Christian images have a long history within the Western art tradition from the narrative & devotional works of the Medieval & Renaissance periods to the radical new interpretations of the twenty-first century. This fascinating new book explores the changing nature of the representation of key themes & subjects found in Christian art covering the Eucharist the crucifixion the Virgin Mary & the saints. Other sections deal with the changes to Christian art after the sixteenth-century Reformation & with Christian art in the modern world. Within these themes the book explores the work of major artists such as Memling Holbein El Greco & Rossetti & well-known examples including the frescoes of St Francis at Assisi. Didactic & consciously devotional works are discussed alongside the controversial work of contemporary artists such as Andres Serrano & Chris Ofili. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts analysis perspective new ideas & enthusiasm to make interesting & challenging topics highly readable. ...

The key to the book is a set of interviews with people who fall broadly into the Christian Atheist category; some are more agnostic & less sceptical than others but what they have in common is the rejection of traditional belief in God counterbalanced by an admiration for the aesthetic genius of Christianity (leading to a sense of deeper value) the Christian moral compass & in some cases the community aspect of Christian life. As one of his interviewees points out you can?t have Christian atheism without mainstream traditional Christianity so Brian Mountford sets their comments within a broader discussion of the issues: God aesthetics orthodoxy doubt & belief ethics & communal values. His purpose is threefold: to validate & affirm the Christian atheist position within the broad spectrum of Christianity to say to the Church you ignore this phenomenon at your peril to show that the distinction between atheist & religious adherent is rarely black & white & that the ground between the two is a fertile source of meaning & value ...

Geza Vermes the author of The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls" & acknowledged expert on the life & times of Jesus tells the enthralling story of early Christianity & the origins of a religion. The creation of the Christian Church is one of the most important stories in the development of the worlds history but also one of the most enigmatic & little understood shrouded in mystery & misunderstanding. With a forensic brilliant re-examination of all the key surviving texts of early Christianity Geza Vermes illuminates the origins of a faith & traces the evolution of the figure of Jesus from the man he was
- a prophet fully recognisable as the successor to other Jewish holy men of the Old Testament
- to what he came to represent: a mysterious otherworldly being at the heart of a major new religion. As Jesus teachings spread across the eastern Mediterranean hammered into place by Paul John & their successors they were transformed in the space of three centuries into a centralised state-backed creed worlds away from its humble origins. " Christian Beginnings" tells the captivating story of how a man came to be hailed as the Son consubstantial with God & of how a revolutionary anti-conformist Jewish sub-sect became the official state religion of the Roman Empire."

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Geza Vermes translator & editor of The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls" & worldwide expert on the life & times of Jesus tells the enthralling story of early Christianity & the origins of a religion. The creation of the Christian Church is one of the most important stories in the development of the world's history yet one of the least understood. With a forensic brilliant re-examination of all the key surviving texts of early Christianity Geza Vermes illuminates the origins of a faith & traces the evolution of the figure of Jesus from the man he was
- a prophet in the tradition of other Jewish holy men of the Old Testament
- to what he came to represent: a mysterious otherworldly being at the heart of the official state religion of the Roman Empire. " Christian Beginnings" pulls apart myths & misunderstandings to focus on the true figure of Jesus & the birth of one of the world's major religions. Reviews: "A beautiful & magisterial book". (Rowan Williams Archbishop of Canterbury " Guardian"). " An exciting & challenging port of call sweeping aside much of the fuzzy thinking & special pleading that bedevils the study of sacred scripture.. .courteously expressed & witty". (Diarmaid Mac Culloch " The Times"). "A challenging & engaging book that sets out to retrace the route by which a Jewish preacher in 1st-century Israel came to be declared as consubstantial & co-equal with the omnipotent omniscient only God". (Stuart Kelly " Scotsman"). "A major contribution to our understanding of the historical Jesus". (" Financial Times"). "A very accessible & entertaining read". (" Scotland on Sunday" Books of the Year). "A magnum opus of early Christian history & one of the year's most significant titles". (" Bookseller")."

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Alister Mc Grath's Christian Theology: An Introduction is one of the most internationally-acclaimed & popular Christian theology textbooks in use today. This 5 th edition has been completely revised & now features new & extended material numerous additional illustrations & companion resources ensuring it retains its reputation as the ideal introduction to Christian theology. Fully updated 5 th edition of the bestselling textbook incorporating expanded material numerous student features & new illustrations Features new sections on Copernicanism & Darwinism

Includes:: extended discussions of Augustine's doctrine of creation Trinitarian theologies of religion & the relation of Christianity to other faiths May be used as a st&-alone volume or alongside the Christian Theology Reader 4 th edition for a complete overview of the subject Retains the chapter structure of the 4th edition ensuring comparability with earlier editions & courses based on these Accompanied by a revised instructor's websitefeaturing expanded resources including study questions & answers; visit www.wiley.com/go/mcgrath for more details & to register for access

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Is Britain a broken society? Three contributors tackle the question in this easy-to-read manifesto aimed at the Church public sphere & academia. They examine the values & direction of British/ Western society in view of current political economic & civil debates & propose a new Christian agenda for change. ...

Get to know the beliefs & practices inspired by Jesus Christ. Discover what it means to be a Christian & follow the gospel. Curious about Christianity? This friendly guide helps you understand the basic teachings of the Christian faith exploring the common ground that all Christians share the differences among the major branches the key events in Christian history the key theological issues & the many ways Christians live out their faith in today's world. This work features the Dummies Way Explanations in plain English Get in get out" information Icons & other navigational aids such as Tear-out cheat sheet & Top Ten lists along with a dash of humor & fun. You can discover how to: express the core essentials of Christianity; appreciate the life & teachings of Jesus; understand why the Bible is central to the faith; respect the unique roles of the Trinity; & explore controversial issues among the branches." ...

The aim of this book is twofold: One is to counter the huge weight of column inches being spent on the perceived & actual persecution of Islam. The second is to turn up the volume on the side of Christians rather than Atheists (a position which has been underpinned so vociferously by Dawkins et al in recent times). In fact there have been
- & still are
- many terrible stories of murder oppression & persecution of Christians around the world in East Timor Burma Egypt China Iran & many other countries. The reason we don't hear much about them says the author is the fear of giving offence; the fact young Christians don't become radicalised; & persecuted Christians tend not to respond with violence. Yet Christians are persecuted in greater numbers than any other global religious body & this fact is severely under-recognised. It looks likely interfaith relations will be a major challenge of the 21st century & harmony between religions is looking pretty remote. Why are faiths now so associated with violent conflict? Why has the communications revolution had a deeper impact on Islam than on Christianity? Why is there a tendency to associate Christianity with the West & with overt/covert forms of colonialism? Just how insular & prejudiced are we in the West about Christians abroad?

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A supernatural tale about girlfriends boyfriends & a car called Christine. Christine was eating into his mind burrowing into his unconscious. Christine blood-red fat & finned was twenty. Her promise lay all in her past. Greedy & big she was Arnie's obsession a '58 Plymouth Fury. Broken down but not finished. There was still power in her
- a frightening power that leaked like sump oil staining & corrupting. A malign power that corroded the mind & turned ownership into Possession.
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This is a festive title in the Thats Not My..." sticker book series that gives young children the opportunity to complete their own pictures. You can complete a snowman with his hat nose & scarf decorate a Christmas tree with baubles add patterns to a stocking hanging over a fire add antlers ears & a nose to a reindeer & dress Santa ready for his busy night. The large simple stickers are specially designed to be suitable for little hands & fingers & help to develop key motor skills. Children can complete the simple sentence " Thats my
- " at the bottom of the page helping them to learning their first letters."
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