PAINTING, SCULPTURE, MUSIC, LITERATURE.

The arts have flourished in the church. The arts have been banished from the church. Why? What attitude should Christians have toward the arts?

Gene Edward Veith answers these questions, examining what the Bible says about art-its use, its misuse, its value as a gift of God. Focusing on Bezalel, the artist to whom God gave special gifts for constructing the tabernacle, Veith outlines the vocation of the artist. He points out that although art can be twisted into idolatry and even become a religion, the biblical purpose of art is for glory and beauty..

Art has many uses, including evangelism, but freed to be "mere" art, it is a gift to enrich us all. Christian artists will find in this book a liberating spirit that will encourage creativity to the glory of God.

Gene Edward Veith, Jr. (Ph.D., University of Kansas), is the author of Reformation Spirituality (Bucknell University Press) and teaches English at Northeastern Oklahoma A & M College.