Religions other than Christianity often see life as a meaningless cycle. We experience birth, growth, decay, and death, and then the cycle restarts. There is no goal, no telos, to such a cycle.
Christianity, on the other hand, gives us a new insight into life and death. We see this through the symbolism portrayed by the Celtic cross. These crosses visually affirm that Jesus Christ has overcome the cycle of life and death, showing that He is the One who conquers cultures.
We see these same themes of the cycle of a person’s life in Thomas Cole’s The Course of Empire series. Human nature and advancement is always precarious.
But as Christians, we can look to Jesus for our hope. He is the Lord of space and time, and He rules over all places and all times. Through His crucifixion and resurrection, He has defeated death and chaos, and He has given us hope of eternal life with Him.
[divider style=”solid” color=”#cccccc” opacity=”1″ placement=”equal”]
Watch part 2 in a teaching series based on Thomas Cole’s Voyage of Life. These four paintings depict the cyclical dynamics of human life, as signified by the artwork’s titles: Childhood, Youth, Manhood, and Old Age. You can view these paintings in person at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.
These are the last recorded statements of Jesus Christ before His death on the cross. Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing. (Luke 23:34) When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified Him and the criminals, one on the right and
Mortality and the purpose of life are prominent themes in Thomas Cole’s paintings. Through his paintings, he vividly brings out the human dilemma of mortality, a dilemma we ourselves must wrestle with. Given the inevitability of death, what are we to do with our days? We can try to stave
In the article below, Dr. Boa synthesizes material from several teaching sessions from his series Biblical Principles for Marriage and from portions of his spiritual formation text Conformed to His Image (primarily from chapter 18, “Holistic Spirituality”). Dr. Boa focuses on agape love as one of the five forms of loves (based on the different Greek words). After reviewing all forms, he gives reasons for why agape is the greatest.
Receive the Latest from Reflections & Ken Boa
Site by MacMillan Design