God Is Beauty


Book Description

Theology of the Body Institute Press releases the first-ever English language edition of a long-lost treasure from the St. John Paul II (Karol Wojtyla) archives. Originally delivered in 1962 for artists, "God Is Beauty" features Karol Wojtyla's penetrating spiritual exercises on divine beauty and its reflection in our humanity (and in the art we produce). The retreat itself, of course, forms the heart of this attractive volume. To aid you in mining its many riches, it is followed by an extensive commentary by Dr. Christopher West and various shorter reflections from authors who are distinguished in the fields of theology and art and whose hearts and works have been transformed by the themes in this retreat.In this book, you will be shown:* The interior journey of "the ache" an artist must take to produce transcendent art.* How artists should process the tensions in life that can inform their work.* The one thing necessary to make everyone's life a reflection of divine beauty.Reflections from artists and theologians who are living out the themes of this retreat. * A road map for the Church to reclaim its role as the world's Patron of the Arts. Saint John Paul II (born Karol Jozef Wojtyla in 1920) was an actor, poet, and playwright before being ordained to the priesthood in Communist-occupied Poland in 1946. Ordained a bishop in 1958, he contributed significantly to the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) and was made a cardinal by Saint Paul VI in 1967. After the second papal conclave of 1978, Wojtyla became the first non-Italian pope in over 400 years. Having successfully fulfilled what he considered to be his mission to lead the Church into the third millennium, he died as one of the longest reigning popes in history on April 2, 2005. He was beatified by his immediate successor Pope Benedict XVI on May 1, 2011, and canonized by Pope Francis on April 27, 2014.




Beauty by the Book


Book Description

From celebrated Hollywood starlets to the covers of Cosmo, our society seems obsessed with beauty. Actress and Main Floor host Nancy Stafford (best known for her starring role as Michelle Thomas on Matlock) digs below our culture's fixation on outward appearance to show you that true beauty is more than skin-deep. "Every woman has beauty," says Stafford, "but not everyone sees it. I want you to see it." In Beauty by the Book she bares her heart to readers, laying out the Scriptures, promises, and truths women need to know to find their true value. Her liberating reflections will help you see yourself as God sees you -- worthy, lovable, and beautiful.“Mirror, Mirror, on the W all…” What do you see when you look in the mirror? Do you see a unique individual created in the image of Beauty itself—one chosen, Cherished, and valued in the eyes of God? If not, you may be looking in the wrong mirror—one distorted by emotional wounds, lies from your past, or the unrealistic standards of our culture. “Everyone has beauty and worth,” says Nancy Stafford, “but not everyone sees it. I want you to see it.” Nancy shares her own poignant story and holds up the true mirror of God’s Word—inviting you to see yourself as God sees you, to absorb His truth, and to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that the King is enthralled by your beauty!




Beautiful in God's Eyes


Book Description

Beauty is more than skin deep— it starts in the heart and works outward Exploring the timeless wisdom of Proverbs 31, Bible teacher Elizabeth George reveals how you can become a woman of true beauty—a woman who desires to honor God in all that she says and does. Beautiful in God's Eyes helps you make each day immensely meaningful as you delight in God and discover how to... experience instant progress toward personal goals manage daily life more effectively tap into unlimited energy apply biblical principles to enhance relationships move from the ordinary to the extraordinary You can experience a richer, more exciting spiritual walk as you embrace God's design for true beauty in your life.




The Beauty of the Lord


Book Description

Why is God's beauty often absent from our theology? Rarely do theologians take up the theme of God's beauty—even more rarely do they consider how God's beauty should shape the task of theology itself. But the psalmist says that the heart of the believer's desire is to behold the beauty of the Lord. In The Beauty of the Lord, Jonathan King restores aesthetics as not merely a valid lens for theological reflection, but an essential one. Jesus, our incarnate Redeemer, displays the Triune God's beauty in his actions and person, from creation to final consummation. How can and should theology better reflect this unveiled beauty? The Beauty of the Lord is a renewal of a truly aesthetic theology and a properly theological aesthetics.




The God Who Is Beauty


Book Description

When in the sixth century Dionysius the Areopagite declared beauty to be a name for God, he gave birth to something that had long been gestating in the womb of philosophical and theological thought. In doing so, Dionysius makes one of his most pivotal contributions to Christian theological discourse. It is a contribution that is enthusiastically received by the schoolmen of the Middle Ages, and it comes to permeate the thought of scholasticism in a multitude of ways. But perhaps nowhere is the Dionysian influence more pronounced than in the thought of Thomas Aquinas. This book examines both the historical development of beauty's appropriation as a name for God in Dionysius and Thomas, and the various contours of what it means. The argument that emerges from this study is that given the impact that the divine name theological tradition has within the development of Christian theological discourse, beauty as a divine name indicates the way in which beauty is most fundamentally conceived in the Christian theological tradition as a theological theme. As a phenomenon of inquiry, beauty proves itself to be enigmatic and elusive to even the sharpest intellects in the Greek philosophical tradition. When it is absorbed within the Christian theological synthesis, however, its enigmatic content proves to be a powerful resource for theological reasoning.




Art and the Beauty of God


Book Description

British bishop argues for a distinctively Christian approach to art.




Beauty


Book Description

An invitation to embrace a spirituality of beauty. Grounded in the foundational writings of Hans Urs von Balthasar, it explores the ability of beauty to introduce components of prayer, joy, and spirituality into our lives today.




God is Beautiful and Loves Beauty


Book Description

The Islamic world, spanning centuries and far-flung regions, is renowned for its diverse cultural and artistic traditions. This sumptuous book delves into that vast creative output, examining a dozen exquisite objects in the Museum of Islamic Art, in Doha, Qatar, designed by the Chinese-American architect I. M. Pei and opened in 2008. Twelve prominent scholars from across the globe select works representing various centers of Islamic life, from early Spain to 17th-century India, as well as a range of media including textiles, ceramics, metalwork, and miniature paintings. Authoritative texts put the objects into context, exploring the relationships to those people who produced and lived among them. In addition, architectural critic Paul Goldberger discusses the museum, assessing its place in Pei's career and in the broader scope of Islamic architecture, while Oliver Watson, the museum's former director, sheds light on the installation of works throughout the building. Published in association with The Qatar Foundation, Virginia Commonwealth University, and Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar




The Other Side of Beauty


Book Description

“Leah Darrow uses her experience in the beauty industry to help the women of our culture see what true beauty looks like.” —Jennifer Fulwiler, host of The Jennifer Fulwiler Show and author of Something Other than God Do you feel like you’re never good enough? Like you should be living a more Instagram-worthy life? Are you exhausted by the impossible quest for physical beauty but still yearn for the validation of being chosen, valued, and deemed beautiful? Drawing on her experience on America’s Next Top Model and her work as a fashion model, Leah Darrow exposes the lies we are told about our worth being tied to our appearance and instead invites us to look again at the real meaning of beauty. She shows how we can reclaim true and lasting beauty—the kind that doesn’t depend on self-doubt, exploitation, or comparison—when we reflect God’s glory and embrace our value as he made us to be: strong, brave, and free. Only when we learn to see ourselves as God does can we leave behind our culture’s definitions and demands and find joy in The Other Side of Beauty.




The Beauty of God


Book Description

Editors Mark Husbands, Roger Lundin and Daniel J. Treier present ten essays that explore a Christian approach to beauty and the arts. The visual arts, music and literature are considered as well as the theological meaning and place of the arts in a fallen world redeemed by Christ.