A theology of the arts starts in the garden of Eden. God asked Adam and Eve to co-create with Him. He gave them domain (kratos=to help complete)–in giving them domain, He gave them freedom to create with Him—arrange things and even name things. He was not asking them to create from nothing; but to create with what He gave them to start with.

Creativity has to do with dominion. Part of what God asked them to do was to partner with Him by getting to know Him as He created. God brought the animals to Adam, and asked Him what he would name them–there was this pleasure in partnership from the beginning!

After the fall or rebellion of man, there came this necessity for a new creation. Jesus is the New Adam instilling the new creation in us. He came to restore the earth, but also to do what original man could not–to fully enjoy that creative communion with His Father!

As those invited into the Life of Christ, we are asked to enter into this creative communion once more. This radically effects our creativity! We are once again, able to create with Him, and enjoy that as a place of meeting Our God. Creativity is no longer off limits, but we have access to enter that play which God had with Adam before the fall. But even in a purer way. For Christ is the exact representation of The Father, so we can enter deeply into the wells of His Imagination!

The new creation is another way of looking at the arts. The Father started with His Son in making a new creation. In this creation, creativity was always used to reflect  The Father. And now we have become part of His new creation (2Cor5:17), so, we have “put on” His creativity and symbolic nature, and have full access to His Perception! For this reason, we can move into new levels of imaginative activity in Him! We can actually begin to move and dream in His Imagination!