We live in a modern age that gives us multiple opportunities to embrace distraction over discipline, noise over silence, and self-expression over beauty. Our culture views beauty as something that originates with a person rather than a value of the Divine. Our pragmatism embraces utility over contemplation and discards anything that doesn't benefit the individual. And yet, a renaissance is underway, as more people reject these values and recognize our need to slow down, to see, and to ponder what is good and beautiful. This is a book for those who hunger for spiritual retreat and renewal, pointing us to divine beauty as the starting point for deep and powerful spiritual formation. Our culture loves to emphasize the broken along with the beautiful. We write about brokenness because it is relatable, but too much contemplation of the broken can lead to commiserating in the ashes, rather than seeing the beauty of rising from them. And unlike books that explore beauty in relation to the arts, this book will trace the contours of beauty through the Old and New Testament, through theological greats such as Augustine, Aquinas, Edwards, von Balthasar, Simone Weil, and C.S. Lewis to give readers a more comprehensive view of the beauty of God.
