ABSTRACT
These days 'pagan' has become on Christian lips almost a pejorative term, equivalent to 'atheist'. This chapter focuses on two more straightforward challenges, one from the field of music and the other from the history of art. The natural tendency of Christians has been to focus on those who are explicit believers such as Norman Adams or Mark Cazalet, James Macmillan or John Tavener, but to do so exclusively would be merely to repeat the mistake. The chapter discusses two pagan artists who challenge our understanding of the Christian faith in ways that lead to its deepening and not to its destruction. Whether there are specific allusions to Christianity or not, the arts can at times offer a religious vision that we need to take seriously and engage with. Art and music need to be viewed and heard and valued in their own right.
