<div>From a world-renowned painter, an exploration of creativity's quintessential--and often overlooked--role in the spiritual life "Makoto Fujimura's art and writings have been a true inspiration to me. In this luminous book, he addresses the question of art and faith and their reconciliation with a quiet and moving eloquence."--Martin Scorsese &nbsp; "[An] elegant treatise . . . Fujimura's sensitive, evocative theology will appeal to believers interested in the role religion can play in the creation of art."--Publishers Weekly Conceived over thirty years of painting and creating in his studio, this book is Makoto Fujimura's broad and deep exploration of creativity and the spiritual aspects of "making." What he does in the studio is theological work as much as it is aesthetic work. In between pouring precious, pulverized minerals onto handmade paper to create the prismatic, refractive surfaces of his art, he comes into the quiet space in the studio, in a discipline of awareness, waiting, prayer, and praise. &nbsp; Ranging from the Bible to T. S. Eliot, and from Mark Rothko to Japanese Kintsugi technique, he shows how unless we are making something, we cannot know the depth of God's being and God's grace permeating our lives. This poignant and beautiful book offers the perspective of, in Christian Wiman's words, "an accidental theologian," one who comes to spiritual questions always through the prism of art.</div>

Art and Faith: A Theology of Making

Arts & Photography

Fujimura, Makoto

History & Criticism

Yale University Press

<ul>
<li>2017 Logos Bookstore Association Award for Christianity/Culture</li>
<li>2017 Dallas Willard Center Book Award Finalist</li>
<li>Foreword INDIES 2016 Book of the Year Awards Finalist</li>
<li>World Magazine's Best Books of 2016 Short List</li>
<li>2016 Aldersgate Prize by the John Wesley Honors College at Indiana Wesleyan University</li>
<li>Evangelical Christian Publishers Association Top Shelf Book Cover Award</li>
<li>14th Annual Outreach Magazine Resource of the Year, Counseling and Relationships</li>
<li>Missio Alliance Essential Reading List of 2016</li>
</ul> Shusaku Endo's novel Silence, first published in 1966, endures as one of the greatest works of twentieth-century Japanese literature. Its narrative of the persecution of Christians in seventeenth-century Japan raises uncomfortable questions about God and the ambiguity of faith in the midst of suffering and hostility. Endo's Silence took internationally renowned visual artist Makoto Fujimura on a pilgrimage of grappling with the nature of art, the significance of pain and his own cultural heritage. His artistic faith journey overlaps with Endo's as he uncovers deep layers of meaning in Japanese history and literature, expressed in art both past and present. He finds connections to how faith is lived in contemporary contexts of trauma and glimpses of how the gospel is conveyed in Christ-hidden cultures. In this world of pain and suffering, God often seems silent. Fujimura's reflections show that light is yet present in darkness, and that silence speaks with hidden beauty and truth.

Silence and Beauty: Hidden Faith Born of Suffering

YANCEY, Philip

Religious

Review\n"Only Mako Fujimura could have written this book. It sheds light on a wealth of topics―a classic novel, Japanese culture, Martin Scorsese's filmmaking, the fine arts, theology, the enigmas of East and West―and leaves the reader with a startlingly new encounter with Christ." -- Philip Yancey\n"Fujimura . . . unearths universal implications about faith, suffering, and art in this focused literary study of one novel, Shusaku Endo's Silence. . . . Fujimura analyzes Japan?s fumi-e culture, calling it 'a culture of lament,' and asserts that 'faith can include our failures, even multiple failures.' Stories of historical figures on which Endo based Silence, scriptural analysis, and a wide range of literary and artistic references from both Japanese and Western culture (including Martin Scorsese?s 2016 film adaptation of Silence) add rich, refracted layers to this carefully crafted, masterful book." -- Publishers Weekly STARRED REVIEW, March 11, 2016\n"Makoto Fujimura is a remarkable artist and writer, and his engagement with the writings of the great Shusaku Endo―and Silence in particular―is deep and impassioned, as you will discover on every page of this book. By way of response to a great artist, Fujimura has created a quietly eloquent meditation on art and faith, and where they converge." -- Martin Scorsese, director of Gangs of New York, The Wolf of Wall Street, and Silence\n"My friend Mako Fujimura is one of the most thoughtful, sensitive and eloquent artists of this generation. Like his otherworldly and luminous paintings, his book Silence and Beauty is at once glorious and profound, an exquisite exploration of truth and beauty, silence and suffering. Give yourself and others the immeasurable gift of this gentle, inspiring treasure." -- Eric Metaxas, New York Times bestselling author of Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy\n"Makoto Fujimura's Silence and Beauty (IVP, 2016) artfully probes Shusaku Endo's famous novel Silence, and in doing so shows how God's truth bores through silence and darkness." -- Marvin Olasky, WORLD, April 16, 2016\n"Fujimura's book is a brilliant blend of investigation and reflection. The reader learns about the compelling history of Christianity in Japan and its strangely enduring influence there, while at the same time being led into a profound meditation on the relation of Christian faith to contemporary culture. A truly impressive achievement." -- Gordon Graham, Henry Luce III Professor of Philosophy and the Arts, Princeton Theological Seminary, author of The Re-enchantment of the World\n"How can we live in a world where we encounter suffering every day? Where is the voice of God when we doubt his goodness? It takes a very specific perspective to write beautiful prose about these questions, but in this book, Mako does just that―exploring the themes raised by Endo's novel and their continuing resonance across our difficult, anxious times. Silence and Beauty is a gift for us as we try to be the fragrance of Christ in a suffering world." -- Alissa Wilkinson, chief film critic, Christianity Today, assistant professor of English and humanities, The King's College\n"Fujimura's Silence and Beauty is a truly remarkable spiritual, theological and intellectual autobiography for our time. It will be of interest to a broad readership, not least of all those who still hear the disorienting and potentially transformational call to intercultural mission in the way of Jesus. Fujimura's musings on the Christ-hidden culture of Japan, his own story and contemporary culture are revelatory, and his layering of the Ground Zero theme functions like a Rembrandt primer out of which a sublime beauty and grace emerges." -- Thomas John Hastings, research fellow, Kagawa Archives and Resource Center, former professor of practical theology, Tokyo Union Theological Seminary\n"When I read Shusaku Endo's Silence for the first time, I vowed that I would refuse to ever read anything written about it. I wanted to preserve the

Culture Care: Reconnecting with Beauty for Our Common Life

<ul><li>15th Annual Outreach Magazine Resource of the Year - Culture</li></ul>
<ul><li>Christianity Today's 2018 Book of the Year Award of Merit - Culture and the Arts</li></ul>
"Culture is not a territory to be won or lost but a resource we are called to steward with care. Culture is a garden to be cultivated." Many bemoan the decay of culture. But we all have a responsibility to care for culture, to nurture it in ways that help people thrive. In Culture Care artist Makoto Fujimura issues a call to cultural stewardship, in which we become generative and feed our culture's soul with beauty, creativity, and generosity. We serve others as cultural custodians of the future. This is a book for artists, but artists come in many forms. Anyone with a calling to create―from visual artists, musicians, writers, and actors to entrepreneurs, pastors, and business professionals―will resonate with its message. This book is for anyone with a desire or an artistic gift to reach across boundaries with understanding, reconciliation, and healing. It is a book for anyone with a passion for the arts, for supporters of the arts, and for "creative catalysts" who understand how much the culture we all share affects human thriving today and shapes the generations to come. Culture Care includes a study guide for individual reflection or group discussion.

Labberton, Mark

Frederick Buechner is one of the most gifted writers of his generation, and his legacy casts a long shadow over Christian letters today. As a memoirist, he opened up an entirely new way to think about the genre. As a novelist, he was a finalist for the Pulitzer. And as a theologian and preacher, he pioneered the art of making theology accessible for a popular audience. Yet for all Buechner's enormous influence, many readers today are unfamiliar with his work, or have read him only in one genre. In this book, Buechner expert Jeffrey Munroe presents a collection of the true "essentials" from across Buechner's diverse catalog, as well as an overview of Buechner's life and a discussion of the state of his literary legacy today. Here is Buechner in all his complex glory, ready to delight and inspire again.

Reading Buechner: Exploring the Work of a Master Memoirist, Novelist, Theologian, and Preacher

Munroe, Jeffrey

Religion & Spirituality

Review\n"Every song I've heard Michael sing makes me think about Jesus. Every moment I've spent with Michael makes me think about Jesus. Who better, then, to make us all think more highly of Christ than Michael Card. May God use this book to do exactly that in your life." -- Max Lucado, author of Traveling Light\n"This book reached my heart as few others. Every artist (which means every Christian) needs to meditate on Michael Card's message, not just read, but ponder, reflect, pray. The result will be a thrilling release of the Spirit from depths you hadn't before realized were there. At least, that's what happened in me." -- Larry Crabb, author of Inside Out\n"Countless books circulate on what it means to be 'creative,' on what 'art' is; relatively few are written from a distinctively Christian perspective. There cannot be many more qualified than Michael Card to fill this glaring gap. Here we learn, powerfully, that creativity, rightly conceived, is a response to God: it is worship. To his own evocative reflections Michael Card appends the musing of several other Christian artists and critics. This is a book to be cherished and savored." -- D. A. Carson, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School\n"When Michael Card speaks on Christian creativity, the world listens. I think they listen first because he is a Christian whose faith is his reason to be. I think they listen next because he is creative. In every sentence he writes, his appetite for beauty devours his soul and leaves the rest of us hungry to acquire his taste. I think I personally admire him because he lives in that Promethean torture chamber where mediocrity is offensive and excellence exceeds the grasp. Yet it is his reaching toward aesthetic wonders that refreshes us with a widening vision of Christ. Then having caught the greater view of things, he generously passes the vision forward to us all." -- Calvin Miller, author of The Singer Trilogy\n" [Michael's] words are deeply woven into the fabric of creativity and into the struggle of asking God to create that community around him. While deeply rooted in ancient faith, his wisdom speaks to today's problems and the challenges we face in the church." -- Makoto Fujimura, from the foreword\n"Stunning. . . . Like Card's other books, this is profoundly biblical, teasing out fresh interpretations of Scripture through deep interaction with the text." -- Publishers Weekly, starred review (June 11, 2002)\n"A philosophical yet practical treatise on Christian creativity . . . Scribbling in the Sand does a masterful job of exposing an artist-centered approach to the arts as being far inferior to a God-centered approach to the arts―the former having only limited potential, the latter being limitless." -- Moody\n"Scribbling in the Sand doesn't offer three easy steps or five quick methods to becoming a successful Christian artist. Rather, it takes readers on a journey into the heart of creativity and challenges them to become more like their Creator." -- CBA Marketplace\n"Art matters. Card takes it one step further, clarifying that art matters―and even draws us nearer―to God." -- PRISM\n"By portraying and celebrating the creativity of Jesus, singer, songwriter and author Michael Card succeeds at inspiring others to use their artistic talents to serve and worship Christ." -- CCM Magazine\nPublisher's Weekly Best Adult Religion Book of the Year 
"It was art and it was theater at the same time, but it was more. It was what he did not say that spoke most powerfully to the mob that morning. It was a cup of cold water for a thirsty adulteress and an ice-cold drenching in the face to a group of angry Pharisees. 
"To this day we have not the slightest idea what it was Jesus twice scribbled in the sand. By and large the commentaries have asked the wrong question through the ages. They labor over the content, over what he might have written. They ask what without ever realizing that the real question is why. It was not the c

Scribbling in the Sand: Christ and Creativity (The IVP Signature Collection)

Self-Help

Card, Michael

Creativity

"Culture is not a territory to be won or lost but a resource we are called to steward with care. Culture is a garden to be cultivated."Many bemoan the decay of culture. But we all have a responsibility to care for culture, to nurture it in ways that help people thrive. In Culture Care artist Makoto Fujimura issues a call to cultural stewardship, in which we become generative and feed our culture's soul with beauty, creativity, and generosity. We serve others as cultural custodians of the future.This is a book for artists, but artists come in many forms. Anyone with a calling to create--from visual artists, musicians, writers, and actors to entrepreneurs, pastors, and business professionals--will resonate with its message. This book is for anyone with a desire or an artistic gift to reach across boundaries with understanding, reconciliation, and healing. It is a book for anyone with a passion for the arts, for supporters of the arts, and for "creative catalysts" who understand how much the culture we all share affects human thriving today and shapes the generations to come.Culture Care includes a study guide for individual reflection or group discussion.

Politics & Social Sciences

Anthropology

IVP Books

We are people of desire.In The Soul of Desire, psychiatrist Curt Thompson suggests that underneath all our longings is the desire to be known--and what's more, that this fundamental yearning manifests itself in our deep need to make things of beauty, revealing who we are to others. Desire and beauty go hand in hand.But both our craving to be known and our ability to create beauty have been marred by trauma and shame, collapsing our imagination for what God has for us and blinding us to the possibility that beauty could ever emerge from our ashes. Drawing on his work in interpersonal neurobiology and clinical practice, Thompson presents a powerful picture of the capacity of the believing community to reshape our imaginations, hold our desires and griefs together, and invite us into the beauty of God's presence.The Soul of Desire is a mature, creative work, weaving together neuroscience and spiritual formation to open up new horizons for thinking not only about the nature of the mind, but about what it means to be human.

The Soul of Desire: Discovering the Neuroscience of Longing, Beauty, and Community

Thompson, Curt

In This World of Pain and Suffering, God Often Seems Silent. But Light is yet Present in Darkness, and Silence Speaks with Hidden Beauty and Truth. Shusaku Endo’s novel Silence, first published in 1966, endures as one of the greatest works of twentieth-century Japanese literature. Its narrative of the persecution of Christians in seventeenth-century Japan raises uncomfortable questions about God and the ambiguity of faith in the midst of suffering and hostility. Endo’s Silence took visual artist Makoto Fujimura on a pilgrimage of grappling with the nature of art, the significance of pain, and his own cultural heritage. His artistic faith journey overlaps with Endo’s as he uncovers deep layers of meaning in Japanese history and literature, expressed in art both past and present. He finds connections to how faith is lived amid trauma and glimpses of how the gospel is conveyed in Christ-hidden cultures.

Christian Books & Bibles

Oasis Audio

In This World of Pain and Suffering, God Often Seems Silent. But Light is yet Present in Darkness, and Silence Speaks with Hidden Beauty and Truth. Shusaku Endo’s novel Silence, first published in 1966, endures as one of the greatest works of twentieth-century Japanese literature. Its narrative of the persecution of Christians in seventeenth-century Japan raises uncomfortable questions about God and the ambiguity of faith in the midst of suffering and hostility. Endo’s Silence took visual artist Makoto Fujimura on a pilgrimage of grappling with the nature of art, the significance of pain, and his own cultural heritage. His artistic faith journey overlaps with Endo’s as he uncovers deep layers of meaning in Japanese history and literature, expressed in art both past and present. He finds connections to how faith is lived amid trauma and glimpses of how the gospel is conveyed in Christ-hidden cultures.

Silence and Beauty (Library Edition): Hidden Faith Born of Suffering

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Fujimura, Makoto. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Fujimura, Makoto

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Fujimura, Makoto. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Art and Faith: A Theology of Making

Silence and Beauty: Hidden Faith Born of Suffering

Silence and Beauty: Hidden Faith Born of Suffering

Culture Care: Reconnecting with Beauty for Our Common Life

Reading Buechner: Exploring the Work of a Master Memoirist, Novelist, Theologian, and Preacher

Scribbling in the Sand: Christ and Creativity (The IVP Signature Collection)

Culture Care: Reconnecting with Beauty for Our Common Life

The Soul of Desire: Discovering the Neuroscience of Longing, Beauty, and Community

Silence and Beauty: Hidden Faith Born of Suffering

Silence and Beauty (Library Edition): Hidden Faith Born of Suffering