Associate Professor of Theology & Culture @fullerseminary. Author: "Prayers for the Pilgrimage" + "A Body of Praise" + "Open & Unafraid." IG: @davidtaylor_theologian. W: https://www.wdavidotaylor.com.https://bsky.app/profile/wdavidotaylor.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/wdavidotaylor.bsky.social/post/3myugf6e7tc2mI've begun writing a multi-part essay on A.I. & the Arts. This is Part 1. https://wdavidotaylor.substack.com/p/ai-and-the-arts-a-theological-exploration?r=r6kf4&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email27 Oct 2026 14:16 +0000at://did:plc:caz673hdqaqvwmkzgl7cxo7d/app.bsky.feed.post/3myugf6e7tc2mhttps://bsky.app/profile/wdavidotaylor.bsky.social/post/3myi7yyqldk2oWhy Care about Beauty When the World Is Burning? That's the question I try to answer in my book with @brazospress.bsky.social, "To Set the World Aflame." https://oikonomianetwork.org/2026/10/why-care-about-beauty-when-the-world-is-burning/22 Oct 2026 17:49 +0000at://did:plc:caz673hdqaqvwmkzgl7cxo7d/app.bsky.feed.post/3myi7yyqldk2ohttps://bsky.app/profile/wdavidotaylor.bsky.social/post/3mxehtfuruk2yA Prayer For Thursday (“Thor’s Day”). ("Prayers for the Pilgrimage" via @ivpress.bsky.social)08 Oct 2026 12:34 +0000at://did:plc:caz673hdqaqvwmkzgl7cxo7d/app.bsky.feed.post/3mxehtfuruk2yhttps://bsky.app/profile/wdavidotaylor.bsky.social/post/3mx524cx6xs2uI picked up a copy of Muriel Spark’s all-too-brief autobiography and was reminded, yet again, of two facts: most artists have known suffering, and the art world has never been an uncontested place. All of life's experiences can be used by an artist, and a little humility goes a long way.05 Oct 2026 13:39 +0000at://did:plc:caz673hdqaqvwmkzgl7cxo7d/app.bsky.feed.post/3mx524cx6xs2uhttps://bsky.app/profile/wdavidotaylor.bsky.social/post/3mwvjyfg6s22iIf you don’t like a work of art, or think it’s not actually a work of art, or think it’s a bad work of art, you need to ask yourself first all the questions about the context for the work, in order to understand the work before you judge the work. https://wdavidotaylor.substack.com/p/from-holman-hunts-jesus-to-duchamps02 Oct 2026 14:02 +0000at://did:plc:caz673hdqaqvwmkzgl7cxo7d/app.bsky.feed.post/3mwvjyfg6s22ihttps://bsky.app/profile/wdavidotaylor.bsky.social/post/3mwlem3qask2xAny time that AI vitiates or replaces the creative work that remains central to our human vocation, or any time that it undermines the hard work of human relationship, it must be rejected: “I fear that A.I. is undermining what makes us most human." https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/09/27/opinion/ai-art-creativity.html28 Sep 2026 12:59 +0000at://did:plc:caz673hdqaqvwmkzgl7cxo7d/app.bsky.feed.post/3mwlem3qask2xhttps://bsky.app/profile/wdavidotaylor.bsky.social/post/3mwk742swps2vA friend asked if I had a prayer for the anxious of heart. This is that prayer...the prayer of every honest soul at some point along the way.28 Sep 2026 01:48 +0000at://did:plc:caz673hdqaqvwmkzgl7cxo7d/app.bsky.feed.post/3mwk742swps2vhttps://bsky.app/profile/wdavidotaylor.bsky.social/post/3mwdwjwxwr22hTwo novels I've enjoyed reading: "Theo of Golden" and "Laurus." The first involves a theological exploration of the human face, while the second is a fantastical sacramental theology crossed with the weirdly wonderful world of Medieval Christianity. https://wdavidotaylor.substack.com/p/two-novels-the-strange-and-the-sentimental25 Sep 2026 13:59 +0000at://did:plc:caz673hdqaqvwmkzgl7cxo7d/app.bsky.feed.post/3mwdwjwxwr22hhttps://bsky.app/profile/wdavidotaylor.bsky.social/post/3mw6r4crsks2xA Morning Prayer (with sunrise in my backyard): I rise from my bed this day by your grace; I face the tasks of this day by your grace; I embrace the turns of this day by your grace; I receive the gifts of this day by your grace; I hold lightly the end of this day by your grace. Amen.23 Sep 2026 12:39 +0000at://did:plc:caz673hdqaqvwmkzgl7cxo7d/app.bsky.feed.post/3mw6r4crsks2xhttps://bsky.app/profile/wdavidotaylor.bsky.social/post/3mvztegwgh22uI’ve been sitting on the idea for a new course @fullerseminary.bsky.social on Science Fiction & Theology for five years. In light of the new developments in A.I., I’ve decided to fast-track this syllabus. Its bones are solid and the themes are fixed, but much more will be added.21 Sep 2026 13:36 +0000at://did:plc:caz673hdqaqvwmkzgl7cxo7d/app.bsky.feed.post/3mvztegwgh22uhttps://bsky.app/profile/wdavidotaylor.bsky.social/post/3mvojmzmqrc2hOne of my favorite Annie Dillard quotes, from a marvelous bit of advice she gave the creative writing students at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, titled “Notes for Young Writers.” Thanks to Image Journal, we have a written record of it. https://imagejournal.org/article/notes-for-young-writers/?utm_source=chatgpt.com17 Sep 2026 01:42 +0000at://did:plc:caz673hdqaqvwmkzgl7cxo7d/app.bsky.feed.post/3mvojmzmqrc2hhttps://bsky.app/profile/wdavidotaylor.bsky.social/post/3mvjjm3v5gs2qThis is what AI-generated art cannot do: It cannot make art like a human makes art and thus speak to the human condition in the way that only a human artist can do. Not ever. Not in any alternate universe. https://substack.com/home/post/p-21568529315 Sep 2026 01:58 +0000at://did:plc:caz673hdqaqvwmkzgl7cxo7d/app.bsky.feed.post/3mvjjm3v5gs2qhttps://bsky.app/profile/wdavidotaylor.bsky.social/post/3mvalbfuljk2nI remember exactly where I was standing when my friend said: "A plane has just crashed into one of the Twin Towers." What a nightmarish day for so many twenty-five years ago, and for some the scars and fissures remain still today. Lord have mercy on us all. (via "Prayers for the Pilgrimage")11 Sep 2026 12:34 +0000at://did:plc:caz673hdqaqvwmkzgl7cxo7d/app.bsky.feed.post/3mvalbfuljk2nhttps://bsky.app/profile/wdavidotaylor.bsky.social/post/3mv6jw4gfvs2pIt’s amazing the places where your book with @brazospress.bsky.social, "To Set the World Aflame," will show up (especially when your friend is the dean of the Templeton Honors College): amidst a sea of artists and saints in the field, including Bruce Herman, Ed Knippers, Sadao Watanabe, et al! 😆👀10 Sep 2026 17:05 +0000at://did:plc:caz673hdqaqvwmkzgl7cxo7d/app.bsky.feed.post/3mv6jw4gfvs2phttps://bsky.app/profile/wdavidotaylor.bsky.social/post/3mv66obeh2k2jThis is something that I would tell the artists under my care repeatedly. If ever they felt stuck creatively, the goal was to do something, even if that something was piddling, dodgy, or utterly disposable, because that something always had a chance to lead to something better. #ToSetTheWorldAflame10 Sep 2026 13:43 +0000at://did:plc:caz673hdqaqvwmkzgl7cxo7d/app.bsky.feed.post/3mv66obeh2k2jhttps://bsky.app/profile/wdavidotaylor.bsky.social/post/3mv2h534qt22uNo AI was used in the making of this video. It was 100% analog, and I have my wife Phaedra to thank for being willing to indulge our silly side. My book with Brazos Press, “To Set the World Aflame,” officially released today and we are thrilled. Woot! https://wdavidotaylor.substack.com/p/my-book-released-today09 Sep 2026 02:04 +0000at://did:plc:caz673hdqaqvwmkzgl7cxo7d/app.bsky.feed.post/3mv2h534qt22uhttps://bsky.app/profile/wdavidotaylor.bsky.social/post/3muyyhsbzwc2gA Morning Prayer: O Lord, you who promise daily bread, may I be faithful to all you have entrusted to me this day, no more and no less, I pray, and let me not become anxious over things that I cannot control, so that I may experience the peace of Christ which guards my heart and mind. Amen.08 Sep 2026 12:09 +0000at://did:plc:caz673hdqaqvwmkzgl7cxo7d/app.bsky.feed.post/3muyyhsbzwc2ghttps://bsky.app/profile/wdavidotaylor.bsky.social/post/3muxzag5dys2mIt’s T-Minus One for my book with @brazos.bsky.social, “To Set the World Aflame,” and I am deeply grateful to Elissa Yukiko Weichbrodt for her endorsement of my book. It’s such an encouraging word to receive.08 Sep 2026 02:50 +0000at://did:plc:caz673hdqaqvwmkzgl7cxo7d/app.bsky.feed.post/3muxzag5dys2mhttps://bsky.app/profile/wdavidotaylor.bsky.social/post/3muwyidm63k27I’ve written my book, "To Set the World Aflame," for artists of all sorts. But I’ve also written it for all who play a role in the flourishing of artists. And I’m so grateful to hear this good word from Karen Fletcher Smith via Scot McKnight's Substack. https://substack.com/home/post/p-21300911607 Sep 2026 17:04 +0000at://did:plc:caz673hdqaqvwmkzgl7cxo7d/app.bsky.feed.post/3muwyidm63k27https://bsky.app/profile/wdavidotaylor.bsky.social/post/3muwlm7hvnk2yA Happy Labor Day, friends. Don't forget to stay human in the Age of A.I., when the robots might tempt you to believe that small, tedious, modest, and hidden labors aren't worth doing. They are, very much so. And God blesses them. ("Prayers for the Pilgrimage" via @ivpress.bsky.social)07 Sep 2026 13:14 +0000at://did:plc:caz673hdqaqvwmkzgl7cxo7d/app.bsky.feed.post/3muwlm7hvnk2yhttps://bsky.app/profile/wdavidotaylor.bsky.social/post/3mumnbeglks2mIn the summer of 1989, I played the role of “preacher’s kid” in the traveling evangelistic drama, “Heaven’s Gates, Hell’s Flames.” This is the story of my involvement in that play at First Assembly of God in Russellville, Arkansas. And, yes, it's what launched my career as an artist.03 Sep 2026 14:17 +0000at://did:plc:caz673hdqaqvwmkzgl7cxo7d/app.bsky.feed.post/3mumnbeglks2mhttps://bsky.app/profile/wdavidotaylor.bsky.social/post/3mummkgwi5c2mReally grateful to Mako Fujimura for his generous endorsement of my book with @brazospress.bsky.social. Even more grateful for his faithful labors and his friendship over the years.03 Sep 2026 14:04 +0000at://did:plc:caz673hdqaqvwmkzgl7cxo7d/app.bsky.feed.post/3mummkgwi5c2mhttps://bsky.app/profile/wdavidotaylor.bsky.social/post/3mukfeoeock23I love the casting of the kid actors, and it’ll be fun to see what they do with all of their new CGI powers in this television series…25 years later. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJVmeJaS44s02 Sep 2026 16:50 +0000at://did:plc:caz673hdqaqvwmkzgl7cxo7d/app.bsky.feed.post/3mukfeoeock23https://bsky.app/profile/wdavidotaylor.bsky.social/post/3muhzuhdrqc2qThere seems to be something rather fitting that the day after Wendell Berry dies is "The Feast of Creation in Christ" on the church calendar. It’s almost as if Providence had arranged things just so. Here is Berry’s “Sabbath Poem X” from his 2005 collection, "Given: Poems":01 Sep 2026 18:19 +0000at://did:plc:caz673hdqaqvwmkzgl7cxo7d/app.bsky.feed.post/3muhzuhdrqc2qhttps://bsky.app/profile/wdavidotaylor.bsky.social/post/3muf3ne23fc2vIn preparing for a forthcoming “Art and A.I.” project, I decided to watch this music video of Tilly Norwood. I’ve had to stop it every thirty seconds, though, because it’s so cringey and lyrically slippery and philosophically bonkers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7V2Biy3omw31 Aug 2026 14:13 +0000at://did:plc:caz673hdqaqvwmkzgl7cxo7d/app.bsky.feed.post/3muf3ne23fc2vhttps://bsky.app/profile/wdavidotaylor.bsky.social/post/3muey27wdb22lReally grateful for this (part 1) review of my book, "To Set the World Aflame" (via @brazospress.bsky.social), by Karen Fletcher Smith on @scotmcknight.bsky.social's substack. https://scotmcknight.substack.com/p/to-set-the-world-aflame31 Aug 2026 13:08 +0000at://did:plc:caz673hdqaqvwmkzgl7cxo7d/app.bsky.feed.post/3muey27wdb22lhttps://bsky.app/profile/wdavidotaylor.bsky.social/post/3muewa2rmsk2oA Prayer for all Teachers today: O Lord, bless all teachers this day: guide, sustain, and watch over them, and instill in them a sincere love for their students, so that they together may be astonished by the wonder of this world and be stirred afresh to live wisely in it. In Jesus' name. Amen.31 Aug 2026 12:36 +0000at://did:plc:caz673hdqaqvwmkzgl7cxo7d/app.bsky.feed.post/3muewa2rmsk2ohttps://bsky.app/profile/wdavidotaylor.bsky.social/post/3mucmhidli22pA Sunday Prayer: O Lord, you who are the sovereign of heaven and on earth, may we dwell this day under the shelter of the Most High, so that we may be wholly at rest in all things, secure in your providential care over all the details of our lives. We pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen.30 Aug 2026 14:36 +0000at://did:plc:caz673hdqaqvwmkzgl7cxo7d/app.bsky.feed.post/3mucmhidli22phttps://bsky.app/profile/wdavidotaylor.bsky.social/post/3muafvqi5ss2vYes: “Teenagers will be limited to just two hours a day on Instagram & Facebook, unless a parent goes into their settings to give permission for more time. Young users will also be automatically restricted from using the apps overnight, between midnight and 6am.” https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/26/technology/meta-instagram-facebook-settlement.html29 Aug 2026 17:33 +0000at://did:plc:caz673hdqaqvwmkzgl7cxo7d/app.bsky.feed.post/3muafvqi5ss2vhttps://bsky.app/profile/wdavidotaylor.bsky.social/post/3mu5iaeue2s2aHaving worked with artists over the past thirty years, this continues to be the one constant. ("To Set the World Aflame" via @brazospress.bsky.social) https://wdavidotaylor.substack.com/p/the-book-has-arrived?r=r6kf4&utm_medium=ios&shareImageVariant=card28 Aug 2026 13:37 +0000at://did:plc:caz673hdqaqvwmkzgl7cxo7d/app.bsky.feed.post/3mu5iaeue2s2a