Se36b)
---. A Christian Critique of Art and Literature. Tuppence, 1995. (701/Se36c)
---. In the Fields of the Lord: A Calvin Seerveld Reader. Ed. Craig Bartholomew. Piquant,
2000.
---. Rainbows for the Fallen World: Aesthetic Life and Artistic Task. Tuppence, 1980.
(111.85/Se36r)
Shaw, Luci. Breath for the Bones: Essays on Imagination, Faith, and Spirit. Nelson, 2007.
(261.57/Sh27b)
Sherry, Patrick. Spirit and Beauty: An Introduction to Theological Aesthetics. SCM, 2002.
Shields, David. Reality Hunger: A Manifesto. Vintage, 2011.
Shoup, Barbara, and Margaret-Love Denman, eds. Novel Ideas: Contemporary Authors Share
the Creative Process. U of Georgia P, 2009.
Siedell, Daniel A. God in the Gallery: A Christian Embrace of Modern Art. Baker, 2008.
(261.57/Si153g)
Sire, James W. Naming the Elephant: Worldview As a Concept. InterVarsity, 2004.
(140/Si77n) ---. The Universe Next Door: A Basic Worldview Catalog. InterVarsity, 2004. (140/Si77u)
Smedes, Lewis. A Life of Distinction. Shaw, 2002.
Spackman, Betty. A Profound Weakness: Christians and Kitsch. Piquant, 2005.
Square Halo Books. (Publishes work, including artwork, that contains contextually sensitive
biblical studies, and that gives practical instruction consistent with the Doctrines of the
Reformation).
Sullivan, Michael. Windows into the Soul: Art As Spiritual Expression. Morehouse, 2006.
Taylor, Barbara Brown. Altar in the World: A Geography of Faith. Harper, 2009.
Tennyson, G. B., comp. Religion and Modern Literature: Essays in Theory and Criticism.
Eerdmans, 1974. (809.93/T258r)
Thiessen, Gesa Elsbeth, ed. Theological Aesthetics: A Reader. Eerdmans, 2004.
(261.57/T342)
Tippett, Krista. Einstein’s God: Conversations About Science and the Human Spirit. Penguin,
2010.
Tolkien, J. R. R. The Monsters and the Critics and Other Essays. Harper, 1996.
Tolstoy, Leo. What is Art? BiblioBazaar, 2009. (701/T588w)
Treier, Daniel J., Mark Husbands, and Roger Lundin, eds. The Beauty of God: Theology and
the Arts. InterVarsity, 2007.
Turner, Steve. Imagine: A Vision for Christians in the Arts. InterVarsity, 2001.
(261.57/T857i)
Veith, Gene Edward, Jr. The Gift of Art: The Place of the Arts in Scripture. InterVarsity, 1984.
(220.87/V538g) ---. Postmodern Times: A Christian Guide to Contemporary Thought and Culture. Crossway,
1994. (261/V538p)
---. Reading Between the Lines. Crossway, 1990. (809.93/V538r)
---. State of the Arts: From Bezalel to Mapplethorpe. Crossway, 1991. (700.1/V538s)
Viladesau, Richard. Theological Aesthetics: God in Imagination, Beauty, and Art. Oxford UP,
1999.
---. Theology and the Arts: Encountering God Through Music, Art, and Rhetoric. Paulist,
2000. (261.57/V71t)
Wartenberg, Thomas E. The Nature of Art: An Anthology. Thompson, 2011. (700.1/N2196)
Whittle, Donald. Christianity and the Arts. Fortress, 1967.
Wilder, Amos Niven. The Bible and Literary Critic. Fortress, 1991.
---. Modern Poetry and the Christian Tradition: A Study in the Relation of Christianity to
Culture. Scribner, 1952.
Willimon, William H. Reading with Deeper Eyes: The Love of Literature and the Life of Faith.
Upper Room, 1998.
Winner, Lauren. Girl Meets God: One the Path to a Spiritual Life. Shaw, 2004.
Wolfe, Gregory. Bearing the Mystery: Twenty Years of IMAGE. Eerdmans, 2009.
---. Intruding Upon the Timeless: Meditations on Art, Faith, and Mystery. Square Halo, 2003.
(261.57/W832i)
Wolterstorff, Nicholas. Art in Action: Toward a Christian Aesthetic. Eerdmans, 1980.
(700.1/W839a)
Wright, Vinita Hampton. The Soul Tells a Story: Engaging Creativity with Spirituality in the
Writing Life. InterVarsity, 2005. Zylstra, Henry. Testament of Vision. Eerdmans, 1958.
Revised 11/15/11