The Christian Vision of God (Truth and the Christian Imagination)
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Overview
Gloriously illuminated by a series of fine art paintings, The Christian Vision of God is an ideal introduction to what Christians believe about the Trinity. Alister McGrath seeks to engage both the mind and the imagination as he focuses on the astounding, life-transforming truth that God wants to be known by us. Astute and informed, McGrath also models an earnest religious quest for the divine meaning and human import of Christian convictions as reflected in their development and in the artistic and literary treasures of the broader culture. Poetry, prayer, and theological reflection are interwoven with commentary on the ideas conveyed through works such as Daniel Bonnell’s Pearl of Great Price, Klimt’s The Kiss, Rembrandt’s The Storm on the Sea of Galilee, Morazzone’s Pentecost, William Blake’s Moses and the Burning Bush, Botticelli’s Holy Trinity, and Rublev’s Icon with the Trinity.
- Discusses faith, and how it revolves around active trust and commitment
- Reflects on the mystery of God, and the doctrine of the Trinity
- Provides inspirational works of art to enhance the discussion
- Introduction
- God as the Heart’s Desire
- Enfolded in the Love of a Personal God
- The Lingering Presence of Evil
- The Holy Spirit
- The Mystery of God
- Approaching the Trinity
- The Trinity and the Christian Life
- For Further Reading
- Illustrations
Top Highlights
“You have made us for yourself, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in you.” (Page 2)
“W. H. Griffith-Thomas (1861–1924) tried to express this aspect of faith when he spoke of it as beginning with ‘the conviction of the mind based on adequate evidence’, continuing ‘in the confidence of the heart or emotions based on conviction’, and being ‘crowned in the consent of the will, by means of which the conviction and confidence are expressed in conduct.’” (Page vi)
“Yet at another, it points to one of the most distinctive themes of the Christian understanding of God—the incarnation. God chose to be—and is—present in the midst of the turbulence, tension and tragedy of creation.” (Page 27)
“Faith goes far beyond assenting to ideas; it has to do with active trust and commitment. To believe in God, in the deeply Christian sense of that word, is to accept and embrace God, in the full knowledge that this act of trust and commitment leads to personal and social transformation.” (Page vi)
“that God is the true goal of the human heart and mind.” (Page 2)
- Title: The Christian Vision of God
- Author: Alister McGrath
- Publisher: SPCK
- Series: Truth and the Christian Imagination
- Publication Date: 2009
- Pages: 96
Alister McGrath
(DPhil, DD, Oxford University) is the Andreas Idreos Professor of Science and Religion at Oxford University. He previously held the chair of theology, ministry and education and was head of the Centre for Theology, Religion Culture at King's College, London. He is in constant demand as a speaker at conferences throughout the world and is the author of many books including The Dawkins Delusion? and Christianity's Dangerous Idea.
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Reviews
1 rating
Glenn Crouch
1/20/2015
This is a good, easy-to-read introduction to the Christian Concept of the Trinity. It is done in a devotional / meditative type approach with 7 Chapters that could easily be used as a basis for daily devotions over a week. The Author uses Art, Poetry, History and Rhetoric to help the reader not just better understand the Trinity, but to better worship God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. I must admit that I am quite unlearned when it comes to the Visual Arts, so I learnt a fair bit from McGrath's explanation of each Painting and why it was chosen.
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