Have you stood in front of a painting and thought, What does this mean?

The Art of Faith answers this question again and again, with insight, wit, and verve, providing a thorough reference to Christian art through the centuries. Practical and easy to read, this book unfolds the ancient world of Christian images for believers who want to enrich their faith, college students studying art history, and travelers to religious sites. With this book in hand, you can visit museums, churches, or other sacred places and identify a work of art's style and meaning. Or even explore the signs and symbols of your local church.

Whatever your relationship to art or Christianity, open this book when you're curious about a painting, sculpture, symbol, or other sacred work. It will answer your questions about The Art of Faith.

The author invites readers to discover and develop their creative gifts, drawing on the traditions of Benedictine, Celtic, and desert spirituality to inspire their work.

Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Marilynne Robinson is one of the most eminent public intellectuals in America today. In addition to literary elegance, her trilogy of novels (Gilead, Home, and Lila) and her collections of essays offer probing meditations on the Christian faith. Many of these reflections are grounded in her belief that the sixteenth-century Protestant Reformer John Calvin still deserves a hearing in the twenty-first century. This volume, based on the 2018 Wheaton Theology Conference, brings together the thoughts of leading theologians, historians, literary scholars, and church leaders who engaged in theological dialogue with Robinson's published work--and with the author herself.

This is a comprehensive introduction to the ways in which the Bible has been used and represented in mainstream cinema. Adele Reinhartz considers the pervasive use of the Bible in feature films, and the medium of film as part of the Bible's reception history. The book examines how films draw on the Old and New Testament and the figure of Jesus Christ in various direct and indirect ways to develop their plots, characters, and themes. As well as movies that set out explicitly to retell biblical stories in their ancient context, it explores the ways in which contemporary, fictional feature films make use of biblical narrative.

Topics covered include:

how filmmakers make use of scripture to address and reflect their own time and place.

the Bible as a vehicle through which films can address social and political issues, reflect human experiences and emotions, explore existential issues such as evil and death, and express themes such as destruction and redemption.

the role of the Bible as a source of ethics and morality, and how this connection is both perpetuated and undermined in a range of contemporary Hollywood films.

films that create an experience of transcendence, and the ways in which the Bible figures in that experience.

Reinhartz offers insightful analysis of numerous films including The Ten Commandments and The Shawshank Redemption, paying attention to visual and aural elements as well as plot, character, and dialogue. Students will find this an invaluable guide to a growing field.

A landmark book on the role of visual arts, beauty and aesthetics in ecumenical exchange.
In a visual age, this book shares the belief that beauty and art can bridge differences. Essays from catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, and Protestant artists, scholars, clergy and theologians explore beauty as a means to unify the body of Christ. The occasion of the Reformation commemoration year offers a time to reflect on the rich artistic heritage shared by all Christians and an opportunity to learn from other traditions.

"The Ecumenism of Beauty is a call to the church to again embrace the arts in service to its liturgy and mission." --Sandra Bowden, Collector, Curator and Past President of Christians in the Visual Arts

Essays include Calvin and the Visual Arts: The Aesthetics of Soli Deo Gloria, The Artist as Contemplative, and Art and the Liturgy.

Contributors to this book include:
Timothy Verdon, Editor -- Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, Director (Florence, Italy)
William Dyrness -- Fuller Theological Seminary, Professor of Theology
Jérôme Cottin -- University of Strasbourg, Professor of Practical Theology
Susan S. Kanaga --Mount Tabor Ecumenical Centre for Art & Spirituality, Artist
Philippo Rossi -- Florentine Study Centre of Stanford University, Visiting Professor
Martin Shannon -- The Community of Jesus, Liturgist and Director of Formation

The work of contributors Susan S. Kanaga and Filippo Rossi is currently on display at the Grande Museo del Duomo in Florence, Italy. For more information visit artsandecumenism.org.