Imagination and the Journey of Faith by Sandra M. Levy (review)

362 CHRISTIANITY AND LITERATURE Imagination and the Journey ofFaith. BySandra M. Levy. Grand Rapids, MI, and Cambridge, UK: William B. Eerdmans, 2008. ISBN 978-0-8028-6301-0. Pp. xi + 190. $18.00. Sandra M. Levy, clinical psychologist and Episcopalian priest, begins her book Imagination and the Journey of Faith with three provocative epigraphs, including one from Bernard Shaw's 1923 play Saint Joan: JOAN: I hear voices telling me what to do. They come from God. BAUDRICOURT: They come from your imagination. JOAN: Of course. That is how the messages of God come to us. Joan'swords set forth a claim that Levyaffirms and elaborates throughout her book: that "the imagination is our gatewayto God" (16). Her book provides helpful introductory reflection on opening this "gateway" by means of the arts as well as raising important questions about how to guide and evaluate the imagination's creations. In her introduction, "Why Imagination Matters in the Journey of Faith;' Levy defines her terms, informed by Romantic poet and thinker Samuel Taylor Coleridge: by "imagination;' she means not merely pictures and fancies produced by the mind but "that human capacity to receive and respond to God's revelation in our everyday lives" and "to create the core meaning that can transform our lives" (3, 15). Imagination, for Levy, both enables us to receive revelation and creates meaning itself. The first three chapters explore different means for encountering God through imagination. Levy's first chapter discusses pilgrimage, music, and communal rituals such as the Eucharist as examples of "bodily experience" that open us to the divine (42). The second chapter surveys literary and artistic trends of the past 200 years and reflects on poetry and visual art as opportunities to create meaning, thus imitating God's creativity and expressing truth "ultimately divine in origin" (50). Levypresents several very briefintroductions to poets and artists whose work expresses "longing for the Transcendent;' then examines the responsibilities of the artist and of the audience. She gently rejects censorship but cites useful criteria for evaluating imaginative work: does it challenge audiences to consider "questions of deep meaning"? Does it promote hope, love, and compassion? (71-72). Her chapter on stories takes a similar approach; she starts with the claim that "[gjood stories make us think" (74)and then briefly discusses a short story, a novel,a film, and a play before turning to scripture, pointing out the human agency and imaginative work of the biblical writers themselves. Levyconcludes her first section with "Criteria for Truth": knowing that the imagination may open us not only to good but to evil,how do we practice discernment? Her responses will be discussed below. BOOK REVIEWS 363 Levy claims that many lack interest in any transcendent being or meaning largelybecause of our culture's loss of imagination as she defines it (2-3). Therefore, the second part of Levy'sbook suggests practical means for developing imagination. Her fourth chapter describes "Practices in the Home" to encourage creativity and imagination, recommending simple home rituals, contemplation of poetry and stories, and Ignatian engagement with scripture. Chapter 5 turns to "Practices in Communities and Churches:' explaining ways that churches can promote writing, dance, and art, as well as music, new ritual, and creative engagement with scripture. Levyconcludes with a chapter on "The Imagination and the Making of Meaning:' in which she critiques the American Dream and exhorts us to look critically at the life stories we each tell about ourselves, which hold immense power to shape us for better or for worse. For those who, like this writer, grew up in churches that sought God chiefly through reason, Levy's book offers a refreshing counterpoint. She moves fairly quickly from making claims for imagination to applying those claims, so those who do not already accept her premises may first wish to read SteveTurner's Imagine: A Vision for Christians in the Arts (2001), which briefly and bluntly addresses several specific, common concerns of evangelical Christians on the topic. Once readers accept ritual, story, and the arts as ways to open up to God, they will find Levy a helpful guide. She not only invites us to the spiritual banquet of the imagination but...