Rainbows for the Fallen World: Aesthetic life and artistic task

People untrained in looking at art are often suspicious. A painting of something is not so real as the thing itself. A story about Robinson Crusoe never really happened. Should we really spend time with fiction and illusions like paintings? What good are they in the world? Is it really important for Christians to sit down with their children and begin, "Once upon a time..."? Are not the art and music of our modern, secular world a luxury the Humanists indulge, which we Christians have to study only so we can do mission work among such arty people?

The answer for Bible-believing Christians is to remember the rainbows God made for the fallen world. Because paintings and novels and music are somewhat like rainbows. God did not have to make rainbows. He could have just said it black on white, "I will keep covenant with the earth," just as he wrote in stone the Ten Words. And why did Christ teach men and women in parables? Couldn't he have been more straightforward, so there wouldn't be any misunderstandings?

But it pleased Christ to tell the story of the good Samaritan, and it pleased God to make rainbows in the sky. And it has pleased the Holy Spirit to give certain people gifts of drawing, imagining, and making melody. And no Christian had better condemn rainbows, parables or gifts of the Holy Spirit as off limits. In fact—and that is the thrust of this book—God's people are called to find out what art is like, why the Lord put this talent in our creaturely laps and how is art to keep its holy rainbow character rather than become a mirage.

Specifications:

Format: Paperback
Publisher‏: ‎ Toronto Tuppence Press
Language: ‎ English
Pages: ‎ 254 pages
ISBN: ‎ 0-919071-07-4
Item weight: ‎ 340 g