"Films For All Seasons" (Abby Olcese)

TITLE: Films for All Seasons: Experiencing the Church Year at the Movies
AUTHOR: Abby Olcese
PUBLISHER: Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2024, (240 pages).

Films are often influenced by the culture around us. After all, moviemakers are familiar with the need for relevance. This is necessary to reach popular appeal. In the same way, Christians living in this world ought to be aware of the cultural appeal happening in their realms of influence. Yet, culture does not stand still. It changes rapidly with various fads, fashion, and trends. How do we interpret culture from a Christian perspective? One avenue is through films. Author Abby Olcese is an avid observer of film and popular culture. She believes we can better understand the mood of the times just by noticing the messages and stories behind the movies. Believing that "stories rule our lives," just like how stories in the Bible communicate central biblical themes, the stories in movies can reveal cultural trends that we can be aware of. 

Without intentionality, understanding culture is like asking a fish to explain what water is. The author's underlying conviction is that Christians should influence the world and not the other way around. By learning to engage people through understanding the things that matter to people in our community, we can better communicate the gospel in ways that they can understand. Instead of choosing films at random, the author follows the Western Church calendar according to the different seasons that Christians follow. These are:

"Becoming by Beholding" (Lanta Davis)

TITLE: Becoming by Beholding: The Power of the Imagination in Spiritual Formation
AUTHOR: Lanta Davis
PUBLISHER: Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2024, (240 pages).
 

When young, our parents tell us fairy tales and other bedtime stories. In school, we learn through play and imagination. At home, we love watching cartoons with happy endings. Tales often begin with the familiar words "A Long time ago..." and end with that memorable phrase "... And they lived happily ever after." As we grow, imagination seems to take a backseat. Life then becomes a crazy rat race that leaves little room for imagination. Fantasies dissipate. Realities mandate. Imagination stagnate. Author Lanta Davis asserts that it is time to restore a healthy sense of imagination, in particular, to Christian Spiritual Formation. This is done by learning from our forefathers of the faith through tradition and the historical expressions of the faith. If we unearth the treasures of Christian artistic tradition, we can rediscover the rich legacies of the past. We can renew a fresh imagination to breathe creativity into our present world. We can also restore our understanding of identity and beyond. From an archeological dig into history and tradition, the author develops for us a three-pronged approach: "Right Belief," "Right Practice," and "Moral Character." 

"The Liberating Arts: Why We Need Liberal Arts Education" (Jeffrey Bilbro and Jessica Hooten Wilson, eds)

TITLE: The Liberating Arts: Why We Need Liberal Arts Education
AUTHOR: Jeffrey Bilbro and Jessica Hooten Wilson, eds
PUBLISHER: Walden, NY: Plough Publishing, 2023, (224 pages).
 

It is no secret that many of the world's most talented people choose the sciences instead of the arts. Just take a look at the richest people on earth such as Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, or Bill Gates. They are both in the science and technology industry. In fact, many of the biggest companies in the world are in the technical stream, like AT&T, Amazon, Apple, FaceBook, Google, Microsoft, Samsung, Tesla, Toyota, TSMC, etc. With money as a key driving force in the world economic system, no wonder many talented people are lured away into the sciences in search of monetary gains. Does that render liberal arts education irrelevant? Even professors in the liberal arts stream struggle with job insecurity. This is made worse by lower student enrolment in the liberal arts. If all the best people jump ship toward the technology sector, what would happen to the arts and liberal arts? While we are free to pursue any course of study up the tree of self-fulfillment, how about using that freedom beyond self-accomplishment toward the greater good? This book brings together a collection of essays to show us why liberal arts education remains highly essential and relevant to society at large. Not only that, the contributors attempt to show us that it helps model the conversations that we ought to have on a daily basis. Instead of providing "best practices," the articles demonstrate how the liberal arts open up opportunities for all spheres of life. It is time to highlight the importance of liberal arts education and this book argues for that through many different perspectives. They deal with the purpose of liberal arts.

"Composition as Conversation" (Heather M. Hoover)

TITLE: Composition as Conversation: Seven Virtues for Effective Writing
AUTHOR: Heather M. Hoover
PUBLISHER: Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2023, (176 pages).
 

In general, there are four ways in which we can communicate. We can read and write. We can also hear and speak. All of these ways help us to better comprehend and converse with others. However, academic writing is a different beast altogether. It can be dry or downright boring. As the author points out: "academic writing should cultivate lively discussion and promote critical and creative thinking." How do we do that? Author-Professor Heather Hoover poses this to her students, whose feedback led to this book. The purpose is to utilize the power of words to inspire others. She highlights seven ways in which writing leads to "conversational virtues." She begins with the basic task to "Be Curious" by asking appropriate questions. These questions are often open-ended and need to demonstrate a genuine desire to want to connect with others. Asking good questions can help but its effectiveness can be limited. It requires a kind of asking that shows forth a genuine interest to hear the responses. Such a task requires some level of "humility, risk, and commitment." She lists various ways to help us build our vocabulary of interesting questions. The second virtue is that of attentiveness. She points out the difference between writing for writing's sake versus writing for others' sake.

"Tending the Fire That Burns at the Center of the World" (David F. White)

TITLE: Tending the Fire That Burns at the Center of the World: Beauty and the Art of Christian Formation
AUTHOR: David F. White
PUBLISHER: Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock, 2022, (192 pages).
 

There is a saying that claims in a subjective sense, that beauty is according to the eyes of the beholder. In other words, if one thinks it is beautiful, then it is. Otherwise, it is not. That is how many love relationships begin. What if beauty is not just something that is subjective? What if the revelation of Truth is beauty in itself? What if admiring beauty draws us closer to Truth and the Giver of all Truth: God? In a book that goes beyond criticizing subjective mindsets, author David White shows us the real issue of how modernity has reduced the search for Truth into pieces of facts and tangibles that have little bearing on the significance of faith, mystery, and transcendence. This book's premise is that beauty is "a way of attending to God’s speech that awakens, empowers, and forms us in Christ’s lovely way." The author laments how modernity has alienated mankind by suggesting a limited form of objectivity. Descartes and Kant popularized the Enlightenment as "I think  therefore I am." Pragmatists claim that "I do, therefore I am." Some modernists even teach us about the primacy of feelings, "I feel therefore I am." All these philosophies are reductionists at their very core. White asserts that the Christian faith pushes back against all of these frameworks by recognizing the importance of  the "hallowing of all incarnate matter." Using art and beauty as ways to inculcate Christian formation, the way forward is toward wholeness and holistic living. Christianity encourages aesthetic spirituality that leads not only to awareness but an encounter with the living God. Thankfully, White does not commit the same errors of reductionism by reducing spirituality to the domain of aestheticism and beauty. Beauty inspires, not replaces the need for spiritual exercises or abstract theology in tending the spiritual fire. White begins with a description of beauty as the start of any "social imaginary" or initial assumptions, against the widespread use of rational analysis. 

"The King and the Dragon" (James W. Shrimpton)

TITLE: The King and the Dragon
AUTHOR: James W. Shrimpton
PUBLISHER: Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2022, (32 pages).
 

How do we tell the story of the Bible to children? How can we explain the great truths of the Bible that they can easily understand? In this delightful and colorful book about a good king and an evil dragon, author James Shrimpton writes a compelling story that should captivate the hearts and minds of little children. Right from the start, adult readers will be able to grasp quickly the story of creation, the Eden temptation, the downfall of Adam and Eve, the repeated attempts by God to send help, and finally, the person of Jesus Christ. With pictures that illuminate the flow of the story, children will be able to understand the simple plot between good and evil, and more importantly, God and everything else. Helena Perez Garcia illustrates the story well with lots of images that depict not just the storyline, but some glimpses of biblical images. We see the fruit of the forbidden tree in the Garden of Eden. We see the dark clouds of temptation. We see how the evil dragon uses trickery and deception to trip the world into sin. The debilitating conditions of the dry trees and dull-colored pages show the world in despair. The candlelight shows a small glimmer of hope in Jesus. Finally, the brave knight manages to slay the dragon, just like in the Medieval stories of old. This slaying is essentially about the resurrection of Christ that declares the victory of God over death, evil, and sin.

The strength of this book lies very much in the simplicity of the story and the captivating colours of illustration. In fact, the colours themselves tell the story of the contrast with and without God. In fact, just by looking at the pictures, one could allow children to interact by asking questions. This book might be brief but the opportunities for discussion are endless. The words are there to guide the general flow of the story, but the pictures illuminate the message in greater depth. This is a good book to help introduce young readers to the story of the Bible. Even though the messages have been abridged, they should be seen more as an introductory text to stir up interest in the Bible.

Kudos to the author and illustrator for helping reach children with a simple message of the Bible and the gospel message. I warmly recommend this book for Sunday School, parents of young children, and anyone trying to teach the Bible to kids.

James W. Shrimpton (MSc, University of Dundee) is a chartered accountant and hymn writer. He lives in Aberdeen, Scotland, with his wife and children, where they are members of Trinity Church Aberdeen.

Helena Perez Garcia is a London-based illustrator who specializes in portraits, editorial illustration, and book illustration. Her work is inspired by art, literature, and films, and has been featured by publishing houses, publications, and newspapers, such as Penguin Random House and BuzzFeed.

Rating: 4 stars of 5.

conrade

---

This book has been provided courtesy of Crossway Publishers and NetGalley without requiring a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.

"A History of Contemporary Praise & Worship" (Lester Ruth and Lim Swee Hong)

TITLE: A History of Contemporary Praise & Worship: Understanding the Ideas That Reshaped the Protestant Church
AUTHOR: Lester Ruth and Lim Swee Hong
PUBLISHER: Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2021, (368 pages).

What questions would pop up when we talk about worship? For many Churchgoers, it is about the music and the songs they sing during service. Others would then talk about hymns, spiritual songs, and contemporary praise and worship. When we talk about the latter, one of the most contentious issues would be the battle between traditional vs contemporary worship. Generally speaking, this is another way of pitting old-style hymns against new-style contemporary songs. It could be a generational divide. It could also be in terms of personal tastes or theological differences. Some might even start a debate about musical instruments such as the legitimate use of electric guitars, drums, and synthesizers, etc. complete with neon lights. Which leads us to a question less often asked: What is the history of the contemporary Praise&Worship songs? Now, that's a question! In their interactions with students, believers, and regular churchgoers, two professors of music and worship have come together to share with us the questions that have inspired their theological thoughts and reflections. Readers familiar with the wide range of contemporary P&W worship songs would be delighted to read about famous organizations, songwriters, and singers like Bethel Church, Jack Hayford, John Wimber, Hillsong Church, Sandi Patty, Sandy Yu of Stream of Praise Ministries, Maranatha Singers, Integrity Music, Elevation Church, Saddleback, and many more. Some of the questions they considered include:

"Your Words Your World" (Louise Bélanger)

TITLE: Your Words Your World
AUTHOR: Louise Bélanger
PUBLISHER: Independent, Louise Bélanger, 2021, (99 pages).
 

The past two years have been particularly challenging for many people all over the world. With much of the world still grappling with the Covid-19 pandemic, it will take a while before the world gets any semblance of the normalcy we are used to. As governments and health authorities continue to stress the need for vaccinations, healthcare professionals are preparing to deal with the next big crisis: Mental Health. Due to the lockdowns, quarantines, and prolonged periods of isolation, most people would find it a struggle without social well-being. After all, we are all social creatures. What if we could learn to listen to how God speaks to us through nature and creation at large? Inspired by the beauty of creation, Canadian poet Louise Bélanger shares with us many pretty photos followed by a short poem. The poems are brief, usually between 1 to 2 pages in length. She writes about the wonder of nature and the unique qualities embedded in creation. From Ordinary time to Christmas; she not only describes what is seen, but she also connects them with words of faith.  Frequently, we find Bible truths arising out of the poems. Truths like the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians, the Trinity, the futility of the world, Heaven, Prayer, God's creation narrative, Jesus' birth narrative, and many more. 

"The Art of Preaching Old Testament Narratives" (Steven D. Mathewson)

TITLE: The Art of Preaching Old Testament Narrative
AUTHOR: Steven D. Mathewson
PUBLISHER: Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2021, (288 pages).

In many Sunday School classes, teachers would use Old Testament stories to teach Bible lessons. There is the Great Flood in Genesis; how the Israelites escaped Egyptian slavery in Exodus; the story of Gideon in Judges; how David defeated Goliath in 1 Samuel; and many more. For adults, sometimes we make it sound a little more sophisticated by substituting "stories" with "narratives." So, what Sunday School teachers call stories, adults would call them narratives. While it is relatively easy to summarize and tell simple stories like how Noah built the ark and invited cute animals into it, it is quite a challenge altogether to ponder upon God's message and the theme behind it all. For preachers, not only must they understand the stories per se, they need to figure out the big idea behind the narratives, and to deliver them clearly and faithfully. They need to distinguish between literary style against literal interpretation. They need to be curious like a child and be diligent as an adult. Written in 2002, this book is now in its second edition. Inspired by Robert Alter's "The Art of Biblical Narrative," author and pastor Steven Mathewson began learning about the nature of Old Testament narratives and eventually wrote a thesis on preaching OT Literature under the mentorship of the late Dr. Haddon Robinson. He incorporated a lot of his knowledge and wisdom in this book. In the first edition, he incorporated basic approaches in interpreting this genre, how to preach on it, as well as five sample sermon manuscripts. In the second edition, recognizing the wide availability of "sample sermons" on the Internet, he has reduced the sample sermons to just one, and added in an additional chapter entitled, "The Christ-Centered Preaching Debate." The three parts of this book are as follows:

"Recovering the Lost Art of Reading" (Leland Ryken and Glenda Faye Mathes)

TITLE: Recovering the Lost Art of Reading: A Quest for the True, the Good, and the Beautiful
AUTHOR: Leland Ryken and Glenda Faye Mathes
PUBLISHER: Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2021, (304 pages).

When was the last time anyone of us has read a book? From cover to cover? Not many. Does this mean that we have lost the art of reading? Possibly. As far as reading is concerned, most of us, if not all would agree that we all read. The difference is mainly about how we read. In this captivating book about how reading has been lost in a new culture, authors Leland Ryken and Glenda Faye Mathes argue that the kind of reading that we have been doing in the past is now basically lost. People no longer read books. They skim articles. The browse social media. They glance at headlines. They peruse selectively. The art of reading is lost. What they are saying is that we no longer read with delight but as a duty. With the rise of electronic media, traditional books have been digitized. So do our reading habits. A simple test would be this: "What books have you read recently?" Surveys have shown that many wanted to read more but are actually not doing it. Not a single age group who say they read, do so for more than an hour daily. Yet, people spend nearly six hours per day on digital media, mostly cursory reading! A more challenging test would be to read Leo Tolstoy's "War and Peace" in its entirety. The problems are many. Hyperlinks tempt one to click to go to other sites. Pop-up windows distract. Attentiveness is divided. Digital media are changing our brains. From brain researchers to literary artists, experts are seeing the demise of reading. Plus, our minds get so infatuated with the present that we lose touch with the past. We lose touch with essential human experience. We also lose touch with the beauty of literary art. On and on, the authors give us a compelling case of a growing non-reading phenomenon. They believe that this would lead to a loss of our "mental sharpness, verbal skills, and ability to think and imagine," and many more.

"100 Poems to Break Your Heart" (Edward Hirsch)

TITLE: 100 Poems to Break Your Heart
AUTHOR: Edward Hirsch
PUBLISHER: Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2021, (512 pages).

"We live in distracting times," writes one of the most popular poets in our modern era. In the midst of widespread superficiality, we need a more down-to-earth reality. Driven by an overwhelming rush for success, we often do not spend time licking our wounds of failure, reflecting on setbacks, or grieving over losses. Busyness could be a convenient coverup for emotional weakness or vulnerability. The difference between prose and poetry is quite well-known. Prose tends to be relatively direct while poetry requires time to digest. It also takes on a more pragmatic mode rather than imaginative; information-driven vs experience-led; utilitarian vs expressiveness; and so on. Poetry on the other hand gives one the freedom to express our feelings that allows us to use a variety of literary art such as art, music, or various methods of illumination. There is more freedom of expression, something that adequately sways with the feelings of the poet. Poet Edward Hirsch gives us a powerful collection of poems from various contributors, both past and present. He writes this book of poems as a way to invite us into a world of how many people have expressed their hurts, pains, and struggles. People from the past such as William Wordsworth who mourns his daughter's death with a poem "Surprised by Joy" or Alfred Lord Tennyson's "In Memoriam" that describes his distress over the passing of a dear friend. People in the present such as Mary Oliver who mourns the loss of loons due to lead poisoning in New England where her poem "Lead" laments the failure to protect the environment we live in. Anne Sexton's "Wanting to Die" is a counsel for a friend wanting to commit suicide. Muriel Rukeyser's "Poem" is an anti-war cry. Anya Krogovoy Silver's "Persimmon" is a mindful meandering over fruit in the midst of cancer. Michael Collier's "An Individual History" expresses the struggles and pain of seeing one's grandmother going through a potpourri of medication and drug side-effects. Philip Schultz's "Failure" expresses a humiliating situation where one needs to borrow money from his father's debtor to pay for his father's funeral. 

"John" (Brian Chung, Bryan Ye-Chung, & Jan Johnson)

TITLE: John (Alabaster Guided Meditations)
AUTHOR: Brian Chung, Bryan Ye-Chung, & Jan Johnson
PUBLISHER: Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2020, (116 pages).

This is a whopping eBook with a tonne of illustrations on the gospel of John. Filled with incredibly beautiful photos and pictures of daily life, it brings to life the gospel of John by inviting us in via the spiritual practice of lectio divina. For those who don't know what that is, the authors of this book make use of the classic definition of lectio divina by St John of the Cross: "Seek in reading and you will find in meditation; knock in prayer and it will be opened to you in contemplation." The authors expand this by incorporating a 4-step process: Read; Reflect; Respond; and Rest. By pairing photos with the gospel of John, the hope is that it will not only illuminate Scripture in a unique way, but also evoke an inner response within our hearts. That as we read the gospel, the photos will prompt us to reflect on the words and to respond accordingly. This is followed by a gratitude in rest. Each guided meditation not only gives us the steps, it shows us the way to read, to reflect, to respond, and to rest. The reader is never left to figure things out alone.

"The Courage to See" (Greg Garrett and Sabrina Fountain)

TITLE: The Courage to See: Daily Inspiration from Great Literature
AUTHOR: Greg Garrett and Sabrina Fountain
PUBLISHER: Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2019, (376 pages).

Devotionals are meant to be brief, simple, but deeply insightful. They are there to reach out to a wide group of people, especially people of faith, believers on a pilgrimage, or those struggling to make sense between what they believe, what they experience, and how to live. We all need insights for living. We also need courage to live and to go forth especially to places where we have never gone before. The title of this book helps us do exactly that. As we develop inner courage to see, it is hoped that we will enter into the world without feeling being left alone, but to know that God is with us at all times.

Containing a year's supply of devotionals, this book helps us with a daily page filled with literary quotes, Scripture passage, and a prayer. The authors are acutely aware that good books will challenge us with a story to charm us, a thought to grip us, or a phrase to challenge us. It is a great way to escape into a book that captures our imaginations. Books shape us and our thinking. With this conviction, authors Garrett and Fountain shares a literary gem each day, followed by a Scripture text to accompany the quote. The page ends with a prayer to maintain our reflection heavenward. There are many inspiring works from Christian writers such as Wendell Berry, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Frederick Buechner, Annie Dillard, Anne Lamott, CS Lewis, Madeleine L'Engle, Brennan Manning, Kathleen Norris, Marilynne Robinson, Dorothy Sayers, etc. Other writers include works from Maya Angelou, Robert Frost, David Henry Thoreau, and even JK Rowling!

"Adorning the Dark" (Andrew Peterson)

TITLE: Adorning the Dark: Thoughts on Community, Calling, and the Mystery of Making
AUTHOR: Andrew Peterson
PUBLISHER: Nashville, TN: B & H Publishing, 2019, (224 pages).

Seeking God in our lives is a daily practice of intentionality. Seeing God clearly comes about with an awareness that His presence is always with us.
If we take our time and pay attention to the way others have done it, we would learn a great deal. The great song composer Bach is acutely aware of the presence of God as he writes the initials "S.D.G" (To God be the Glory) at the bottom of his manuscripts written for church. Eric Liddell runs for God and feels His pleasure.  Instead of getting stuck with mere admiration for these spiritual giants, author Andrew Peterson boldly writes essays, music, and various thoughts to express his devotion to God. The title of this book is exactly about that. While initially, he may seem to be in the dark about what to write and how to go about adoring God, faith is essentially about taking the first steps to be creative. Don't let the ways of the world hem us into its mold. Instead, grow our relationship with the divine through a recognition of our identity in Him; our calling from Him; and our living for Him. Peterson shares details about how he writes music. Overcoming the writer's block is essentially about a battle of fear and a leap of faith. Writing a song is essentially telling a story. Putting songs together into an album strings together stories according to a certain theme or focus. Peterson recalls his first college album which he calls "Bible album." Incredibly, this album became a tour and more importantly providing him with a platform to connect community, family, and his devotion to God.

"Images and Idols" (Thomas J Terry and J Ryan Lister)

TITLE: Images and Idols: Creativity for the Christian Life (Reclaiming Creativity)
AUTHOR: Thomas J Terry and J Ryan Lister
PUBLISHER: Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2018, (160 pages).

We are created. Not only that, our calling is to be creative and to let our gift of creativity bless the world we live in. More importantly, our calling as created beings is to go back to the Creator, God our Father. For we are made in the image of God and everything we do is a reflection of God's grace to us. In a stirring book about letting our creativity become our act of worship, authors Thomas Terry and J. Ryan Lister come together to help us knit together the grand spectrum of creativity through art, beauty, and theology. Like all books that touch on Christian spirituality, the authors begin with God. Jesus has said that without Him, we can do nothing. For if God is the Creator of all things, surely the gift of creativity comes from Him! In the foreword, Jackie Hill-Perry says it well that creativity is "best understood in light of Him and not in spite of Him." Ditto that. What then is need is to "reclaim creativity" from warped definitions and erroneous implications. How is it reclaimed? Terry and Lister assert that reclaiming means:

"The Magnificent Story" (James Bryan Smith)

TITLE: The Magnificent Story: Uncovering a Gospel of Beauty, Goodness, and Truth (Apprentice Resources)
AUTHOR: James Bryan Smith
PUBLISHER: Downers Grove, IL: IVP, 2017, (192 pages).

The Bible has sometimes been referred to the Story of stories. It tells of a Big Story that we are all part of. Stories have a way of revealing life as they are without the need to explain every little detail. Stories are less about facts but more about life as they are. They could be dissected and analyzed but stories go beyond the dimensions of exegesis and analysis. They are pregnant with meaning and spiritual significance. For author James Bryan Smith, these stories are also opportunities for spiritual formation. According to Smith, there are four ways to use these stories individually. We can prepare a notebook with empty pages to be ready to answer questions. We can read each chapter thoroughly to let the content seep into our hearts. We can do the weekly soul training exercises. We can journal our reflections on the notebook. He encourages us to use the content to interact, to encourage, and to connect with others to make the writing of our own stories as part of our communities. We cannot do this on our own. The best way forward is to be formed into the likeness of Christ, which is what the magnificent story is all about. This magnificence is described in three ways. It is beauty magnified; goodness magnified; and truth magnified. These are the "three transcendentals" to help us live out the divine story of our lives.

"Movies are Prayers" (Joshua P. Larsen)

TITLE: Movies Are Prayers: How Films Voice Our Deepest Longings
AUTHOR: Joshua P. Larsen
PUBLISHER: Downers Grove, IL: IVP, 2017, (208 pages).

According to the Motion Picture Association of America, global box office revenue for films released in 2016 reached $38.6 billion and $11.4 billion in US/Canada markets. The numbers continue to grow especially with the rising popularity of online streaming mechanisms and more affordable data plans. Movies too are increasingly being used as a platform for self-expression and a general reflection of cultural nuances. Author Josh Larsen believes that movies are actually prayers in disguise. This may seem surprising for some people. After all, aren't prayers something religious that are covered only in Christian films or Church-based activities? How can movies in secular society be considered prayers? The key belief is that underneath the various movies expressions, if we look carefully enough, we can find the deep yearnings of the human heart expressed in various aspects of the movie. By combining film criticism and theological reflection, we get what Larsen calls: "Movies are Prayers."

Without ignoring the profit-making nature of movie making, the hype that surrounds huge stars, and the rotten tomato ratings, Larsen helps us probe inside, dig deep, float up, and reveals how movies contain many different forms of prayers. Taking a leaf from the psalms, prayers are essentially the different expressions of the human longing for a relationship with the divine. No matter how we may try to hide it, prayers are something so natural in us that they will come out of us sooner or later in life. In this book, we learn about how movies are increasingly popular platforms to bare the longings of the human soul. We learn of nine different such longings:

1. Prayers as Praise
2. Prayers of Yearning
3. Prayers of Lament
4. Prayers of Anger
5. Prayers of Confession
6. Prayers of Reconciliation
7. Prayers of Obedience
8. Prayers of Meditation and Contemplation
9. Prayers as Journey

"The Arts and the Christian Imagination" (Clyde S. Kilby)

TITLE: The Arts and the Christian Imagination: Essays on Art, Literature, and Aesthetics (Mount Tabor Books)
AUTHOR: Clyde S. Kilby
PUBLISHER: Brewster, MA: Paraclete Press, 2016, (336 pages).

Throughout history, the integration of art, literature, philosophy, and theology is still a fascinating work in progress. As the saying goes, "A picture speaks a thousand words," what about imagination? What about letting a work of art express a thought that can be nuanced better with a picture, a diagram, or an image? A good piece of writing can heighten interest. A good piece of art can certainly move beyond words. Call it vision or imagination. It takes more than words or spoken language to capture the beauty of creation. As Helen Keller once wrote: "The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched - they must be felt with the heart." I believe art and imagination could orientate us in that direction. With Clyde's work and accomplishments as the focus, this book has been published by Marion E. Wade Center to introduce to us the thoughts and convictions behind the late Clyde Kilby. The writings are from Kilby, combed from both previously published and unpublished works. Each introduction has been made by those familiar with Clyde's thinking and writing. This book is the first of two that looks at art from a historical and cultural context. The second volume focuses more on Clyde's interactions with the works of CS Lewis and JRRR Tolkien, entitled: "A Well of Wonder: Essays on C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, and the Inklings." All the introductions are written by William Dyrness. Keith Call does the heavy lifting of collecting and organizing the materials. These series of articles probes many issues. Here is a sample of some:

"Thumbprint in the Clay" (Luci Shaw)

TITLE: Thumbprint in the Clay: Divine Marks of Beauty, Order and Grace
AUTHOR: Luci Shaw
PUBLISHER: Downers Grove, IL: IVP, 2016, (205 pages).

Luci Shaw is a gift to the literary world. Not only is she a master with words, she has a keen eye to observe ordinary things and to let them bounce off reflections of life. She reflects on the coffee mug and how it is used as a symbol of family and hospitality. From within the small world of the coffee cup, she zooms out to the big wide world, anchoring her thoughts from 36000 feet in the airplane and looking at the world God had created. Meandering through "God's graphics," she leaves through photographs, observations, histories, past civilizations, and lands back to earth, having caught a glimpse from God's perspective. From the Pacific Northwest, she is reminded of God's creation and natural wonder, appreciating people, acknowledging beauty, and admiring rocks! Her silent retreat at the monastery is probably one of her secrets in training her powers of observation. More importantly, it speaks of her innermost desire to be closer to God. Here, Shaw's theological engine kicks in. She integrates philosophy with spirituality. She activates the words of her literary friends like Annie Dillard, Madeleine L'Engle, Fyodor Dostoevsky, and Eugene Peterson. She includes one of her favourite art journals, Image, and reflects on them equally well, showing us that one does not need to be physically present at any particular place to learn to appreciate natural beauty. For it is not the actual place alone that can trigger one's sense of wonder. It is the admiring heart that paints the world with colour. From theology, we come back to Shaw's TV set. She connects the TV programs with one's sense of identity. From DNA to thumbprints, forensic analysis to police investigations, we are reminded of a world larger than mere crime triggered investigations. Shaw links the physics of the world with the creation of life. Moving in and out from the world of words to the real world, and back again, it can be a challenge to try to capture and to predict where Shaw is going next. My advice: Don't bother. Just enjoy. If you can pace with her, by all means do so. Better to pace it at your own speed. This is not about getting the most out of this book. It is about allowing the best of us to appreciate the best of God's world, seen through the eyes of Shaw.

"75 Masterpieces Every Christian Should Know" (Terry Glaspey)

TITLE: 75 Masterpieces Every Christian Should Know: The Fascinating Stories behind Great Works of Art, Literature, Music, and Film
AUTHOR: Terry Glaspey
PUBLISHER: Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2015, (368 pages).

A masterpiece is a great artistic achievements created by ordinary people. Like how Rembrandt's Prodigal Son painting enveloped the depths of Henri Nouwen, the author has experienced deep fascination with not just art but music, literature, stained glass, paintings, film, and many creative works like woodcut, symphony, building architecture, poems, even children's stories. The author is a writer who enjoys the beauty of God's creation and the handiworks throughout history. Beginning with his visit to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, he describes how he was captivated by the classic and modern masterpieces. Curious about the origins and how the work was made, he becomes very impressed with the stories behind the paintings. The more things he finds, the more fascinated he becomes. In wanting to share his experience, he goes through his library of resources and experiences to inspire more people to appreciate the masterpieces. Several factors are used to decide on which masterpiece to use.  First, it has to be "universally esteemed" by both Christians and non-Christians. Second, they had to stand up well through time, that people will keep coming back as new things can always be learned from them. Third, they are timeless and can speak to people regardless of cultural background and national boundaries. Like trailers to entice people to watch movies, Glaspey starts with the paintings in the Roman catacombs, how Christian art had to go underground during the Roman persecution. He shows us how the Gregorian chant first begun and why it has enchanted the imaginations of many. The Chartres Cathedral is chosen as one with many beautiful stained windows each telling a story in themselves. He calls it a "visual book." Dante's Divine Comedy is a spiritual autobiography. Although not much is known about Andrei Rublev, who created the famous Holy Trinity icon, Glaspey is able to describe the significance of icons and the history of the controversies over their use. Michelangelo's The Ceiling of the Sistine Chapel shows the famous artist more as a sculptor rather than a painter. The three central pieces of work all reflect Michelangelo's commitment to faith. Several hymns are also selected in this volume. Martin Luther's A Mighty Fortress is Our God proves to be Luther's strength as he prepares for a tense debate at the Diet of Worms in 1521. John Newton's Amazing Grace and Isaac Watts' When I Survey the Wondrous Cross are also mentioned. The great novels include Alexandr Solzhenitsyn's Cancer Ward and Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice.