A Violent Partnership

The artist Edward Knippers is near and dear to Square Halo Books. He was a contributor to It Was Good: Making Art to the Glory of God, and is featured in Objects of Grace. And our newest book in The Art of series is The Art of Edward Knippers: Prints and Drawings.

Therefore we are delighted to announce that we are partnering with Ed to help distribute Violent Grace: A Retrospective. This deluxe, hardcover book contains over 200 images of paintings by Edward Knippers, spanning from the 1960s to the present. There are also supporting essays by eminent scholars and theologians including Gregory Wolfe and Theodore Prescott—both writers who have contributed to other Square Halo titles.

There are two limited editions of the book available as well. The deluxe edition is accompanied by an original signed and numbered woodcut print, and the collector’s edition comes with an original painting.


Passion and Character(s)

For our latest offering, we are pleased to announce the publication of Godly Character(s): Insights for Spiritual Passion from the Lives of 8 Women in the Bible, an in-depth look at how desire for God can be cultivated by strengthening the practice of godly disciplines.  The book examines the spiritual effects of four inward-focused character traits—devotion, courage, faith, and vision—and four outward-looking character traits—initiative, nonconformity, tenacity, and generosity—as revealed through the lives of eight lesser-studied people in the Bible.  Reviewers have noted the impact of Godly Character(s)on rekindling affection and passion for God:

“Lisa Smith’s latest book is a treasure. It will draw you closer to God and will ignite your heart with passion for Him. Her insight and beautiful storytelling makes every section of this book delightful to read!” — Stacy DeWitt, executive director of James Storehouse

“This book is a terrific resource for anyone who wants more from their relationship with God than lackluster routines and complacent rituals. Lisa is both an engaging guide and an experienced practitioner, using Scriptures and stories, to lead us through eight characteristics needed to fuel a dynamic and passionate life with God.”— Carolyn Taketa, host of the Small Group Network podcast Group Talk

“This book is a slim treasure, packed with practical inspiration for the passionate Christian life. Utilizing the stories of some of the unsung heroines of Scripture, Godly Character(s) will be a trustworthy companion on the quest of devotion.” — Lanier Ivester, writer and speaker; author at lanierivester.com

The Third Book in "The Art of" Series . . . and an Epic Exhibit

The Art of Edward Knippers: Prints and Drawings will be released in September 2018 in conjunction with a massive retrospective art exhibit at Messiah College.

Edward Knippers is an artist very well known in Christian community and beyond. His bold colors, aggressive paint handling, (often) large scale, dramatic compositions, and (of course) the nudity of his figures make Knipper’s art stand out in any show. But, sometimes, thinking that we know an artist’s work can get in the way of continuing to look carefully at their work. 

In fact, that there is more to the art of Ed Knippers than what is described above. Some of the aesthetic and conceptual richness of his work was explored in his 2015 monograph Violent Grace. But there is more. This book, which focuses principally on Knipper’s work in printmaking, aims to further unpack the complexity of his art.

Praise for the book includes:

“This book honors Edward Knippers’ lesser known body of work—his prints and drawings. Parallel to his dramatic large scale paintings, he has consistently produced etchings, monotypes and especially linocuts. This monograph gives these equally important works their rightful recognition while more fully unpacking the complexity and depth of Knippers’ art.” —Sandra Bowden, artist

“Artists most often show another—and often very different—side to their work in prints and drawings. The magicof line  tells its own story. These works of Edward Knippers are no exception. Magic is the word for what you will see in these pages. It’s high time this work is better known! Cheers!!!” —Roberta Green Ahmanson, writer

“Across the many years that I have known Edward Knippers, I have come to expect two things: passion and faithfulness. Ed is passionate about the biblical narrative—especially the human stories that it contains—and faithful to do the work. Few artists have been as productive in the studio and over a long span of years as Ed Knippers. His expansive body of work needs to be seen.” —Cameron J. Anderson, artist and author

This is the third in a growing series of monographs focusing on important artists of faith. CLICK HERE to learn more about the art exhibit at Messiah College.

The Third "It Was Good" Book Hits the Stage

The original book in the It Was Good series was published in 2000. It had an essay in it about acting by Dale Savidge, the executive director of CITA (Christians in Theatre Arts). Since then, we've received many requests to speak to the performing arts in greater depth. Now, after over five years in development, we are delighted to announce that It Was Good: Performing Arts to the Glory of God is complete. 

The contributors (and topics) in the book are: Charlie Jones (performers), Robert Bigley (gospel), Denis Haack (story, Chris Cragin-Day (playwriting), Aaron Craig (documentaries), Chuck Simmons (hospitality), Jenifer Ringer Fayette (audience), Martin Landry (expectations), Elizabeth Richard (consistency), Sean Gaffney (theophanies), Marlaina Seay (set design) Brian S. Chan (shadow), Brian Godawa (horror), Camille Hallstrom (incarnation), Skip SoRelle (sound design), Anthony Guyer (live sound), Gaye Jeffers (listening), Abigail Kileen (trust), Elizabeth Dishman (choreography), Candace Vance (marriage), and Alissa Wilkinson (criticism). 

Early reviews of It Was Good: Performing Arts to the Glory of God are in, and the praise is effusive:

"Like its companion predecessors, It Was Good: Performing Arts to the Glory of God is both practical and theological. It’s no cliché that artists struggle to find their way in an increasingly pragmatic niche culture—even more so for Christians in the performing arts. The latter group finding themselves largely misunderstood and vocationally marginalized by the Church. After all, what true kingdom good comes from spending valuable time becoming a dancer? As it turns out, it’s not a waste of time at all. Especially so for the only audience who should matter: Jesus. As the title says, let it all be done to the Glory of God."
—Charlie Peacock
Composer, recording artist, and Co-Founder of Art House America

"This is a wise book written by experienced practitioners who have been in the trenches of creating art from a Christian worldview. It ain’t easy, and if you want to try it, I suggest that you read this book."
—Max McLean
Founder & Artistic Director, Fellowship for Performing Arts

"Whether you are a seasoned professional or beginning to consider a career in the performing arts, there is much wisdom to be gleaned from the pages of this addition to the It Was Good series. From practical advice to passages of profound and moving insight, it’s all here. And it’s a wonderful handbook to have within reach when you need encouragement or want to know how others in these fields have handled the workload, the creation of art, and the walk of faith
that undergirds it all."
—Harry Bleattler
Chair of Media, Culture, and the Arts program at The King’s College in New York City

"We tend to forget: art is performance. Whether a film or a dance or a sonata, a work of art is meant to communicate meaning to the audience. This third installment of It Was Good takes full cognizance of this joyful responsibility in the arts and guides us into the extraordinary range of possibilities in telling a story. Must reading for anyone hoping to understand how the arts work, from a Christian perspective." 
—Wlliam Edgar
Professor of Apologetics, Westminster Theological Seminary, and author of Created and Creating: A Biblical Theology of Culture

"There is an ancient and hallowed saying that goes something like this: “Keep a good thing going!” And that’s exactly what the editors and contributors to the third volume of It Was Good have done. It’s especially important to focus on the performing arts because they can be harder to find and hold onto. Here are art forms that possess their own set of richly metaphorical analogies to scripture and the spiritual life. Consider this my standing ovation."
—Gregory Wolfe
Editor of Image

"There are so many distorted perspectives on the performing arts (both outside and inside the church) that it makes it difficult to maintain a biblical perspective. This book, written by accomplished artists from every corner of the performing arts, is chock full of important truths—truths you may have felt but never heard articulated, or perhaps ones you once knew that have faded over years in the business. This book refreshed, refined, and refocused so many of these truths for me, and I would highly recommend it to any Christian in the performing arts."
—Johnathan Bauer
Executive Director of the Servant Stage Company 

"It Was Good: Performing Arts to the Glory of God is a great book of wise counsel and encouragement. Whilst reading I felt comfort, guilt, challenge, and inspiration. It translates theology into practice, and point of view into purpose. 
    It Was Good rightly encourages the reader to see their art from a biblical, Christ-centered perspective. It provides, not one, but a range of scriptural rationales for the creative—a compass and series of maps to steer by that’s anchored in biblical thinking. It provides numerous perspectives to help the believer stand firm and grow spiritually in the creative performance industries. You won’t agree with every word—in fact the book is brave to be willing to contradict itself on occasion—but every essay will require contemplation and an active response from the believer.
    I believe It Was Good: Performing Arts to the Glory of God is a must-read for every performing arts creative who wants to root their career and creative journey in their faith. Unlike other books I’ve read on the subject, this one is very accessible and meaty. You will come away satisfied by the contemplations and personal experiences that this book has to offer."
—Andrew Walkington
Founder of The British Youth Film Academy and director/producer of For Love’s Sake, Grace and Gravity, Birches

"To riff off Saint Irenaeus, could it be that the glory of God is not only a human being fully alive but also the performing arts fully alive? This volume shows in various and honest ways how this is the case, and in doing so, the authors do not shy away from the mundane, glorious mess of art-making and performing. They show how God is in the process as well as the product, and therefore inspire practitioners and appreciators alike to stay alert to glimmers of glory in each particular detail."
—Wes Vander Lugt
Lead Pastor of Warehouse 242, author of Living Theodrama: Reimagining Theological Ethics, and editor of Theatrical Theology: Explorations in Performing the Faith

"What did it really mean for Bach to write “Soli Deo Gloria” at the bottom of his work? How was this music yet another instance of sacrifice, worship, self-emptying, and nourishing discovery for him? This book is filled with stories of trying to live faithfully in the light of that same idea. Here, we see that an artist can be transformed, from a self-interested dreamchaser or cog in a corporate machine, into a fierce explorer, charting worlds of experience that many of us avoid, out of laziness, cowardice or both. To be a “living sacrifice” for God involves full-blooded, risky, embodied living, which—these authors remind us—is a kind of faithful performing. Whether you are an “official” performer or not, you are called to a depth of life and sacrifice these authors uniquely understand and articulate, precisely because they are artists."
—Joseph Kickasola
Professor of Film and Digital Media/Director of the Baylor University New York program

"Split, our hearts, toward Love in all performance all the time in all places."
—Karin Coonrod
Artistic Director of Compagnia de’ Colombari and Lecturer at Yale School of Drama

"It was once remarked that if “art is to nourish the roots of our culture, society must set the artist free to follow his vision wherever it takes him . . . We must never forget that art is not a form of propaganda; it is a form of truth.” For my part, I would add that if Christianity is to again nourish the roots of our culture, the church also must set her artists free to follow their vision, and to utilize their voices and bodies to perform the truth. As the wonderfully talented practitioners represented in this compilation of essays make clear, theatre, music, and dance, are not enemies to be avoided but allies in the task of awakening the imagination, communicating gospel realities, and in rekindling connection to the breadth and depth of Christ’s working in this world. 
    While contemporary Christianity is learning how to rejoice in the visual arts, the performing arts seem to lag behind. Whether this relates to lingering suspicions regarding the body or to an awareness of the false gods of “showbusiness,” I look to others to say. But here, in bold and compelling style, the contributors to this volume not only acknowledge the challenges but grasp the positive opportunity that exist to glorify God in the performing arts. I pray this warm and wise volume reaches many Christians already in the performing arts and that it has a hand in recruiting the next generation so that they too might perform to the glory of God."
—Mark P. Ryan
Director of the Francis A. Schaeffer Institute and Adjunct Professor of Religion and Culture, Covenant Theological Seminary, Saint Louis, MO

"Every now and then a book comes along that strengthens your perspectives, encourages your heart, and inspires you to continue to “press toward the mark.”
    It Was Good: Performing Arts to the Glory of God is just such a book. It offers practical wisdom from “many counselors” (as is commended in Proverbs 15:22) who have learned a thing or two along the way, and it reminds the reader—whether they are on the stage or in the audience—that the Lord places gifts and abilities in all of us. When we discover and cultivate those talents for Him, we gain the right kind of passion to do what we Love . . . and that, He will use!"
—Dan Deal
Producer/Director for Sight and Sound Theatres and winner of the reality television show, The Mansion

Straight-Up Praise for Good Posture

Square Halo has been with Tom Becker since the very beginning of The Row House (literally—there are photos from the first forum to prove it), so we were understandably eager to publish his first book. As it turns out, we are not the only ones who think that the work Tom is doing is amazing. Following is effusive praise for Good Posture—more than enough to make people sit up straight and take notice . . . 

The Row House proves that it is possible to engage in conversations about culture with authenticity, curiosity, and uncommon graciousness. In Good Posture Tom invites us behind these conversations to hear his heart for building better bridges and practicing insane kindness. Rooted in the Gospel, this book will help you engage in thoughtful conversations and create a more attractive way of impacting culture.
—Peter Greer, president & CEO HOPE International, and coauthor of Rooting for Rivals

Tom Becker’s track record of artful engagement makes him an invaluable guide to “good posture” in relation to Culture.
—J. Mark Bertrand, novelist and author of Rethinking Worldview

In every age, the church is called to enflesh the gospel in a particular time and place. But for Christians to do so effectively, they will need to understand their unique time and place and, especially, the neighbors who inhabit it with them. The Row House Forum is just such a “roadmap” for thoughtful Christians, as well as a gathering place for all who are intellectually hungry. Every Christian community would benefit from such a forum. 
—Katelyn Beaty, Christianity Today editor-at-large, book author, 2016 forum speaker for The Row House

In Good Posture, Tom Becker is not scolding Christians for not sitting up straight. Rather he’s encouraging us to lean into life so we can flourish where we are, for God’s glory and the common good. He tells the story of The Row House in Lancaster, PA not so we all start one but as a living example of bringing grace into the heart of a city. In the process Becker distills what he has learned, and the distillation is a lovely dose of biblical wisdom. It’s a vision of the sort of Christianity we always hoped was possible but rarely see. It’s a vision not of beginning something big but of being faithful and watching the gospel nurture beauty in ordinary people in ordinary ways.
—Denis Haack, co-founder of Ransom Fellowship and the editor of Critique magazine

Tom is the kind of conversationalist who cares more about listening than being heard. But you also come away from talking with him somehow more full of ideas and hopes and dreams. His listening is the kind that inspires.
—Wesley Hill, author of Paul and the Trinity: Persons, Relations, and the Pauline Letters and 2015 forum speaker for The Row House

The Row House Forum serves the public good in one of the best ways possible: by promoting ideas, art, conversation, and human flourishing. It’s a gift to the local community, as well as a gift from the local community to the world. The Row House Forum is a jewel whose brilliance reaches far and wide.
—Karen Swallow Prior, PhD, author of Booked: Literature in the Soul of Me and 2017 forum speaker for The Row House

Tom Becker models a winsome, wise, and celebratory faith in Christ. Hearing him speak, reading his words, or attending one of his events is always a joy, because he lives out God’s Kingdom and invites others to join him. Tom’s hospitality, insight, and sense of fun came to life in the pages of Good Posture. As someone lucky enough to attend many Row House events, I can say with delight that this book will give you a taste of what it’s like to be welcomed into a community by Tom, and some starting points for living out that generous hospitality in your own context. Tom’s graceful articulation of ancient faith for current culture is exactly what we need in our cultural moment. May it be widely read, and even more widely lived out.
—Hannah Eagleson, PhD, Renaissance Literature and writer/editor for InterVarsity’s Emerging Scholars Network

I have known Tom Becker for many years and have been simply stunned at his energy and insight, verve and fidelity in doing what he is called to do—which he describes with wit and wonder in this easy-to-read, one-of-a-kind book. Good Posture is influenced by everything from the Bible and the Beatles to Francis Schaeffer and modern art films. Tom’s love of urban architecture, local ministry, and civil conversation just bubbles up as he tells his story and invites you into his dream of an ancient faith presented winsomely to our neighbors. May this book inspire you to loosen up a bit, check your posture, and then take up the wild, wondrous adventure of gracious Christian living in our lovely, messy world. 
—Byron Borger, co-founder of Hearts & Minds Bookstore

C.S. Lewis aptly said that if we read history carefully, we will soon discover that those who have done the most good for the present world are the ones who thought the most of the next. Put another way, when we become “heavenly minded” in the Jesus sense of the term, we become more earthly good, not less. My long-time friend, Tom Becker, does a marvelous job calling us back to this vision in Good Posture. I couldn’t recommend this book more highly. Please read it cover to cover. Please share it. And please, for the love of God, start living it.
—Scott Sauls, senior pastor of Christ Presbyterian Church in Nashville, Tennessee, and author of Jesus Outside the Lines, Befriend, and From Weakness to Strength

Tom Becker is a man living a life that leaves a mark. Through a heavenly blend of humor, grace, whimsy, and gospel, Tom offers readers the opportunity to reassess their approach to the world around them. Shall we approach life hunched over and believing the worst about our neighbors, or standing tall, looking for the best in those around us? I know which approach sounds more life-giving and Kingdom bearing to me. Read this book, and follow Tom’s work to readjust your perspective, and your posture.
—Luke Dooley, Director of the Unpolished initiative at OCEAN Accelerator, and former Director of Q Commons at Qideas

 

A Book for Hearts & Minds

We first met Byron Borger when It Was Good: Making Art to the Glory of God was just coming out. He was immediately supportive of Square Halo Books, and ever since then has promoted our titles with gusto. We make it a practice to always release our books to his store first, and he always has our titles in stock. Around here we affectionately refer to Hearts & Minds as "The Official Bookstore of Square Halo."

We were delighted to publish the book he edited called Serious Dreams, but for the last few years there has been a jovial argument between us about publishing a book collecting Byron's BookNotes into one volume. Byron insisted no one would want such a thing. He is a bookseller and knows his business, so maybe he was right about that. But not to be discouraged from featuring Byron in a book, we changed our tack and secretly organized a festschrift in honor of the work that Byron and Beth do through Hearts & Minds. Now, festschrift is an unusual word, to be sure. It is defined as "a collection of writings published in honor of a scholar." If you wonder whether or not a lowly bookseller is worthy of this sort of honor, read these commendations from these respected writers and scholars to learn why A Book for Hearts & Minds needed to be written:

Byron and Beth Borger have been a gift to both authors and readers. Unapologetic champions of the life of the mind, their work has been a ministry to generations of Christians who have discovered that God’s joy and delight is as wide as the world itself. Curators of the imagination, stewards of the tradition, priests of print, they have always done more than sold books: they have furnished faithful minds and hearts. This book is a lovely testimony to that good work.—James K.A. Smith, Calvin College, author of You Are What You Love: The Spiritual Power of Habit

When I want to know how to think about the things that matter most, I trust Byron Borger to point me in the right direction—never telling me what to think, but ready with endless resources to help me discover how to think in the best ways. He and Beth have made me, on countless occasions, feel like the most treasured writer and person in the world, as I suspect they have done for many of the contributors to this volume. Their impact in hearts and minds is now multiplied, through these pages and in the lives of countless readers they’ve guided and nurtured through the years. May this smart personal volume make you curious enough to buy a book—this book!—for readers you love, at Hearts & Minds Bookstore.—Margot Starbuck, author of Small Things with Great Love: Adventures in Loving Your Neighbor

Byron Borger is a true believer. Like the lineup of insightful essayists who contributed to this book in his honor, Borger believes that reading the right book at the right time can supply just the kind of provocation, insight, or solace we need, when we need it. —Cameron J. Anderson, author of The Faithful Artist: A Vision for Evangelicalism and the Arts

Byron Borger spent his life making us all richer by introducing us to authors and ideas that helped us flourish. Some of his suggested readings made us laugh, made us angry, made us wrestle—but each made us better people. We honor you and we are indebted to you. Thank you for discovering the good and true and beautiful and spending your life generously sharing it with us.—Margaret Feinberg, author of Flourish: Live Free, Live Loved

While living and teaching in New York City I had been hearing about the Hearts & Minds Bookstore for some time. And then one day I was lured to a speaking engagement for The Row House in Lancaster, PA with the promise of a visit to the bookstore. How could I say no? My expectations were high and, boy, were they met. I felt like a gambling addict stumbling into a casino. Suffice it to say that on my return trip to the city I traveled back home with far more baggage than I had left with. This book is a tantalizing taste of what it is like to visit that magical place. It makes me dream of returning there to restock! —Harry Bleattler, chair of the Media, Culture, and the Arts program at The King’s College, New York City  

Byron Borger represents everything that is right with bookstores. He is a thoughtful and winsome curator of ideas and prose in moment when most booksellers are crass consumerists. Thank God for Byron, and thank God for Hearts & Minds! —Jonathan Merritt, contributing writer for The Atlantic and author of Learning to Speak God from Scratch

How fitting this splendid collection is as a tribute to Byron and Beth Borger, partners and booksellers extraordinaire whose life-long vision and ambitions exemplify the idea of Christian vocation and faithful living. Featuring an array of writers commenting on influential works in their fields, this volume represents the fruit of the Hearts & Minds enterprise and will no doubt encourage the same lively discourse we’ve come to associate with Bryon’s own booklists. —William D. Romanowski, Calvin College, author of Reforming Hollywood: How American Protestants Fought for Freedom at the Movies

I thank God for Byron and Beth Borger—they are such solid gold people, and friends as well. Without them, many a thoughtful Christian writer would be on the endangered species list in the face of the tsunami of Big Data recommended reading. While Hearts & Minds exists, serious Christian books can live too. —Os Guinness, author of Impossible People: Christian Courage and the Struggle for the Soul of Civilization

 

 

Revealed: Artist Interviews

Shortly following the launch of the Revealed traveling exhibit, the CIVA Blog ran three interviews with three of the artists from Revealed: A Storybook Bible for Grown-Ups. The first was with Tanja Butler, and the second was with Mark T. Smith. The most recent was a discussion with Edward Knippers. That conversation had to be edited down for length. Following is the entire conversation:

Ned Bustard: I often explain to people that Revealed: A Storybook Bible for Grown-Ups began with my desire to make a book featuring your printmaking along side works from your collection of other printmakers who explored Christianity in their work. In your flat files are some lovely prints by Otto Dix, Howard Finster, and many others that I had scanned to use in the book but ended up not making it into the final project due to copyright issues. If we could go back and make Revealed again (and your whole collection was in the public domain), what works would you have included?

Edward Knippers: I would have included the Otto Dix pieces for sure, especially The Flight into Egypt, the Entry into Jerusalem, the Massacre of the Innocents, and the Betrayal in the Garden. There are also a number of Chagalls such as The Gray Crucifixion and Joseph Before Pharaoh that would have been nice to use, not to mention Cain Slays Abel and David and Absalom (both of which would have added the problem of color, but we are dreaming, right?). The Baptism of Christ by Max Beckmann and the Veil of Veronica by Bernard Buffet would have been good additions. And one of my favorites, although not strictly Biblical in its subject matter is Georges Rouault’s The Just Like Sandalwood Perfumes the Ax That Fells Him from the Miserere. 

Ned: Otto Dix made it into the book (in a way) with my baptism of Christ print that I made based on one of his pieces. I also included in the book (through imitation) Sadao Watanabe, Vincent van Gogh, Saul Bass, Ben Zion, Marc Chagall, Henri Matisse, George Rouault, and Conrad Felixmüller. The Felixmüller homage along with several other pieces that I contributed to the book contain nudity. And nudity always illicits a strong responses from viewers. One of my favorite reactions to Revealed so far was on Christmas morning. My eight-year old nephew opened the book then slammed it shut, informing his mother “This book is inappropriate.” And of course I am not the only one in the book to include nudity. Right from the start your diptych on the cover of Revealed shows Adam and Eve in all their glory. But you’re no stranger to people being offended by art you have made. Your work often comes under fire for showing too much skin. How would you respond to Christians who take issue with Revealed over the nudity we included?

Ed: The answer to your nephew’s response is in the title: “A Storybook Bible for Grown-ups.” I recently wrote a blog post for Artway in which I addressed why I have chosen to use the nude in my art. I said, “I want viewers to reconsider the Scriptures in very human terms that might shock them out of their complacency about the things of the spirit. The nude is my way of aiming at the deep and saving Truth given to us by Christ. It is an attempt to strip away our hiding places.” Revealed is a place that nudity is not only appropriate, but should be expected. In its pages we should be kept on edge thinking new and penetrating thoughts.

Ned: Your new book is called Violent Grace. That title gets at another issue people have with Revealed. Folks may not be offended by the nudity in the book, but images like Steve Halla’s depiction of the murder of children are seen as crossing the line. Why do you think violent works like that are not only acceptable, but actually had to be in this project?

Ed: The Scriptures ring true because the difficult events are not suppressed but instead are recorded for all to read, and for all to try to comprehend in the light of the reality of God. The Bible is not a cover-up job, but instructive truth dealing with real people. In the other literature from back in the day if a king was defeated in battle, the narrative would stop. The king was to only be seen in the best light. Yet in the narrative of David, as an example, his worst sins were exposed. Likewise, Steve Halla’s murder of children should be seen. Even the cannibalism in II Kings (chapter 6) would not be out of place. Your linocut, What Evil Is This? dealing with the dismemberment of a woman is no easier to contemplate. Yet for all the violence represented, Revealed has much tenderness as well. For example, prints such as Tanja Butler’s Rest on the Flight to Egypt or Albrecht Durer’s Doubting Thomas (Small Passion). Though in light of the violent images in teh book we need to remember that the Bible teaches us the often difficult fact that we are to fear nothing but God. Since He has revealed Himself as our loving father, this is truly liberating and we should learn to embrace our freedom from fear in all things, even pictures in a book. 

Ned: Continuing on with the violence thread, one of the things I like in several of your contributions to this book is the way the spiritual world violently thrusts itself into the physical world through your use of cubism. No puffy clouds or cute cherubs here. Just alien slabs of another reality marching in. 

Ed: I think that we are living between two worlds and that ours is the weaker of the two. I also think that we will have glorious work to do in that other world to which we hope to go. The puffy clouds with people sitting around doing nothing, seems to me, to be a boring anti-Christian image that makes Hell seem more interesting, even more important. Glory should be engaging and our participation in it will be wonderful, consuming all that we are and could ever hope to be—never boring. This is true because Glory is where God is and we will see Him face to face. It is difficult for paint to be able to even hint at that powerful reality. The least that we can do in trying is to not be sentimental about it. Give me Flannery O’Conner or C. S. Lewis, not Hallmark!

This brings to mind an overriding question that we should engage. It is: “Why is it easy to show evil and despair and so difficult to create images that embody goodness and joy?” 

Ned: For me that question immediately brings to mind you throwing down the gauntlet years ago during the time when I was developing the first edition of It Was Good: Making Art to the Glory of God. Back then you challenged me to write an essay on making art about GOOD. The task of writing that essay was certainly not a walk in the park. But in the end I was able to learn a great deal about goodness, and the ideas in that essay have shaped my artmaking ever since. In It Was Good I wrote that one reason it is so difficult to create images that embody goodness is due to a general misunderstanding of what the word really means. “We make good the equivalent of ‘nice try’ when we say a child has done good when they have merely put forth effort. And usually ‘nice’ or ‘sweet’ are presented as synonyms of good. This is where we begin to see our collective understanding of the biblical concept of good begin to break down. A nice or sweet God would not destroy every living creature (except those who could fit on one boat), in a worldwide cataclysmic flood. So we find that we all have a misunderstanding of the word, resulting from a distortion of true goodness observable in the world around us.” Also, we are completely sumbmerged in a broken world. We can neither rise above it, nor go around it. We are bound to it. It pervades everything we think and do. So portraying Good is hard because we can never get an objective viewpoint on it. 

Aside from the legitimate challenge that Good presents to the artist, I also think that the crude reality: “Stolen water is sweet; food eaten in secret is delicious!” [Proverbs 9:17] comes into play here. Fallen mankind simply desires evil more than goodness.

Ed: That is certainly true, but as followers of Christ, I wonder if we fear that true goodness and joy is too remarkable to be real and therefore when we encounter any attempt to embody them we tend to discount the image as false or make-believe? 

Ned: C.S. Lewis credits that with the Temptor’s efforts. In The Screwtape Letters the senior devil writes, “The general rule which we have now pretty well established among them is that in all experiences which can make them happier or better only the physical facts are ‘Real’ while the spiritual elements are ‘subjective.’” This is why I like the cubist elements you use in your art to represent the spiritual world. We contrast the spiritual reality with the “real world.” For many, the hope of Heaven is “too good to be true.” 

Ed: Is this because we are more acquainted with grief than with joy? Can sentimental art be blamed, or is such art merely the result of a more all encompassing failure of imagination in the face of something so grand? 

Ned: I think of it as a “poisoning of the Imagination.” I have been struck over and over lately that many of our popular songs, TV shows, and movies are wrapping cyanide in Beauty. The goodness and truth of Scripture is disparaged and discredited as half-truths and lies are packaged in pretty moving images and heart-warming stories set to a good beat. We are distracted and mislead to the point that we are unable to embrace God’s ultimate reality.

Ed: There are rare times, nonetheless, when we do find goodness and joy depicted with authenticity. For example, I find such goodness and joy in the face of Jesus in Lovis Corinth’s Christ Falls Under His Cross and also in Rembrandt’s Christ Preaching (La petite Tombe). Do you see it in other pieces in Revealed?

Ned: Well, the book intentially embraced the darker stories in the Bible. But for me, Steve Prince’s Slow Dance and Tanja Butler’s Kisses both convey real goodness and joy. Prince’s piece especially seems to be an authentic, non-saccherine display of goodness and joy. Also, Albrecht Dürer’s Noli Me Tangere (on the inside back cover of the book) shows Christ, the definition of Goodness, with Mary, who, in my mind, was at that moment was the personification of Joy.

Ah, but that is enough loftiness for now! Let’s get back to earth with a bit of reflection on the gritty art of printmaking. As a graphic designer sitting in front of the computer all day, I love the fact that in printmaking there is no “Save As” button and it can be such agreat exploration trudging through the cutting of a block and arriving at the end with and unexepected image rather than the cold predictability of a “Copy/Paste.” You spend most of your time making huge oil paintings. What about the printmaking process draws you back again and again?

Ed: Printmaking is, for the most part, an intimate art form that can be spread to many viewers in its original form. There is no need for those interested in art to gather in one place in order to see the work, as is the case with painting. A print is usually a humble sheet of paper that speaks more about the ordinary world than about art, yet in doing so it becomes quite personal. For me, looking at prints is like reading a real book that is held in your hands. You are in a physical relationship with an original work of art. One might say that paintings are more standoffish. You are taken into them in a different way, a way that is more mental and less physical. However, both can be quite emotional, both can speak to the heart.

I am also drawn to printmaking as I like to see how much I can do with the simplest means. That is why many of my prints are a white line in a black field, a technique used by Matisse. In working this way, without all of the tricks of the print medium to cover my mistakes, I feel truly exposed with very little room to hide. The line must carry everything, the image, the emotion, and the presence of the idea.

Ned: Yes, I understand the appeal. I began making Second Eve immediately after seeing a Matisse print one night. I was so taken by the simplicity of the line as well. You mention how printmaking brings you into a physical relationship with an original work of art. I feel that as well. And that is why I am so glad that CIVA made a traveling exhibit from a selection of the book’s prints. Seeing them in person is so much better than merely looking at them in the book. Not that the book is bad! Good heavens, of course I want folks to buy Revealed! But it is a different experience than expereincing the art in person. And no one will ever be able to see all the art in the flesh. Even I didn’t, and I made the book.

And with that, I think we will close this conversation. Thank you for sitting down with me and tossing around all of these big ideas. And thank you for inspiring Revealed and for decades of inspiration to love God and make art that seeks to bring Him glory.

 

Deeper Magic: The Theology Behind the Writings of C.S. Lewis

We are delighted by the arrival of our new book on the writings of C.S. Lewis. And we aren't the only ones:

“Williams has produced a bracing guide to Lewis as theological writer.  The sweep of the book delves into timely themes: imagination’s relation to theology, Lewis’s misunderstanding of Fundamentalism, Hamartiology (you’ll see), an investigation into Lewis’s “trilema,” Soteriology, meaning and function of the Church, and Theological Aesthetics—just to name a few. The work is, in short, a crash-course in Evangelical theological doctrine illuminated and constantly grounded in Lewis’s (and others’s) writings.  All is composed in Williams’s strong voice and with the same useful plain-spoken clarity as Lewis.  Deeper Magic accomplishes what tragically few writers today accomplish: deeper instruction.” —Rod Miller, Professor of Art History, Hendrix College, and editor of C. S. Lewis and the Arts: Creativity in the Shadowlands

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“C. S. Lewis’s best books are his works in literary criticism; but most people do not read them. Perhaps it is because most people are unfamiliar with medieval literature specifically and literary criticism generally. But, what would happen if there was a guide to walk you through the riches of this particular Lewis material? Professor Donald Williams, a top flight medievalist, is such a trailblazer and guide. Lewis opens more than wardrobe doors, but for most, the door has been locked. Williams has picked the lock and allows readers to see how Lewis­—the great Oxford and Cambridge scholar—made his faith the means to an integrated scholarship. It is a model for all who want to see an embodiment of what it is to actually think Christianly about any given topic. I highly recommend this book!”—Jerry Root, C. S. Lewis Scholar and Professor, Wheaton College 

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“Williams has done the impossible: he has written a highly readable overview of C. S. Lewis’s theology. He draws from the deep well of a lifetime spent studying literature and theology and Lewis. My understanding has been greatly enriched; yours will be, too. This book is a marvel. I am happy to recommend it.” —Diana Pavlac Glyer, Professor and author of Bandersnatch: C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and the Creative Collaboration of the Inklings

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“In Deeper Magic: The Theology Behind the Writings of C.S. Lewis, Donald Williams writes with a clarity, freshness, fairness, and welcome worthy of his subject. Readers will find both breadth and depth in this very comprehensive and insightful analysis. One of the best-written books on Lewis’s theology.”—Devin Brown, Professor and author of A Life Observed: A Spiritual Biography of C. S. Lewi

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“This is the best book in print on the greatest Christian writer of our times by a noted C. S. Lewis scholar.  It is a treasure trove of systematized information—a must for every C. S. Lewis fan, and all the rest of us who should be.”—Norman Geisler, Ph.D., Author and founder of Southern Evangelical Seminary

Teaching Beauty: A Vision for Music & Art in Christian Education

Glowing praise for our new book on Art, Music, Faith, and Education:
 

The team of artists and thinkers assembled in Teaching Beauty have blessed art educators within the Body of Christ with an essential and timely discourse regarding the place of beauty, divine inspiration, and the role of the hand of the artist. As da Vinci once declared, “Unless the Spirit works with the hand, there is no art." —Tim High, Associate Professor of Studio Art, University of Texas at Austin

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Teaching Beauty is certain to open important conversations about teaching art and music within the Christian community and beyond. I believe this book will be a valuable asset especially to all of us now involved—or yet to be involved—in arts education from a Christian perspective. —Peter Mollenkof, Professor of Art at Messiah College

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Christian education has grown in leaps and bounds since I cut my teeth in the early 90’s. We have observed areas of weakness and made vast improvements. But by and large, the one area that seems to have been the red-haired step-child is the teaching of the arts. It is high time we realize that teaching beauty should have been central to it all. This volume is a glorious leap in that direction. —Bruce Etter, Head of School, Wilson Hill Academy

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At the heart and in the soul of Christianity and classical education rests the soul-nourishing energy of Beauty: building bridges between souls, between communities, between spirit and body, heaven and earth, God and man; and drawing us to our eternal home. 
     Beauty, however, eludes us (and can mislead us) and its hard to understand how to teach it. The essays presented to us by this extraordinary fellowship of authorities and artists and doers gives us eyes to see, ideas to understand, and practices to imitate. I receive it as a gift of grace—even of “grace notes.” —Andrew Kern, President of CiRCE Institute

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 I cannot say how glad I am that [these] reflections are now available for all of us, maybe especially those of us not connected to the classical schooling movement, who might otherwise not get to read this kind of stuff very often. As I regularly say, agree or not with every sentence, I heartily commend this book.
. . . But, again, I hope I am clear in saying this is not just a book for those working in classical Christian schools, or even for those who are working in Christian schools. In fact, it’s not even just for those who are in schools.  Parents, choir-directors, church school teachers, Christian ed professionals all will all be informed and aided in their efforts to think well about shaping the lives of those God has given them to influence.  Anybody who wants to learn more—maybe not having been schooled in aesthetics all . . . will benefit from listening in to these thinkers and educators about how to teach music and art within a context of learning to love goodness, truth, and beauty. —Byron Borger, Hearts & Minds Bookstore

CLICK HERE for Hearts & Minds Bookstore's lengthy (and quite insightful) review of this book.

Revealed: Book Release Party and Art Exhibit Opening

On First Friday, June 3, 2016 from 6-9pm the Square Halo Gallery will be opening a new exhibit that will run through the summer entitled “Revealed: The Story of the Bible in Contemporary Prints.” This show is a collection of new works from the pages of Revealed: A Storybook Bible for Grown-Ups. In conjunction with the opening of the exhibit, the gallery will host a book release party for Revealed. A short talk will be given at 7pm by the author. Light refreshments will be provided, and copies of the book will be available for purchase. Click Here to learn more about this event.

Revealed: A Storybook Bible for Grown-Ups

When folks hear the words “The Bible,” images of Westboro Baptists or Precious Moments’ kitschy angels with freakishly large heads may pop to mind. But the Bible is very differently than either of those extremes. Revealed: A Storybook Bible for Grown-Ups is a new book from Square Halo Books that shows the Bible as it really is—in all its raw, violent, and sexy glory. There are over 130 images by a wide range of artists—living and dead, Christian and non-Christian. Artists in this book include Hans Burgkmair, Margaret Bustard, Ned Bustard, Tanja Butler, Matthew L. Clark, Lovis Corinth, Erin Cross, Albrecht Dürer, Jean Duvet, Wayne Lacson Forte, Richard Gaston, Eric Gill, Steve Halla, Craig Hawkins, David Busch Johnson, Diego Jourdan Pereira, Edward Knippers, Chris Koelle, Kevin Lindholm, Franz Marc, Chris Stoffel Overvoorde, Steve Prince, Mark T. Smith, Justin Sorensen, Ryan Stander, Rembrandt van Rijn, Henri Van Straten, and Kreg Yingst. Fifty-eight of the images were made specifically for this book. Each spread in the book is a different account from the Bible. On the left is the scripture passage and a brief commentary on the art and the passage. On the right is the artwork. The commentaries help the reader to look deeper into the passage and help them to understand and apprecaite the art more. They also quote from many writers including N.T. Wright, Tim Keller, C.S. Lewis, Luci Shaw, A.D. Bauer, Denis Haack, D.A. Carson, Eric Jacobsen, Billy Graham, John Piper, Bono, and C.H. Spurgeon to name a few.

J. Mark Bertrand (novelist, speaker, and founder of the Bible Design Blog) says: “Revealed sets out to crush any notion that the Bible is a safe, inspirational read. Instead the artwork here, historic and contemporary, takes a warts-and-all approach to even the most troubling passages, trading well-meaning elision for unvarnished truth. If you gaze deeper, Revealed springs another surprise, too: it debunks the equally prevalent misconception that a sacred anthology ages in the making can offer no single, unifying message. To see that message, however, might just require a second look at verses that make the pious avert their eyes.” 

The official book release party for Revealed is scheduled for June 3, 2016 in the Square Halo Gallery. More details can be found HERE.

An interview with The Gospel Coalition about the book can be found HERE.

An article from The Washington Times about several of the contributors to Revealed can be found HERE.

Heart & Minds Bookstore awarded Revealed the BEST ART BOOK OF 2015 and also wrote a nice review HERE.

A PechaKucha presentation about Revealed can be watched HERE.

An article about Revealed on ArtWay can be found HERE.

And Revealed can be found on First Things' 2015 Christmas Guide to Buying a Bible.

Bigger on the Inside: Christianity and Doctor Who

On Thursday, March 26 at The Trust Performing Arts Center The Row House hosted a book release party for Bigger on the Inside. The lecture from the book release can be heard HERE. A write-up about the book release can be read HERE. And another one is HERE. To read more rumination on ideas in and around the intersection of Christianity and Doctor Who, click HERE. An article by Gregory Thornbury on Doctor Who in The Washington Post can be read HERE.

It Was Good: Music — Book Release Parties

It Was Good: Making Music to the Glory of God is such an important book to us that it required TWO release parties! The North event was October 4 in Lancaster, PA. It included a workshop at Lancaster Bible College then a concert at The Trust Performing Arts Center. The contributors included: Diana Bauer, Rob Bigley, Bethany Brooks, Paul Buckley, Ned Bustard, Mark Chambers, Julius Fischer, Joy Ike, Steve Nichols, Doug Plank, and Gregg Strawbridge. (CLICK HERE or Joy Ike's impression of the Lancaster Book Release Event.). The South event was October 18 in Nashville, TN. It included a round table forum at Belmont (CLICK HERE for a write up about the Belmont discussion) then a concert at the Massey Performing Arts Center. The contributors included: Diana Bauer, Katy Bowser, Bethany Brooks, Paul Buckley, Ned Bustard, Ruth Naomi Floyd, Steve Guthrie, Joy Ike, Sarah Masen, Sandra McCracken, and Brad O’Donnell.

C.S. Lewis and the Arts: Creativity in the Shadowlands

On C.S. Lewis’ birthday we released the newest book from Square Halo Books: C.S. Lewis and the Arts: Creativity in the Shadowlands. The book is a collection of essays edited by Rod Miller and featuring David C. Downing, Bruce Herman, Scott B. Key, Don W. King, Jerry Root, David Rozema, Peter J. Schakel, Charlie W. Starr, and Will Vaus, with a foreword by Theodore Prescott.

Lewis holds a notable place in the church and in the world for both his creative literary contributions as well as his informed reflections upon artistic activity. He negotiated the intellectual and aesthetic issues of his day in his creative endeavors and sought to ground those in relation to his faith. The arguments, perceptions and values Lewis posited benefit those today who seek to use their creative gifts beyond mere fad but towards the holy.

“Helpful and worthwhile. Anyone seeking to understand Lewis’s approach to the arts will profit from this array of interesting perspectives.” —Dr. Michael Ward, co-editor of The Cambridge Companion to C.S. Lewis

“Even fifty years after his death, C.S. Lewis remains one the most popular and influential Christian writers and thinkers of the twentieth century. So much has been written about him, one wonders what else can possibly be said. But this book is a fascinating exploration of Lewis’s thinking about the arts, making it a must read book for anyone who loves Lewis and loves the arts.”—Mary McCleary, artist

“We need more books like this: books that not only celebrate and decipher Lewis’s defense of the arts and of the ineradicable links between the Good, the True, and the Beautiful, but that wrestle alongside Lewis, extending and nuancing his arguments so that they will speak with direct and prophetic power to our modern and postmodern colleges and universities.” —Dr. Louis Markos, author of Restoring Beauty: The Good, the True, and the Beautiful in the Writings of C.S. Lewis