Extravagance defended

This article is divided into two parts. The first responds to the earlier critical essays from Schwoebel and Callaway, in both cases challenging their methodology. In the former case objection is taken to the principle that even in dialogue with others one should start from one’s own perspective rather than first make an effort of imagination to enter into the position of one’s interlocutor. While with Callaway there is agreement about God working outside  Christian boundaries, there is divergence over how easy it might be to proceed to empirical testing. The second part then seeks to expand the discussion into the wider context of the relation between theology and the arts more generally. After noting two reasons why they should be seen as closely allied and three cases where the arts might even provide some corrective to theology, the essay ends by offering a more internally addressed, theological account.