Book Review: Postcolonial Politics and Theology: Unraveling Empire for a Global World

Third, Fujimura clarifies the common suspicions and misunderstandings about art in chapters six and seven. Art does not have to be distractive or contradictory to faith. Fujimura argues for a necessary paradox of giving up art and creating even better art for the sake of faith. The final three chapters recognize the sacred expressions of lament, grief, angst, and anger through tears. Fujimura suggests that artists are called to be like Mary, whose seeming waste of costly perfume is an act of devotion and sacrifice (115). Fujimura successfully argues for why art matters to theology and faith. More profoundly, Fujimura invites Christian readers to a philosophical shift in how we relate to the physical and the material, to the land, and to the entire world around us. He urges us to be redeemed from our consumption of the world to cultivate what he calls a “Lazarus Culture,” which ushers in God’s New Creation through creating beauty with compassion, mercy, and justice. This inspiring work contributes to conversations in art, theology, spiritual formation, and World Christianity. Fujimura leads us on a journey of seeing God and the world through the theological eyes of the artist.