Is It Just My Imagination?: A Reflection on the Place of Imagination in the Christian Life

By Charles Mosley

Christians are called to love God with all their hearts. In Is It Just My Imagination? Charles Mosley explores the significance of imagination for the Christian. What is the relationship between our imagination and reality? Why should what God wants affect our imagination? How is our heart tied to our imagination? Reflection about the impact of world we paint through our imagination is worthy of every Christians consideration.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Nov 9, 2017
• ISBN: 9781543462012

Charles Mosley

Charles Mosley is a long-time student of scripture, the author of The Bulletin Book and The Bulletin Book II, and the creator of a web page called Dad Teach Me About God at http://patmosley.com. He has taught and preached at many of the congregations he has attended. He is married to Audrey. They have seven children and two grandchildren. He is a retired civil engineer, who served in several department director positions during his career. He currently lives in Sedona, Arizona

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Copyright © 2017 by Charles Mosley.

Library of Congress Control Number:             2017916679

ISBN:                   Hardcover                      978-1-5434-6199-2

                            Softcover                        978-1-5434-6200-5

                            eBook                               978-1-5434-6201-2

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and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Scripture quotations marked RSV are taken from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1946, 1952, 1971 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked BBE are taken from the The Bible In Basic English, copyright © 1965 by Cambridge University Press. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked ASV are taken from the American Standard Version, Public Domain.

Rev. date: 01/31/2018

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CONTENTS

Imagining

What Is Imagination?

Imagination and Free Will

Reality and Imagination

Difference Factor

Transforming God’s World

Implementing Imagination

Neutrality

Imaginations and Our Hearts

Conclusion

Gospel Grace

IMAGINING

Imagination is an important undertaking. Our hopes and dreams are tied to our imaginations. Through imagination, we engage in construction of what has been and what is, and perhaps most importantly, we envision what the future could or will be like. The desirability of that future is our motivation to move toward it. In light of this, the paintings of our imagination are a proper consideration for the Christian.

WHAT IS IMAGINATION?

Our minds were created with the ability to engage in different activities—analyze, imagine, remember, evaluate, dream. These activities have different aims. Analyzing seeks to understand and comprehend in a somewhat objective fashion. How does this work? What is this made of? What is similar? What is dissimilar? It is close to evaluating, but not the same. In evaluating, we compare things against standards. Is this the same thing? Is the thing I am doing right? Am I headed in the right direction? Remembering is distinguished from dreaming, as a conscious rather than an unconscious activity. The Oxford Dictionary defines conscious as being aware of one’s surroundings and identity.¹ However, dreaming is associated with sleeping or a state of lessened awareness of one’s surroundings. So we say that a person who is staring absentmindedly out the window is daydreaming. The activity of imagining is creative. As such, it is like a dream in that it is in the mind,²