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Category Archives: Non-Western Art
The Jesus Sutras (Part 3): The Stone Sutra
(For an introduction to this series, read Part 1.) The Religion of Light teachings are like the resplendent sun: they have the power to dissolve the dark realm and destroy evil forever. (Stone Sutra 2:22) I’ve been going back and … Continue reading
Amputated Christ
We, the church, have amputated the limbs of Christ. By failing to be them. When Jesus ascended to heaven, he left his Spirit with us, to indwell us, to empower us to be Christ to others, but we so often … Continue reading
Posted in Non-Western Art
Tagged christ has no body, david alfaro siqueiros christ, teresa of avila
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Gospel Illumination for the 21st Century
You’re probably at least somewhat familiar with the medieval practice of manuscript illumination: the elaborate decoration of a handwritten text with illustrations, borders, and drop caps, all pressed or dusted with gold leaf. The term “illumination” refers to the literal … Continue reading
Posted in Non-Western Art, Theology, Western Art
Tagged bible illumination, Charis-Kairos, Makoto Fujimura, Nihonga, The Four Holy Gospels
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What Makes Jesus Happy?, Part 4: Fellowshipping with Us
“Fellowship” is one of those Christian buzzwords that is tossed around loosely in prayers and sermons and church bulletins and such. One might speak of a “Fellowship Luncheon,” or thank God for “this time of fellowship”—the reference is to spending … Continue reading
Posted in Non-Western Art, Theology
Tagged alphonso doss, fellowship with christ, first supper, koinonia
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What Makes Jesus Happy?, Part 3: Unity
This papercut by Chinese artist Fan Pu makes me smile: Jesus strolling along cheerfully, wrapped in a cloak made up of Christian faithfuls of all colors. The artist said that when she created it, she had in mind the joyful … Continue reading
Posted in Non-Western Art, Theology
Tagged body of christ, christian denominations, christian unity, e pluribus unum, fan pu artist
6 Comments
What Makes Jesus Happy?, Part 2: Giving and Sustaining Life
Drought Breaker was painted by Geoffrey Todd, a farmer’s son from the Australian Outback. Growing up, he said, he and his family had to rely on God to send rain for the crops and thereby preserve their livelihood. Although they … Continue reading
What Makes Jesus Happy?, Part 1: Revealing Himself to Us
A few weeks ago, I stumbled across an art exhibition called “Jesus Laughing.” It’s made up of 60 paintings, drawings, and papercuts from sixteen different countries. The purpose of the project, according to one of its organizers, Sir Maxwell Macleod, … Continue reading
The Henna Gospel
Christian blogger hmsarthistorian wrote a great post recently featuring the art of Kimberly Stephens. The post includes a transcript of his missiologically focused interview with her. Read it here. Last October, Stephens exhibited a series of 18 paintings at the … Continue reading
Posted in Non-Western Art
Tagged a true story, bleeding woman, henna art, henna gospel art, kimberly stephens, mehndi, woman at the well
1 Comment
Gethsemane, Part 8: Indigenous Interpretations
This is my last post on Gethsemane, and I’d like to devote it to the presentation of some indigenous interpretations of the event. In the Christian art of other countries, Gethsemane is treated far less frequently than other events in … Continue reading
Posted in Non-Western Art
Tagged Christ in Gethsemane, He Qi, indigenous Jesus, Luke Ch'en, Sadao Watanabe, Woonbo Kim
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The Jesus Question 