Showing titles in Christian Literature & Art

The Lord of the Rings trilogy has delighted millions of fans worldwide in book and movie form. With the theatrical release of the two-part film The Hobbit slated for 2012 and 2013, attention will once again turn to J. R. R. Tolkien's classic works. In a culture where truth is relative and morality is viewed as old-fashioned, we welcome the chance to view the world through hobbit eyes: we have free will, our choices matter, and living a morally heroic life is possible....

Learning from Black voices means listening to more than snippets. It means attending to Black stories. Reading Black Books helps Christians hear and learn from enduring Black voices and stories as captured in classic African American literature.

In Saint Augustine's Confessions, he writes about how much he regrets having led a sinful and immoral life. He discusses his regrets for following the Manichaean religion and believing in astrology. He writes about Nebridius's role in helping to persuade him that astrology was not only incorrect but evil, and Saint Ambrose's role in his conversion to Christianity.

"Red beef and strong beer" was how C. S. Lewis described his education under one of his early tutors. It was, in other words, a substantial education that engaged deeply with the intellectual tradition and challenged him to grow. Gary Selby sees Lewis' expression as an indication of the kind of transformation that is both possible and necessary for the Christian faith, and he contends that spiritual formation comes about not by retreating from the physical world, but through deeper engagement with it.

In the sixth volume of the Swans Are Not Silent series, John Piper celebrates the importance of poetic effort by looking at three influential Christians whose words magnificently display a commitment to truth and a love of beauty. Examining the lives of George Herbert, George Whitefield, and C. S. Lewis, Piper helps us appreciate the importance of carefully crafted words by exploring how Christians can use them to testify to God's glory, wonder at his grace, and rejoice in his salvation.

Ask of Old Paths, by Grace Hamman meditates upon strange and wonderful word-pictures and explanations of virtues and vices found in medieval traditions of poetry, sermons, and treatises long confined to dusty corners of the library. It focuses on the ancient tradition of virtue language called the Seven Capital Vices and their Virtue Remedies: pride and humility, envy and love, wrath and meekness, avarice and mercy, sloth and perseverance, gluttony and abstinence, lust and chastity.

Both Rome and the Orthodox Church claim to be the Church Christ founded-the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church of the Nicene Creed. How can we judge between these competing claims? This useful and accessible book helps listeners to do just that. For those who are seeking a spiritual home, Fr Daniel Daly offers straightforward guidance. For those who are seeking the truth, this book makes a compelling case for the choice of Orthodoxy.

“What is the relevancy of the Cross of Jesus Christ? What does it matter that Christ died on a Cross and rose from the dead over 2,000 years ago? How does His Cross add any value to my life and to who I am and to who I want to be?” Perhaps it’s a question you’ve asked yourself or someone else and never received an answer that you considered to be satisfactory. If that’s the case, T. D. Jakes will answer your question once and for all, but not in the way you might be expecting.

In the years leading up to the Second World War, authors J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis—who both fought in the trenches of WWI—saw the world descending once again into a human catastrophe. This book tells the story of how the crucible of war brought them together in friendship and inspired them to engage their Christian imagination to confront the darkest forces of their age.

Familiarity can dull the senses, anesthetizing us to the prophetic nature and revelatory meanings found in the Book of Ruth. The story of Ruth was, is, and is yet to come if we are willing to accept it. Many of us grew up on the children’s church version of Ruth. The one that came with coloring pages and dot-to-dot pictures, which painted a broad stroke over the book, and allowed a numbness to form when we heard it read. In children's church it was simply a beautifully told, perfectly wrapped, romanticized Cinderella tale of Ruth, the servant girl, who falls in love and marries the ...

With the pervasiveness of vitriol and dishonesty today, language needs to be revived and restored. In Caring for Words in a Culture of Lies, Marilyn McEntyre exposes the commercial and political forces that affect public discourse in American culture and counters with 12 constructive “strategies of stewardship”.

Unlike the First Gospel of the Infancy of Jesus Christ, the events here deal primarily with the birth of the Virgin Mary herself and her own life during pregnancy and up to the birth of Jesus.

Autumn is a beautiful time in Acorn Hill - and a busy time at Grace Chapel Inn. Love begins to blossom when one of Alice's patients reunites with a long-lost love who just happens to be one of the inn's guests. Will these high school sweethearts get a second chance at love? Jane is occupied with a secret project and her suspicious packages and frequent trips to neighboring Potterson keep her sisters guessing.

The winter doldrums are just settling over Acorn Hill when a movie crew comes to scout out locations for an upcoming film. The director wants Grace Chapel to be the setting for a pivotal scene, and the town itself is a perfect backdrop for the film. While some residents are thrilled about the income the shoot will bring, and some want to star in the picture, others are less certain that the disruption will be welcome, and a director with a nefarious reputation doesn't help.

What's your favorite Christmas movie? Easter movie? Pentecost movie? Casual viewers and movie buffs alike have favorite movies to watch at certain times of the year. But for film critic Abby Olcese, movies with spiritual themes aren't just limited to the holiday season. They're part of a deep human need to connect our favorite stories to the natural rhythms of our lives, and to let them shape and give meaning to our experience of the seasons all year long.

The Vision of Enoch the Righteous is largely a forgotten first-century text, not being connected to any of the numbered versions of the Book of Enoch. It is part of a tradition referred to as Apocalyptic Literature. The content of The Vision of Enoch the Righteous alternates between the voice of Enoch and that of a chorus of cherubim, who have descended from heaven, in order to deliver a message to Enoch. Includes a prologue discussing the text.

The delightful tale of Anne of Green Gables, which has defined so many childhoods and coming of age experiences, has been lovingly analyzed from a Christian worldview by artist Carrie Brownell. A wonderful tool for homeschoolers, book clubs, teachers, parents, and more, this Christian Readers’ Guide dives into the complex relationships, lessons of love and forgiveness, and the universal craving for belonging and a true home.

In this work, David C. Downing explores the breadth of Lewis's writing, introducing us to the context of Christian mysticism in Lewis's day and the writers who most influenced him. Lewis's critique of mysticism is instructive to us in this day of eclectic religious thought. Exploring Lewis's sense of the mystical can help us safeguard ourselves from false mysticism, even as it opens the way to a full experience of God's presence - the "region of awe."

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT THIS BOOK “If you feel called to write, Brae’s devotional will give you the inspiration and encouragement to write the story God has inside of you.” Scott Evans- President & CEO of Outreach, Inc. “Brae has progressed from non-believer to become a literary disciple for God. As he expresses his goal to encourage writers of all ages to tell their stories, he is doing the work for his Heavenly Father, for God uses the written word as a pulpit.” Peter Berkos- Academy Award Winner and Author “There is a storyteller in every one of you. Brae will help you ...

In Storycraft, renowned author Walter Wangerin, Jr. explores the power of narrative and storytelling to impact message, messenger, and hearer. Through preaching and teaching, the gospel comes alive—is incarnated—in the words, actions, and stories we tell. Well-crafted stories shape the relationship between tellers and listeners, between preachers and people. And in the telling, trust is established, faith is formed, and lives change. Together, Wangerin's reflections create a theology of story that shows how the Word of God takes on flesh in practiced speech.