This is profound and insightful, and unlike anything else that I have read on the role of faith in the lives of artists. But the critical difference between Sparks and Tonks is an open question, grounds for critical and theological debate.
I've got a very good idea what made Tonks burn her books. The traditional Non-Conformist mentality is inherently suspicious of all human arts as worldly - John Bunyan even eschewed bell-ringing for that reason, and had to justify his allegory - and the concepts of spiritual warfare imbedded within the tradition's more charismatic offshoots often morphs 'worldly' into 'demonic'. I speak as one brought up among fundamentalist Baptists, who had social contact with those from more charismatic offshoots - even children's stories with anthropomorphic animals were suspect.
This is profound and insightful, and unlike anything else that I have read on the role of faith in the lives of artists. But the critical difference between Sparks and Tonks is an open question, grounds for critical and theological debate.
I imagine the Inklings discussing these things philosophically like this.
Jack: It's all in Plato.
Tollers: Let's step out of this cave and take a walk to look at the clouds.
Williams: This also is Thou; Neither is this Thou.
I've got a very good idea what made Tonks burn her books. The traditional Non-Conformist mentality is inherently suspicious of all human arts as worldly - John Bunyan even eschewed bell-ringing for that reason, and had to justify his allegory - and the concepts of spiritual warfare imbedded within the tradition's more charismatic offshoots often morphs 'worldly' into 'demonic'. I speak as one brought up among fundamentalist Baptists, who had social contact with those from more charismatic offshoots - even children's stories with anthropomorphic animals were suspect.
Intense story! Tonks became a sort of 18th century Puritan.
Thank you so much for this wonderful essay, and for leaving the interpretation up to the reader.