Michelangelo
Paintings from the Sistine Chapel Come with us to Rome. Our
image map brings you the painstakingly restored paintings by Michelangelo of several
Biblical stories from the book of Genesis. If you didn't know it already, the
Bible has been and continues to be one of the great sources of artistic inspiration
as well as spiritual illumination.
Sources
of Symbolism in Christianity
Christianity is, and always has
been, a faith that finds expression in highly visual ways ... through painting
and sculpture, image, icon, symbol, design, and other non-verbal means. We take
a look at the principal varieties of Christian symbolism, both traditional and
contemporary.
The Jesus Gallery
Our growing collection of photos, drawings, bobble heads, icons, place mats, bumper stickers, roadside signs and other images of Jesus that proliferate in popular culture. The good, the bad and the ugly. The sad, the funny and the satirical. And some that are actually imaginative and inspirational.
The Jesus Video Gallery
From the serious to the satirical, Jesus is the focal point for many of the most popular videos circulating on the world wide web. Check out the latest and most popular here.
The
Most Popular Picture of Jesus Warner Sallman's "Head of Christ"
is the most popular image of Jesus ever made. It is an icon of American culture.
It also raises a host of questions about Christianity, the historical Jesus, and
the faith of those who identify with this painting.
An
Affair to Remember Florence holds out one of greatest opportunities
for inspiration as well as education about the history and art of the Christian
tradition. The Ufizzi Gallery is a case in point.
Madonna's Crucifixion
In the pop singer's "Confessions on a Dance Floor" tour she poses on a giant cross, wearing a crown of thorns, against a backdrop of projected images showing children from Africa who are victims of AIDS and other calamities. Religious leaders around the world have risen up to condemn this, calling it "heresy" and "blasphemy." I find her message inspirational. Here's why.
Nature's God The Hudson
River School was the first coherent movement or "school" of American
art. This group of painters, several of whom lived and worked in the Hudson River
region, went about their work with an awareness that they were capturing not just
the colors and shapes of the natural world, but the living presence of what the
founders of the republic referred to as "Nature's God." This theme is
important in 21st century spirituality and ecology as well.
Barcelona's
Sagrada Familia: A Statement of Faith in Stone Barcelona's Sacrada
Familia cathedral is very much a statement of faith in stone. As it continues
to rise above this spectacular seaport city, it celebrates at once the glory of
God and the beauty of the the natural world.
The
Maltese Cross This cross has a long history. It has been associated
with the Order of Knights of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem, also known
as the "Knights Hospitaller." This order began with the establishment of a hospital
in Jerusalem, and has long been associated with caregiving, but also took on military
duties, eventually becoming a powerful, military force with vast properties and
great wealth.
If you want to talk with someone in person, please feel free to call 917-439-2305
The Rev. Charles P. Henderson is a Presbyterian minister and is the author of God and Science (John Knox Press, 1986).
A revised and expanded version of the book is appearing here. God and Science (Hypertext Edition,
2015).
He is also editor of a new book, featuring articles by world class scientists and theologians, and illustrating the leading views on the relationship between science and religion: Faith, Science and the Future (CrossCurrents Press, 2017).
Charles also tracks the boundry between the virtual and the real at his blog: Next World Design, focusing on the mediation of art, science and spirituality in the metaverse.
