In This Is a Picture and Not the World, Joseph Natoli employs the lingua franca of film itself—screenplay dialogue—as well as the more recent form of the political blog to present a hyperreal account of popular film as both a creator and a reflector of our post-9/11 mass psyche. Drawing on both classic and contemporary film examples, the book also offers a quasihistory of film genres, including science fiction, the western, film noir, and screwball comedy, emphasizing how these genres have been shaken up, recontextualized, recombined, turned self-reflexive, and parodied over the past couple of decades. Taken together, these satirical parodies of screenplays and blogs reveal and perform how our very gaze has shifted from modern to postmodern, from a direct view of the world to a filtered one.

ccording to Scripture, humankind was created in the image of God. Hoekema discusses the implications of this theme, devoting several chapters to the biblical teaching on God's image, the teaching of philosophers and theologians through the ages, and his own theological analysis. Suitable for seminary-level anthropology courses, yet accessible to educated laypeople. Extensive bibliography, fully indexed.

Jesus Christ is arguably the most famous man who ever lived. His image adorns countless churches, icons, and paintings. He is the subject of millions of statues, sculptures, devotional objects and works of art. Everyone can conjure an image of Jesus: usually as a handsome, white man with flowing locks and pristine linen robes. But what did Jesus really look like? Is our popular image of Jesus overly westernized and untrue to historical reality? This question continues to fascinate. Leading Christian Origins scholar Joan E. Taylor surveys the historical evidence, and the prevalent image of Jesus in art and culture, to suggest an entirely different vision of this most famous of men. He may even have had short hair.

Is Elon Musk's vision of humankind becoming a multi-planetary species the next stage in human evolution? Are there aliens "out there" waiting to detect a warp signature or some other indication that we have reached an advanced stage of technological development and are ready to join them in a galactic federation as in Star Trek? Or is reality something completely different?The development of radio astronomy in the 1930s provided a means of searching for evidence of intelligent life beyond earth. After more than six decades, SETI has yet to detect an extraterrestrial signal of intelligent origin. Over this same period, thousands of UFO sightings were reported. Until recently, the lack of government transparency on UFOs has led many to believe in cover-ups and conspiracies to keep their existence from the public. This seemed to change with the official release of three videos by the US Navy in April 2020, confirming earlier unofficial reports of military pilots encountering unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP). In Not of this World, independent researcher Mark Carlotto examines the most compelling UFO cases on record, including the Gulf Breeze sightings, Space Shuttle videos, videos of crop circles and UFOs, Tic Tacs and other UAP, and a UFO over the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem. Dr. Carlotto's findings that UFOs and UAPs are likely real, appear to defy the laws of physics as currently understood, apparently exceed known aerospace capabilities, and might not be extraterrestrial in origin, suggest that reality may be completely different from what we think it is.

Christians ought to be leading the way in creativity, but we rarely do. God is the Creator of all things, and He created us in His image. Creativity is woven into the very fabric of our humanity. Therefore, Christians should value and champion creativity as a vital part of our image-bearing role. Instead Christians often don’t know what to do with creatives and creatives don’t know what to do with Christianity. On one side you have Christians who neglect or discount art, imagination, and beauty altogether. On the other, you have artists who make idols out of each of these good things. Ryan Lister, a theology professor, and Thomas Terry, a spoken word artist and founder of Humble Beast, team up to help restore the connection between creativity and theology. Images & Idols is a theological and artistic exploration of creativity in the Christian life. It will help creatives build a strong theological foundation for their art, while challenging the church to embrace a theology of beauty and creativity.

"A must-purchase picture book biography of a figure sure to inspire awe and admiration among readers."—School Library Journal (starred review) Extraordinary illustrations and lyrical text present pioneering African American scientist Ernest Everett Just. Ernest Everett Just was not like other scientists of his time. He saw the whole, where others saw only parts. He noticed details others failed to see. He persisted in his research despite the discrimination and limitations imposed on him as an African American. His keen observations of sea creatures revealed new insights about egg cells and the origins of life. Through stunning illustrations and lyrical prose, this picture book presents the life and accomplishments of this long overlooked scientific pioneer.