originally published 7/1/1994

Painter Ed Knippers, a contributor to It Was Good: Making Art to the Glory of God (Square Halo Books, 2007), discusses how the Christian doctrines of the Incarnation and the Lord’s Supper influence his painting. In his fleshy portraits of biblical characters, Knippers attempts to capture the reality and mystery of the human body without reducing it to a wooden object or exalting it to the status of an idol. Knippers insists that physicality is a gift from God that must be appreciated but not worshipped. The artist’s challenge is to strike the balance between these polar interpretations of the flesh.

This interview was first published on Volume 9 of the Mars Hill Tapes. It is part of a series of Archive Features on the human body that were produced in late October 2024. On the Archive Features page, sort the order by “Newest features first” to find this group of features.

7 minutes

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