As we suffer to different degrees during the pandemic, Lois Lowry’s The Giver recalls a familiar quandary. The story is set in a dystopian society where disease, suffering, and death have been eliminated and the problem of pain has been solved. How? By the elimination of free choice. For the […]
Christian apologetics
How a Pandemic Points to God
As drought recalls the goodness of rain, so a pandemic draws our attention to the goodness of our heavenly Father. Amidst confusion and uncertainty, the pandemic brings the stark contrast of good and evil before us with renewed intensity (John 1:5). In instances of suffering, scarcity, and solitude, signs of […]
VR for Bereaved Parents
I began to cry before the film started. The documentary detailed the making of a virtual reality experience in which a bereaved mother encounters a simulation of her deceased daughter. The mother, Jang, plays herself in the scenario, while a production team created a lifelike 3-dimensional image of her 7 […]
Yale’s Envy of Excellence
Yale recently announced the cancellation of HSAR 115, “Introduction to the History of Art: Renaissance to the Present.” This decision cuts off university students from an in-depth study of one of the greatest periods of artistic achievement in human history. The reason given by the Art History department chair was “…student […]
“The Whole Idea of Art”
Controversial Art Exhibit at Grantleigh School Recently, an art exhibit caused considerable debate at a Christian school in South Africa. Thanks to Lisa Q. at Think Divinely, for pointing me to the story. Why the controversy? The exhibit featured several copies of classical compositions of Christian art where God the […]
Art in the Heavens
Looking up in wonder Admiring the vastness Transfixed by the beauty Sparkling lights above our heads There’s no debate about the beauty of the stars. Both atheists and Christians alike look up at them in awe […]
Unicorns of the Sea
Art Inspired by Genetic Variability The diversity is incomprehensible! When we look at the natural world–air, land, and sea–there appears to be limitless variations of shape, form, color, and texture. As an artist and a Christian, I believe the vast array of creativity in the natural world is best explained […]
Making Sense of Happy Endings
A Tribute to James and the Giant Peach I can still picture Mrs. Leach standing at the front of the classroom reading James and the Giant Peach to my 4th grade class. The adventure of an orphaned boy and his bug friends aboard the miraculous peach was the most thrilling […]
Allegory in Art
Helping Children Bridge the Fact/Value Split This painting is part of the beautiful collection of Dutch golden-age paintings at the Speed Art Museum in Louisville, Kentucky. Not only is it lovely, it’s allegorical. Allegorical paintings are my favorite pieces in any museum. They do something daring! They bridge the chasm […]