State of the Arts: From Bezalel to Mapplethorpe

We cannot escape the arts. They permeate our lives and our culture—the décor, architecture, music, entertainment, everyday utensils. The imagination of this age, its ideas and concerns, percolate throughout the culture via the arts. These ideas affect us for good or for evil. The choice is not whether to live with art; we must choose whether to live with good art or bad art. Art—like all things human—needs to be redeemed. Christians cannot abandon the arts to the secular world, but can use them to display God’s glory. This book will help us develop an informed artistic taste, open yet critical, discerning yet appreciative of what is truly excellent.