The Dutch art historian Hans Rookmaaker famously said, “Christ did not come to make us Christians, but to make us fully human.” This powerful statement, made in the second half of the 20th century, served as an important correction to a separation that had taken hold in evangelical Christianity between what was considered sacred and what was considered secular. Christianity, he insisted, is not just about conversion but about the transformation of every area of life. But what does it mean to be “fully human”? For Rookmaaker, art provided an important clue to answering this question.

In this talk, by looking at paintings and poetry, we will consider the imagination as one of the keys to understanding our humanity, and we will think about the different ways in which Christians might think about the arts and the life of the artist.

Otto Bam is a writer, musician, and researcher. He is the editor of the art-and-faith publication ArtWay.eu and the arts manager for the Kirby Laing Centre for Public Theology in Cambridge. Otto holds a master’s degree in English Studies from Stellenbosch University, South Africa, and a master’s degree in Religion and Literature from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland.

As a musician, he has released a full album and multiple EPs under the alias Oddo Bam and has performed in venues across South Africa. He lives in Cambridge with his wife, Elizabeth.