Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art (Wheaton Literary Series) [Hardcover]

Madeleine L'Engle (Author), Nichole Nordeman (Foreword)

Book Description

Release date: April 17, 2001 | Series: Wheaton Literary Series

In this classic book, Madeleine L'Engle addresses the questions, What makes art Christian? What does it mean to be a Christian artist? What is the relationship between faith and art? Through L'Engle's beautiful and insightful essay, readers will find themselves called to what the author views as the prime tasks of an artist: to listen, to remain aware, and to respond to creation through one's own art.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Walking on Water collects 12 brief meditations by Madeleine L'Engle on the nature of art and its relation to faith. L'Engle, the beloved author of A Wrinkle In Time among others, has written and spoken widely and wisely about the connection between religion and art. The gist of her understanding is as follows:

To try to talk about art and about Christianity is for me one and the same thing, and it means attempting to share the meaning of my life, what gives it, for me, its tragedy and its glory. It is what makes me respond to the death of an apple tree, the birth of a puppy, northern lights shaking the sky, by writing stories.

She believes that "[b]asically there can be no categories such as 'religious' art and 'secular' art because all true art is incarnational, and therefore 'religious.'" And "incarnation," in L'Engle's view, means "God's revelation of himself through particularity." In this book there is some slippage between L'Engle's autobiographical and critical voices. As a result, she often claims Christian significance for works whose meaning is not intentionally Christian. She admits this freely:

[B]ecause I am a struggling Christian, it's inevitable that I superimpose my awareness of all that happened in the life of Jesus upon what I'm reading, upon Buber, upon Plato, upon the Book of Daniel. But I'm not sure that's a bad thing. To be truly Christian means to see Christ everywhere, to know him as all in all.

-- Michael Joseph Gross

Review

“When I discovered Walking on Water years ago, my creative self underwent a sort of liberation. I had always sensed that there was a wonderful connection between spirituality and creativity, but Madeleine’s insights about both of those worlds helped me claim with more confidence my own creative gifts. This is a wise and inspiring book that should be in every artist’s library.”
–Vinita Hampton Wright, author of Grace at Bender Springs and Velma Still Cooks in Leeway

“Once again, L’Engle touches the deepest parts of our psyche and heart with her artist’s wand. She writes with an earthy rhythm that not only reveals the mysteries of our artistic natures, but also qualifies all along the way her inimitable wise-woman philosophies. L’Engle’ s writing is God’s gift to a generation who needs to sit on a stump and lend an ear to what the right brain is saying to the left and to what the soul is saying to the heart. Walking on Water guides the wandering artist back to the Savior and says ‘There, you’ve come home again where you belong!’”
–Patricia Hickman, award-winning author of Katrina’s Wings

“There are those who write about art-making as if they’ re detailing the techniques of a heart surgeon. Then there are those, like Madeleine L’Engle, who simply show you their heart. Like the words of Jesus to the fisherman brothers, the words of Madeleine are ‘follow me’ words. Through the pages of Walking on Water hungry, thirsty folks have been following for two decades–quickly recognizing that the reason Madeleine is worth following is that she follows Jesus.”
–Charlie Peacock-Ashworth, record producer and author of At the Crossroads: An Insider's Look at Contemporary Christian Music

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: WaterBrook Press; 5th edition (April 17, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 087788918X
• ISBN-13: 978-0877889182
• Product Dimensions: 5.3 x 1 x 7.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #29,141 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Madeleine L'Engle, the popular author of many books for children and adults, has interspersed her writing and teaching career with raising three children, maintaining an apartment in New York and a farmhouse of charming confusion which is called "Crosswicks."

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

47 of 47 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Not Just for Artists July 12, 2001

By Donald L. Linn

Format:Paperback

I read A Wrinkle in Time nearly 40 years ago, and remember it as the most remarkable book I read as a child. I must say that Walking on Water is among the most remarkable books I've read as an adult. Certainly it is illuminating as an exposition of how a Christian artist thinks about her work, but it is positively breathtaking as an expression of the transformational nature of Faith and its impact on life. Ms. L'Engle is a marvelous writer and makes frequent reference to those who influenced her life and art. As a result, I have begun reading Merton, Chesterton and others she mentions, much to my benefit. One needn't be a Christian or an artist to appreciate this classic.

38 of 38 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars About Faithful Creativity February 12, 2004

By JAD

Format:Paperback

Madeleine L'Engle is the preeminent interpreter of the Christian journey as it pertains to these words of the Apostle Paul, "Whatever is true, whatever is honorable whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." (Philippians 4:8). Ms. L'Engle invites the reader to focus on that which is great, greater and greatest, in a world that all too often settles for what is dishonorable, unjust, impure, ugly, discourteous, shoddy and worthy of condemnation. In both her fiction and non-fiction writings, she helps the thinking Christian look at the world through the eyes of faith.

Ms. L'Engle takes as the theme of the book, Jesus' invitation to Peter to come to Christ walking on the water. For a brief moment, Peter did just that. Ms. L'Engle states that is how we were created to be, and even when we sink, and cry for help, that Jesus will pull us up. She says, "The impossible still happens to us, often during the work, sometimes when we are so tired that inadvertently we let down all the barriers we have built up. (Page 238).

Ms. L'Engle views the creative process as a successive letting down of barriers. Of opening to God. When one responds to the urge to create, one is one more than holy ground-one walks on water-since God is the Creator and God's creative energies are limitless and surprising. God's very unpredictability and joy become the same creative force in musicians and artists of all kinds. Ms. L'Engle speaks of the freedom to laugh at ourselves as one of the prerequisites for bringing about that which is worthwhile.

Lest we mistakenly think that Ms.... L'Engle's approach is sweetly sentimental, listen to what she says about the rigors of faithful creativity, "Complicated creatures we are, aware of only the smallest fragment of ourselves; seeking good and yet far too often unable to tell the difference between right and wrong; misunderstanding each other and so blundering into the tragedies of warring nations, horrendous discrepancies between rich and poor, and the idiocy of a divided Christendom." (Page 153).

This would be an outstanding book to give or receive for a special occasion such as graduation or confirmation. For Christians of any stage in life, "Walking on Water" is a call to live expectantly and trustingly.

If you find this review helpful you might want to read some of my other reviews, including those on subjects ranging from biography to architecture, as well as religion and fiction Read more ›

35 of 36 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring book for all Artists and Writers December 6, 1998

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

This is the one title I will always cherish as a writer. It is quietly inspriring and thought provoking. I have had this book for almost 5 years and still have not finished it (a first for me--I normally read 2-3 books a week!). It is the kind of book where you read a few pages and let them soak in for a time before moving on. It will change your way of living and then change your art.

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars a gorgeous testimony to the true spirit of creativity. June 14, 1999

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

Every artist, regardless of Faith or medium, should read this and realize we are all, if we truly let ourselves be artists, vessels of the same refreshing and renewing characteristics...characteristics of God. This book feels like an intimate conversation. L'Engle writes with a deepness that calls to deep.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Relevant to Artists of All Types October 10, 2000

By rathgrith

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I am a graphic artist, not a writer. However, I've never read a book that has spoken to me as deeply as this one. Madeleine L'Engle has both blurred the lines between Faith and Art and cleared them up, all in the same book. She approaches both as part of life, and therefore inseperable from one another. We are as much a part of what we create as it is a part of us, and only through our creations can we discover who we really are.

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars As much of an inspiration for Christians as for artists. July 31, 1999

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

This book should be read by all Christians, as well as all Christian artists. It is the most honest and realistic look at Christianity that I have ever read. I wish that everyone could view the world in such a true way. This is truly an inspiration.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring Book April 13, 2004

By Michelle

Format:Hardcover

I'm not Christian; I'm not an artist. Therefore, you would think this book would hold no appeal for me. Nonetheless, as a huge Madeleine L'Engle fan, when I stumbled upon this book, I had to read it. It is one of the most though-provoking, inspirational books I have ever read, and definitely one of my favorites. It touches on many of the same topics covered in the Crosswicks books, but reflects on similar thoughts and experiences in a different way. This is definitely her best nonfiction that I have read thus far, and also provides a fresh perspective on the creative background of her fiction.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Breathing New Life June 26, 2006

By Eric Wilson TOP 500 REVIEWER

Format:Hardcover

Only Flannery O'Conner has written a book on writing with this much spiritual insight and creative freedom. I picked up "Walking on Water" after numerous recommendations from fellow writers. Of course, I was already aware of L'Engle through her novels--I think "A Wrinkle in Time" and "A Wind in the Door" are brilliant--but I was less familiar with her nonfiction.

If you're a creative person on any level, and if you wrestle with life's big questions unflinchingly, then you must meet L'Engle in the world of words. This lady is such a unique individual, full of down-to-earth wisdom and to-the-limits-of-the-galaxy philosphical ponderings. With candor and anecdotes, with quotable lines and great grace, this book has the ability to breathe new life into tired, artistic souls. I know. Because it's done so for me.