by Bobby Gross

"Beautiful in its gentleness and humility, this book is a gift to Christians of all communions and denominations, for it deals with our beginnings and the originating, sacred rhythms from which we all come. Only Bobby Gross could have so gracefully opened the church's liturgical calendar to all who wish to see, and only he could have laid so rich a feast of devotion as this for those who yearn to enter." -Phyllis Tickle, author of The Divine Hours

by Dan Russ

Christians usually do not find it difficult to see Jesus as God. But many are lacking in their understanding of Jesus as human, resulting in a stunted view of what it means for us to be human. But a well-developed understanding of Jesus's humanity can show us the essential differences between being human and being sinners. In Flesh-and-Blood Jesus, Dan Russ, CIVA Board Member, helps readers get to know Jesus Christ more fully through reflecting on his humanity. He reminds readers that God created them to be human and that, through his sacrifice, Christ redeems them back into his design for them as fully human. Russ also explores the inevitable tensions of being human in a fallen world and being sinful, showing readers that making mistakes and having limits are not sins. Chapter-end questions make this book ideal for personal and small group study.

by Bob Schantz
Sarah Hall

This inspiring and beautiful book for prayer and meditation presents in contemporary words and images an interpretation of some of the earliest examples of Christian expression. Using stained glass, award-winning artist Sarah Hall explores the religious imagery found in the catacombs of Rome. Here, early Christians used simple illustrations to depict their faith living "in glad confidence in the love of God." Using prayerful, meditative words, Bob Schantz further interprets Hall's art as well as the original story it is based on. The result of this collaboration is a work of wonder and silent reflection.

by Madeline L'Engle

Madeline L'Engle explores what it means to be a Christian artist and what separates Christian art from what has often been called secular. While the text explores L'Engle's journey as a writer, it applies equally to all stripes of artists. When asked to describe where faith stops and art begins, L'Engle explains that there is no separating the two--"it means attempting to share the meaning of my life, what gives it, for me, its tragedy and its glory." The exquisite prose of this book has made it a classic on the topic of art and faith.

by Robert M. Brusic
Jerry Evenrud

The simple story of sin and forgiveness is the Parable of the Prodigal Son has captivated and inspired the imaginations of millions of readers since Luke first put the parable to page. The story isn not really so simple. One quick perusal through the pages of this book will confirm that the parable is complex in structure and rich in meaning. Taken from the collection of CIVA member Jerry Evenrud, this book gives a frsh look at an ancient tale.

by Ned Bustard, ed.

A Christian looks at the world through the eyes of one who has a restored relationship with the Creator, and receives a new vision affecting every area of life—including the creative process. So what does it mean to be a creative individual who is a follower of the creative God? It Was Good: Making Art to the Glory of God seeks to answer that question through a series of essays which offer theoretical and practical insights into artmaking from a Christian perspective. The Christian worldview is foundational to the approach a believer in Christ takes to making art and artmaking inevitably raises difficult questions. This book offers aid in developing some of the internal tools needed to work through those questions, and so to glorify and enjoy God while trying to speak with a clear and relevant voice to a fallen world.

by Harold Fickett
Clint Willour

A full color catalogue of the collages of CIVA member Mary McCleary from an exhibition of the same title.

by Holly Flora

At the start of World War I, Georges Rouault received a commission for a series of prints on themes of human suffering and the hardships of war, later published under the title Miserere et Guerre. In these poignant and haunting impressions, clowns, prostitutes, rulers, fools, loners, mothers, and children are among the subjects depicted as types of the suffering Christ. This catalogue coincides with an exhibition at the Museum of Biblical Art which presents—for the first time in nearly 40 years in New York—the entire group of fifty-eight black and white prints, along with selected oil paintings Rouault executed as studies for the series.

by Catherine Kapikian

Art in Service of the Sacred encourages congregations to take seriously the role of visual art in worship and in the broader life of the church. This rich resource explores the dynamics between art, artist, and the church. It proclaims the power of art when used as art, reclaims the presence of religious symbols in worship, asserts the importance of the aesthetic dimensions of ecclesial space, and recovers the role of visual art to engage our senses and imaginations as we seek to encounter God in our lives.

by Betty Spackman

This volume, by CIVA member Betty Spackman, is presented as an “image journal” and textbook concerning the modern and postmodern phenomenon of kitsch and Christianity. This is not a quick and easy denouncement from one of the art elite, nor a full embrace of everything sentimental. This stunningly designed book explores the gamut of kitsch and faith as it strives to call into question our entrenched views on the subject.

by Laurel Gasque

Laurel Gasque has produced an excellent biography on influential Dutch art historian Hans Rookmaaker. Originally produced to be part of The Complete Works of Hans Rookmaaker (Piquant Editions), the volume is now released as a single volume by Crossway Books. Gasque provides insight into a person whose work and writings had a deep impact on many of the founding members of CIVA. This book and The Complete Works (which is also available in a searchable CD format) prove that Rookmaaker’s vision and thought are just as pertinent to today’s Christians as they were over four decades ago

by Theodore Prescott (editor)

Reproduces recent artworks by fifteen North American artists who explore nontraditional notions of beauty in the human body. These works introduce brokenness — physical, mental, and spiritual — into their renderings of human figures. Bearing witness to the surprising beauty found in moments of suffering, loss, and injury, they turn Western ideas of beauty on their head and inside out.

In addition to exquisite color reproductions, the book contains five informative essays on art and religion by respected art historians and curators, inluding: Theodore Prescott, Timothy Verdon, Lisa deBoer, and Gordon Fuglie.


Featured artists:

Gabrielle Bakker, Stephen De Staebler, Gaela Erwin, Erica Grimm-Vance, Rick Harden, Bruce Herman, Edward Knippers, Timothy Lowly, Mary McCleary, John Nava, David J. Robinson, Joel C. Sheesley, Melissa Weinman, Patty Wickman, and Jerome Witkin,

by Carolyn Mazloomi
Patricia Pongracz

by Krystyna Sanderson
Ned Bustard

by James Romaine

by E. John Walford

by William A. Dyrness

by Steve Turner

by Bill Viola
Robert Violette (Editor)

"The larger struggle we are witnessing today ... [is] an ecological drama where the outcome rests not only on our realization that the natural physical environment is one and the same as our bodies, but that nature itself is a form of Mind." -- Bill Viola

by Andrey Tarkovsky
Kitty Hunter-Blair (Translator)
Andrei Tarkovsky

by Robert K. Johnson

The motion picture is an art form that has significantly influenced human culture. Films can shape our perceptions-from relationships and careers to good and evil. They are often a window into the human soul, a glimpse that can be both terrifying and holy.

In view of the increasingly powerful role that movies play in our cultural dialogue, Robert K. Johnston, professor of theology and culture at Fuller Theological Seminary, has written a book to guide Christian moviegoers into a theological analysis of and conversation with film. Reel Spirituality: Theology and Film in Dialogue is the first title in the new Baker Academic series Engaging Culture.

Intended for use in the college and seminary classroom, Reel Spirituality helps Christians interpret movies through the eyes of faith. It provides the theological underpinnings for this art form and fosters both dialogue and discipleship.

Among the more than 200 movies Johnston cites are American Beauty, The Apostle, The English Patient, The Godfather, Life Is Beautiful, The Sound of Music, To Kill a Mockingbird, and The Truman Show.

The Engaging Culture series is designed to help Christians respond to our contemporary culture. Each volume will seek to explore particular cultural expressions with regards to God's presence in the world today and help readers become better involved in sympathetic dialogue and active discipleship.