Book review: Saving Leonardo

A few months ago, I started reading Nancy Pearcey's Saving Leonardo (2010), but for reasons unknown I stopped. I simply lost interest, which can happen with the best of books.  Sometimes, it is the right book at the wrong time. After submitting my application to the Centurions Program last week, I decided to give this book a try again and was much more easily captivated this time around. 

Nancy Pearcey is very clearly influenced by Francis Schaeffer, one of the greatest influences upon 20th century apologetics and evangelicalism. This book serves as an analysis of worldviews and how they have influenced the arts.  As I read the book, I was struck by the subtle, and sometimes not so subtle, influences of worldviews upon the things we enjoy including music, literature, painting, and movies.

I was particularly interested to read about the Kantian influence on leading two lines of seeking truth--romanticism (the upper story) and the enlightenment (the lower story).  The chasm between these two has widened and continues to do so, such that the arts are no longer assumed to have any understanding or contribution to truth.

Pearcey does an admirable job of demonstrating that a commitment to either of these worldviews exclusively and calling Christians to understand how to engage culture by understanding worldviews. 4 stars.