God. Beauty. Art. Theology. Editors Mark Husbands, Roger Lundin and Daniel J. Treier present ten essays from the 2006 Wheaton Theology Conference that explore a Christian approach to beauty and the arts. Theology has much to contribute in providing a place for the arts in the Christian life, and the arts have much to contribute to the quality of Christian life, worship and witness. The 2006 Wheaton Theology Conference explored a wide-ranging Christian approach to divine beauty and the earthly arts. Written and illustrated by artists and theologians, these essays illuminate for us the Christian significance of the visual arts, music and literature, as well as sounding forth the theological meaning and place of the arts in a fallen world--fallen, yet redeemed by Christ. Here is a veritable feast for pastors, artists, theologians and students eager to consider the profound but not necessarily obvious connection between Christianity and the arts.

Taking its lead from W.H. Hunt's watercolour The Head Gardener, c. 1825, that is part of The Courtauld Gallery's permanent collection, this focused display will be first to investigate Hunt's depiction of rural figures in his work of the 1820s and 1830s. Consisting of twenty drawings borrowed from collections across the United Kingdom, William Henry Hunt: Country People will bring together watercolours depicting country people in their working or living environments, from farmer and gamekeeper to stonebreaker and gleaner. The representation of these country men, women and children, closely observed, raises questions about their status and way of life at a time of rapid agricultural and social change. These profound changes are also reflected in the literature of the period. William Henry Hunt was one of the most admired watercolourists of the 19th century. Better known as `Bird's Nest Hunt' for his intricate still lives of flowers, fruit and birds' eggs, he exhibited prolifically at the Old Water Colour Society. His works were sought after by collectors, notably John Ruskin, a serious champion of his work.' William Henry Hunt: Country People is the latest in a series of books accompanying critically acclaimed Courtauld displays, which showcase aspects of the gallery's outstanding permanent collection.

The artist Mark Hearld finds his inspiration in the flora and fauna of the British countryside: a blue-eyed jay perched on an oak branch; two hares enjoying the spoils of an allotment; a mute swan standing at the frozen water's edge; and a sleek red fox prowling the fields. Hearld admires such twentieth-century artists as Edward Bawden, John Piper, Eric Ravilious and Enid Marx, and, like them, he chooses to work in a range of media - paint, print, collage, textiles and ceramics. Work Book is the first collection of Hearld's beguiling art. The works are grouped into nature-related themes introduced by Hearld, who narrates the story behind some of his creations and discusses his influences. He explains his particular love of collage, which he favours for its graphic quality and potential for strong composition. Art historian Simon Martin contributes an essay on Hearld's place in the English popular-art tradition, and also meets Hearld in his museum-like home to explore the artist's passion for collecting objects, his working methods and his startling ability to view the wonders of the natural world as if through a child's eyes.

"The heart of Christianity is a myth which is also a fact." --C. S. Lewis In From Achilles to Christ, Louis Markos introduces readers to the great narratives of classical mythology from a Christian perspective. From the battles of Achilles and the adventures of Odysseus to the feats of Hercules and the trials of Aeneas, Markos shows how the characters, themes and symbols within these myths both foreshadow and find their fulfillment in the story of Jesus Christ--the "myth made fact." Along the way, he dispels misplaced fears about the dangers of reading classical literature, and offers a Christian approach to the interpretation and appropriation of these great literary works. This engaging and eminently readable book is an excellent resource for Christian students, teachers and readers of classical literature.

This volume takes readers on a fascinating journey through the visual arts of Aotearoa New Zealand, Australia and the Pacific Islands, contemplating the multivocal dialogues that occur between these artistic media and the texts and traditions of the Bible. With their distinctively antipodean perspectives, contributors explore the innovative ways that both creators and beholders of Oceanic arts draw upon their contexts and cultures in order to open up creative engagements with the stories, themes and theologies of the biblical traditions. Various motifs weave their way throughout the volume, including antipodean landscapes and ecology, (post)colonialism, philosophy, Oceanic spiritualities and the often contested engagements between western and indigenous cultures. Within this weaving process, each essay invites readers to contemplate these various forms of visual culture through Oceanic eyes, and to appreciate the fresh insights that this process can bring to reading and interpreting the biblical traditions. The result is a rich and interdisciplinary array of conversations that will capture the attention of readers within the fields of biblical reception studies, cultural studies, theology and art history.

This is the story of the experiences of Jonathan in the Vietnam War. It is a story of death, violence, pain, and sorrow; of nightmares and disillusions, but it is also a story of God's healing and his message of hope and prosperity.

The Prayer of Jonah--From the Depths of Vietnam Jungles is the story of Jonathan, the Jonah of the modern world, disobeying God's call and finding himself in the belly of the "depths of Vietnam jungles."

After returning from Vietnam, Jonathan, like all the soldiers returning home, was not welcomed by society, especially the hippie movement, calling them "assassins," "baby killers," and all kind of insults.

Jonathan received the call of God for the second time and like Jonah, obeyed the Lord and went to the city to deliver God's message, "a 9-1-1 emergency call" to the great city. He too went in search of his brother, Carlitos, and gave him "a 9-1-1 message" of salvation.

Few devotional books have had the impact of The Imitation of Christ by Thomas a Kempis. Kempis was a 15th Century Augustinian monk whose entire life was devoted to the pursuit of communion with God. His words, originally intended for his fellow monastics, have since become one of the most widelyread spiritual books within the Christian tradition. In The Imitation of Christ, Kempis meditates on a number of themes, at the heart of which is renunciation of the world in favor of a Christ-centered existence. The Imitation of Christ is an influential piece of Christian writing with resonance for anyone on a spiritual path.