Sometimes in finding the destination it's best if we throw away "our" map.

This past Friday evening, my wife and I went to one of the main art museums in Houston.The exhibit of the month was Pompeii and the celebration of Roman art from early B. C. to the 17th century. The museum was featuring lost and recovered artwork from the eruption of Pompeii.As we approached the...

On the subject of beauty, the Bible is by no means silent. Jesus himself came out with that great line, “See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these” (Matthew 6:28, NIV). In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus makes it clear that the highest form of beauty is the simple and the natural, the plain and the unadorned. The belabored and the fussy and the artificial can hardly hold a candle to the fresh and spontaneous beauty of flowers.

There are several passages of Scripture which suggest that this might be a biblical approach to beauty. The Psalmist had made it clear centuries ago: “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour fourth speech; night after night they pour forth knowledge” (Psalm 19:1-2). Who can doubt that David witnessed the beauty of many sunrises and stood speechless under countless starry nights? The Bible has a sense of beauty. The Beauty of the Lord, God as the Ultimate Creative Artist by Hughes Oliphant, Worshipleader Online Jul./Aug. 2002 Edition.

It happened at the beginning of the 16^th Century.The Catholic Church based upon the bureaucratic structure of the Holy Roman Empire.The system was externally powerful, but internally corrupt.Reform of the church was called between 1215 and 1545.Nine church-councils were placed to hold reform, but inevitably the churches failed to reach significant accord.The clergy was unable to conduct themselves according to church doctrine, as a continuation, the abuse of church ceremonies and practices persist today.