become an obsession, taking the place of God as an idol. Exuberant amounts of money and time can be spent on clothing and fashion that should really be spent in more productive and edifying ways. Due to the fall of man, imagination and the arts have become a form of glorification of man.Marshall spends most of his time discussing ways individuals can avoid this temptation to keep the imagination and arts focused on man and his worldly pursuits. He suggests that Christians should redeem this gift from God by taking hold of their God-given talent to imagine and create. The author gives Biblical examples of the correct way to handle this issue. The godly woman of Proverbs 31 and various other biblical artists and tailors were used to illustrate Marshall’s point. Art, expressed through fashion is seen throughout the Bible. He moves on to present redemption of fashion through creating a Christian form of couture. The emphasis of the section about imagination and the arts is on the role of Christian in redeeming the arts. A Christian, according to Marshall, should realize his calling to create and imagine, and in everyday, ordinary ways enhance the world around them. He believes Christians should dress well, make interesting foods, and use tasteful and aesthetic speech. However, the author warns against spending too much money on clothing and food, because such actions could lead to idol worship. Not only that, with poverty a leading world issue for many today, spending excessive amounts of money on trivial things would be a poor witness. Marshall’s basic view is that Christians should pursue a balance between two extremes, complete inactivity and obsession with the arts.While I find it hard to disagree with most of Paul Marshall’s ideas and overall reasoning, there are a few points which he made that I disagree with. Marshall daringly chose to discuss a topic for which he says, “I lack the knowledge or...
