Beholding Beauty: Worshiping God through the Arts casts a vision for how the church can integrate a theology of beauty and aesthetics into its worship practices. Unlike other books that only explore beauty and aesthetic in the abstract, Beholding Beauty is a practical theology that inspires Christians to intentionally incorporate the arts into their everyday lives and their church''s weekly worship services. It is specifically designed for pastors and worship leaders who wish to craft theologically coherent, aesthetically invigorating, and artistically stimulating worship services and for all Christians who desire to contemplate the nature of beauty and art from a biblical, theological, and liturgical perspective.Whether you are an accomplished artist or a novice to the art world, this book will deepen your understanding of God as the original artist who uniquely calls human beings to cocreate with him. It will challenge your presuppositions and convictions about the place of beauty and art in the Christian life and the life of the church. It encourages Christian artists to be even more creative and prolific, and it compels non-artists to consider the artistic gifts and talents God has given them.

Return to the Parish: The Pastor in the Public Square is a pastoral theology that challenges pastors to view their local community (rather than their congregation) as their primary sphere of ministry. Too many churches have become insular by hoarding their resources (including their pastors) and trying to sustain their own survival instead of seeking the peace and prosperity of their town or city. By breathing new life into an old idea of "parish," this book casts a vision for pastors (and churches) to actively engage their community with the gospel rather than simply perpetuate more programs inside the church. It offers a new paradigm for pastoral ministry, where pastors model and mobilize their churches to make disciples of Jesus Christ in the public square through community involvement and cultural engagement. The book chronicles seven young pastors (from diverse ministry contexts) as they seek to become "new parish pastors" who lead their congregations into engaging various sectors of the public square: business and workplace, science and technology, healthcare, politics, education, the arts, and multiethnic settings.

Beholding Beauty: Worshiping God through the Arts casts a vision for how the church can integrate a theology of beauty and aesthetics into its worship practices. Unlike other books that only explore beauty and aesthetic in the abstract, Beholding Beauty is a practical theology that inspires Christians to intentionally incorporate the arts into their everyday lives and their church''s weekly worship services. It is specifically designed for pastors and worship leaders who wish to craft theologically coherent, aesthetically invigorating, and artistically stimulating worship services and for all Christians who desire to contemplate the nature of beauty and art from a biblical, theological, and liturgical perspective.Whether you are an accomplished artist or a novice to the art world, this book will deepen your understanding of God as the original artist who uniquely calls human beings to cocreate with him. It will challenge your presuppositions and convictions about the place of beauty and art in the Christian life and the life of the church. It encourages Christian artists to be even more creative and prolific, and it compels non-artists to consider the artistic gifts and talents God has given them.

Return to the Parish: The Pastor in the Public Square is a pastoral theology that challenges pastors to view their local community (rather than their congregation) as their primary sphere of ministry. Too many churches have become insular by hoarding their resources (including their pastors) and trying to sustain their own survival instead of seeking the peace and prosperity of their town or city. By breathing new life into an old idea of "parish," this book casts a vision for pastors (and churches) to actively engage their community with the gospel rather than simply perpetuate more programs inside the church. It offers a new paradigm for pastoral ministry, where pastors model and mobilize their churches to make disciples of Jesus Christ in the public square through community involvement and cultural engagement. The book chronicles seven young pastors (from diverse ministry contexts) as they seek to become "new parish pastors" who lead their congregations into engaging various sectors of the public square: business and workplace, science and technology, healthcare, politics, education, the arts, and multiethnic settings.