No comments about History of the Church in Art (In Art).

No comments about I Will Wake the Dawn: Illuminated Psalms.

3 comments about The Mother's Songs: Images of God the Mother.

1. At fifteen, when I found this book, it changed my life. I did not know then about women's spirituality movements. I have since become aquainted, thrilled, disenchanted, and reaquainted. Through it all this book has been a touchstone. Craighead tells stories and images of God which are too idiosyncratic to have been manufactured to cater to a faddish movement. They are images of a journey, honestley, skillfully, and beautifully wrought, and I would reccomend them to any seeker of God. Craighead wrote that her belief in God the Mother flows like a river beneath her (other? churched) Christianity, nourishing it. This is a powerful image of how one's personal experience of God, and the communal, ritualized expression of that experience need not be reconciled, but can both be cherished. Buy this book. Buy this book for your thirteen year old, who is searching. Buy it at your local independant bookstore. Ciao.



2. This book reproduces 41 paintings in full color, full page with white borders. It also includes a black and white photo of the artist on the back cover. The text is by the artist and provides insight in into the paintings' meanings, both personal and on a universal level. In the form of prose-poems, the ideas expressed are full of touching memories especially those of the artist's grandmother. The paintings are full of female imagery, multi-cultural Goddess symbols, and also Roman Catholic imagery. It is a wonderful book for lovers of the Goddess (or God the Mother) but it is not for the Christian weary. The paper cover is a little flimsy for a book of this size, but the wealth of color reproductions make this book a good value.



3. I found the paintings to be very inspirational. They are very earthy and feminine. I also liked the accompanying poems.

No comments about Splendors of Qur'an Calligraphy and Illumination.

No comments about The Prayer Book of Charles the Bold: A Study of a Flemish Masterpiece from the Burgundian Court (Getty Distribution).

3 comments about Christian Symbols CD-ROM and Book (Dover Electronic Clip Art).

1. Christian Symbols CD-ROM and Book (Dover Electronic Clip Art)
   comes up short, ordinary holiday symbols for children is not included



2. I have not used this set much yet but that is because my current project requires color and this set is all black and white. It is, however, a nice set.
   
   The quality of the images is good. They people who organized them seemed to have some basic knowledge of the traditional iconography. The art comes with a book that has all the images making it easier to find what you are looking for. All in all, it is well planned.
   
   There are gaps and omissions but this is a nice resource, especially for the price.



3. It doesn't contain the variety that i had hoped for, but for the price, this is a book of good resource.

No comments about The Visual Culture of American Religions.

2 comments about Buddhist Symbols in Tibetan Culture : An Investigation of the Nine Best-Known Groups of Symbols.

1. I'm not a practicing Tibetan Buddhist, but I've acquired a fair amount of knowledge through osmosis: I do volunteer work for a Tibetan refugee relief organization. One slow afternoon in our shop, I picked up this book to improve my knowledge of the iconography in the graphics we sell, and was blown away. Not only has the author written a clear, readable explication of the symbolism, but the book is also a terrific introduction to fundamental Tibetan Buddhist beliefs. The average Tibetan may not be able to elucidate the intricacies of the sacred texts, or practice the stylized form of debate that forms an important part of a monk's training. But the book gives great insight into what this average Tibetan actually believes. Now I feel I have a better understanding of how the Tibetans' Buddhism has sustained them through persecution, exile, and attempts by the Chinese government to stamp out their culture. (And the Fur-Bearing Fish isn't a refugee from a Dr. Seuss book, but a symbol with profound meaning.) This is a great little book, and I recommend it enthusiastically.



2. I'm 52 years old and was fairly smug about what I had learned after 20 years or so of pretty serious reading. Then into my life, through the miracle of "amazon.comm" comes by Dagyab Rinpoche: hold on to your beliefs folks: get ready for a roller-coaster ride through Tibetan philosophy as translated from that philosophical language: German. And at the end there are instructions on how to take care of and treat the book and other books of similar nature. Scary

5 comments about Clown Ministry.

1. This book was a very thought-provoking work. Written for the beginner, but valuable to the seasoned clown as well, this book should be required reading for anyone interested in Clown Ministry or Creative Ministry.
   
   How's and why's, character types, costuming, makeup, performance, and even some skits to get you started... I highly recommend this book.
   
   Other books I have found to be the most helpful:
   The Clown Ministry Handbook by Janet Litherland
   Fool For The Kingdom by Philip D. Noble
   Mime Ministry by Susie Kelly Toomey
   Be A Clown by Mark Stolzenberg (MUST HAVE!)
   and if you just want skits, try Clown Act Omnibus by Wes McVicar



2. This small book has a lot of "PUNCH" for it's size! The transaction was smooth and quick. I will use a lot of the information to teach a class of students about the art and craft, as well as ministry from clowning for our King. I have several books by Floyd Shaffer and I really like this one a lot.



3. I was very pleased with the speed in which I received the above mentioned book and its condition.



4. This book is great if you are thinking of implementing a clown ministry at your church! Not only do they tell you 'how-to' but also 'why'. This book has information on all aspects of a clown ministry and there is a guide in the back for your own clown ministry training weekend. I highly recommend it to ministers and youth groups.



5. Unlike traditional clowning, the focus here is to build up the audience at no one's expense. Floyd and Penne whet the reader's appetite for more. This type of clowning lends itself well to a worship setting, and done with adequate training and rehearsal, it becomes a vital way for youth to give back to the church, while involving many more of the congregation's 5 senses in the act of worship. It is very possible to become a "fool for Christ" and an ambassador for the same through the applications found in this book. I particularly appreciated the many skits that were included, and found them to be scripturally sound. This resource was a wonderful starting point for our church, and I heartily recommend it.

1 comments about Religion, Art, and Visual Culture: A Cross-Cultural Reader.

1. This is an amazing book. It opens up all kinds of interesting questions about the importance of seeing and vision in a range of different religious contexts. In each major section, Plate invites us to approach a religious tradition not through its main scriptures but through a visual medium. Islam, for example, is approached via calligraphy as a way of thinking about the written word as image. Buddhism is approached through zen gardens as a way of thinking about the concept of shinjin (mind-body). I used this book as the primary textbook for a college course called "Religion and Visual Culture." It was a huge success. It is filled with interesting ideas and fresh approaches, and it is great reading. I highly recommend it.