The Artist and the Trinity - Dorothy L. Sayers' Theology of Work (Paperback)

Although this book is, in one sense, about Dorothy L. Sayers, it significance is theological rather than biographical. Since the mid-Twentieth Century, and the period when Anglican theology appeared to be shaping Britain's post-War reconstruction in many respects, it has generally been true that the church's commitment to social action remained whilst its grasp of the theological foundations for that action withered. The theological seriousness, and the deep philosophical, theological and social arguments that Sayers and her associates adduced for the church's social engagement, were largely forgotten as the Church of England tended to seek relevance in preference to theological authenticity. This lack of theological depth made it easy for the church to revert to an inward-looking pietism from the 1980s onwards which had little if anything to say about the Christian vision of a good society. By turning the spotlight on Sayers's contribution here, Fletcher shows how the theological seriousness of her period was not the preserve of bishops and clergy but could be, and was, integral to the reflections of a highly intelligent lay woman who saw very clearly how Christian faith could permeate the story of the world, humanity and the created order.