God S Beauty

Why is God's beauty often absent from our theology? Rarely do theologians take up the theme of God's beauty—even more rarely do they consider how God's beauty should shape the task of theology itself. But the psalmist says that the heart of the believer's desire is to behold the beauty of the Lord. In The Beauty of the Lord, Jonathan King restores aesthetics as not merely a valid lens for theological reflection, but an essential one. Jesus, our incarnate Redeemer, displays the Triune God's beauty in his actions and person, from creation to final consummation. How can and should theology better reflect this unveiled beauty? The Beauty of the Lord is a renewal of a truly aesthetic theology and a properly theological aesthetics.

From celebrated Hollywood starlets to the covers of Cosmo, our society seems obsessed with beauty. Actress and Main Floor host Nancy Stafford (best known for her starring role as Michelle Thomas on Matlock) digs below our culture's fixation on outward appearance to show you that true beauty is more than skin-deep. "Every woman has beauty," says Stafford, "but not everyone sees it. I want you to see it." In Beauty by the Book she bares her heart to readers, laying out the Scriptures, promises, and truths women need to know to find their true value. Her liberating reflections will help you see yourself as God sees you -- worthy, lovable, and beautiful.“Mirror, Mirror, on the W all…” What do you see when you look in the mirror? Do you see a unique individual created in the image of Beauty itself—one chosen, Cherished, and valued in the eyes of God? If not, you may be looking in the wrong mirror—one distorted by emotional wounds, lies from your past, or the unrealistic standards of our culture. “Everyone has beauty and worth,” says Nancy Stafford, “but not everyone sees it. I want you to see it.” Nancy shares her own poignant story and holds up the true mirror of God’s Word—inviting you to see yourself as God sees you, to absorb His truth, and to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that the King is enthralled by your beauty!

What if we began our study of Christian ethics not with an examination of our moral duties but with an exploration of the call of beauty? For like justice, beauty generates a call to a larger, more generous self. In Gods Beauty, Patrick McCormick asks:How does the beauty of the righteous community manifest the glory of God?How can we imitate and improve this beauty by reforming our own societies? What fundamental need and right do all of us, especially the poor, have to experience and create beauty in our lives and communities? Why is it also essential to our own humanity that we recognize and treasure the beauty of the stranger, alien, and foe, and resist every effort to render these unrecognized neighbors ugly? McCormick offers a fresh, positive approach to moral arguments calling us to work for social justice. Instead of laying out the evils of failing to work for justice, protect human rights, overcome alienation and hostility, or tend to the earth, Gods Beauty focuses on the calling of divine beauty summoning us to be tenders and creators of beauty.

Jurgen Moltmann and others contend that Christian theology and the church face a dual crisis--one of relevance and the other of identity. Despite making this pronouncement nearly forty years ago, the church in the West continues to struggle with this crisis. Several proposals have been espoused, from the way of wisdom to the way of ecclesial praxis. Yet, little attention is given in Protestant theological discourse to the role God's beauty plays in bringing theology and ethics together. By neglecting God's beauty for theological discourse, we risk diminishing Christian worship, witness, and wisdom. God's Beauty-in-Act addresses these issues, in part, by arguing that the redemptive-creative suffering and glorious resurrection of Christ are the nexus of God's being, beauty, and Christian living. God's beauty, understood as the fittingness of the incarnate Son's actions in the Spirit to the Father's will, radiates God's glory and draws perceivers into the dramatic movements of God's triune life. These movements serve as the patterns that shape the imagination, enabling participants to perform their parts creatively and fittingly in God's drama of redemption. In doing so, human beings flourish as they jettison false identities and realities of their own making that are incommensurate with God's purpose found in Christ by the Spirit.

God’s Beauty Plan By: Keela Vaughn We are told so many things by the world about our outward appearance. Those falsehoods become engraved into our hearts, making us believe those lies. Some of these negative beliefs come from our family, the media, or the covers of magazines at the checkout counter. We can hear within our hearts that: we are too slow, too fast, too old, too young, too fat, too skinny, too stupid, too smart, too ugly. These falsehoods are imprinted within our minds and hearts by Satan! He slowly wiggles these visual thoughts into our hearts! This world has its own outward beauty plan, but we need to reject that plan and realize that God has a heartfelt beauty plan! God’s beauty plan is based on how God sees us. Some of the ways we are defined by God are: chosen-strong-cherished-daughter of the King. This Bible class study will take us on a journey of self-evaluation by using God’s word to see how He sees us. At the end of this 12-week study, Keela’s hope for you is that you will no longer look at the world for your definition, but will turn to the only true definition – God’s Beauty Plan!

God's Beauty Parlor opens the Bible to the contested body of critical commentary on sex and sexuality known as queer theory and to masculinity studies. The author pursues the themes of homoeroticism, masculinity, beauty, and violence through such texts as the Song of Songs, the Gospels, the Letter to the Romans, and the Book of Revelation.

These pictures were taken over a span of several years and many countless hours of trying to get the one shot that would capture the beauty that's all around us. It started when I bought my first digital camera to take on vacation. It quickly turned into seeing so much beauty that I always had my camera handy to get that perfect sunset, amazing cloud formation or wave crashing on the beach. I did this book by the grace of God. He supplied me with the money to make it happen and he had one of my best friends push me to publish my photos. I just didn't think it would happen, but when God wants you to do something, he doesn't let up until you listen. For me, taking pictures of God's creations has helped me feel closer to him and to see how blessed I am to have him in my life. I hope you sit and just really enjoy the book as much as I do and to really just see God's Beauty not only in this book but all around each day that you're going to work, driving the kids to school, or just running errands. You can find peace in what you see. Remember, God loves you, and there is nothing you can't do when you let go and let God! #BeABlessing #SmileAtStrangers #BeTheChange

Editors Mark Husbands, Roger Lundin and Daniel J. Treier present ten essays that explore a Christian approach to beauty and the arts. The visual arts, music and literature are considered as well as the theological meaning and place of the arts in a fallen world redeemed by Christ.