Lazarus! Come Out!: Why Faith Needs Imagination

Steven Greenhalgh is the research librarian in the Department of Public
Health Sciences at the University of Alberta.

Lazarus! Come Out! considers the important role that imagination plays
in personal faith and spiritual development. Using the analogy of the
biblical Lazarus, Cote suggests that religious imagination should be
called forth from the darkness and into the light of day.

The book is divided into three parts. Part 1 examines the history of
imagination in Christianity and its noticeable absence in worship and
church service today. Part 2 examines the stages through which
imagination can journey, with discussions of how our image of God can
move from the concrete to the more abstract. Part 3 considers such
topics as evil, the theological function of imagination, and religious
and contemporary polytheism.

Cote’s exploration of imagination can be applied to the spiritual
development of all Christians, although readers will find his book
written from a definite Catholic viewpoint. The author attempts to
demonstrate how imagination allows us to find meaning in our lives.
Suffering is just one example. Cote challenges readers to make use of
their religious imagination and ends his book with a number of questions
designed to kindle that imagination. Further tools for sparking our
imagination through worship and personal creativity would have been
beneficial.

Cote’s book broadens the possibilities of worship and spiritual
growth. It allows the reader to see God’s role in the world, from the
mundane to the extraordinary. Lazarus! Come Out! is an inspiring read.