Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art was published by Harold Shaw in 1980. It is L’Engle’s most widely read non-fiction work — a book of essays exploring the relationship between artistic creation and Christian theology that has been continuously in print for over forty years.
L’Engle’s central argument: art is not self-expression but incarnation. The artist does not impose meaning on material but discovers meaning within it — serves the work rather than using it. This requires vulnerability and surrender (what L’Engle calls “being a servant of the work”) rather than mastery and control. She draws parallels between artistic creation and divine creation — both require kenosis (self-emptying), both produce something genuinely new, both involve suffering.
The book addresses practical questions with theological depth: How does a Christian write honestly about evil? (By refusing to sanitize it.) How does faith coexist with doubt? (Doubt is essential — certainty produces propaganda, not art.) What is the relationship between talent and virtue? (None — God uses flawed instruments.) Why do children understand fantasy better than adults? (Because they haven’t yet learned to mistake literalism for truth.)
Collecting Walking on Water
First edition (Harold Shaw, Wheaton, IL, 1980): Trade paperback original.
Market values:
- First printing paperback, near fine: $20–$50
- Later hardcover editions, signed: $60–$150