God and the creative imagination : metaphor, symbol, and myth in religion and theology

'A mere metaphor', 'only symbolic', 'just a myth' - these tell tale phrases reveal how figurative language has been cheapened and devalued in our modern and postmodern culture. In God and the Creative Imagination , Paul Avis argues the contrary: we see that actually, metaphor, symbol and myth, are the key to a real knowledge of God and the sacred. Avis examines what he calls an alternative tradition, stemming from the Romantic poets Blake, Wordsworth and Keats and drawing on the thought of Cleridge and Newman, and experience in both modern philosophy and science. God and the Creative Imagination intriguingly draws on a number of non-theological disciplines, from literature to philosophy of science, to show us that God is appropriately likened to an artist or poet and that the greatest truths are expressed in an imaginative form. Anyone wishing to further their understanding of God, belief and the imagination will find this an inspiring work. A mere metaphor, only symbolic, just a myth -- these tell tale phrases reveal how figurative language has been cheapened and devalued in our modern and postmodern culture. In God and the Creative Imagination, Paul Avis argues the contrary: metaphor, symbol and myth are the key to a real knowledge of God and the sacred. Avis examines what he calls an alternative tradition, stemming from the Romantic poets William Blake and John Keats, drawing on the thought of John Henry Newman, and experience in both modern philosophy and science. He intriguingly draws on a number of non-theological disciplines, from literature to philosophy, to show us that God is appropriately likened to an artist or poet and that the greatest truths are expressed in an imaginative form. Contents......Page 6 Title......Page 4 Copyright......Page 5 Preface......Page 7 1 Speaking of God in the language of the imagination......Page 13 2 The fate of the imagination in modernity......Page 22 3 The fate of the imagination in postmodernity......Page 30 4 Affirming the truth of imagination The alternative tradition......Page 36 5 The world of biblical imagination......Page 54 6 Creative theology and the making of doctrine......Page 70 7 Imagination and the adventure of faith......Page 79 8 Liturgy as literature......Page 83 9 Metaphor......Page 92 10 Symbol......Page 101 11 Myth......Page 110 12 Critical realism......Page 130 13 Symbolic realism......Page 143 14 Mythic realism......Page 149 Bibliography......Page 164 Subject index......Page 182 In God and the Creative Imagination, Paul Avis argues that metaphor, symbol and myth, are the key to a real knowledge of God and the sacred. My thesis in this book is that Christianity lives supremely from the imagination. Paul Avis. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [175]-185) And Indexes.