All Good Books Are Catholic Books: print culture, censorship, and modernity in twentieth-century America by 
Between Human and Divine by
Between Human and Divine is the first collection of scholarly essays published on a wide variety of contemporary (post 1980) Catholic literary works and artists. Its aim is to introduce readers to recent and emerging writers and texts in the tradition.
The Catholic Imagination in American Literature by
In this well-written and comprehensive volume on Catholic writing in the United States, Ross Labrie focuses on works that meet three criteria: high intellectual and artistic achievement, authorship by a practicing Roman Catholic, and a focus on Catholic themes. Labrie begins with a discussion of the Catholic imagination and sensibility and considers the relationship between art and Catholic theology and philosophy. Central to Catholic belief is the doctrine of the Incarnation, wherein human experience and the natural world are perceived as both flawed and redeemed. This doctrine can be seen as the axis on which Catholic American literature in general rests and from which variances by particular authors can be measured. The optimism implied in this doctrine, together with an inherited American political consciousness, allowed a number of Catholic authors, from a culture otherwise perceived as outside the American mainstream, to identify with a political idealism that granted dignity to the individual. Counterpointing this emphasis on the individual, though, is the doctrine of the church as an intermediary between God and humanity and the belief in the community of saints. In concert with the doctrine of the Incarnation, these teachings gave Catholic writing a communal and prophetic dimension aimed at the whole of American society. Separate chapters are included for each of the writers considered so that the distinctiveness of their works is elucidated, as well as the unity and the rich diversity of Catholic American writing in general. Some of the authors considered are Flannery O'Connor, Walker Percy, Allen Tate, Robert Lowell, Thomas Merton, and Mary Gordon. A concluding chapter examines the significance of the corpus of Catholic American writing in the years 1940 to 1980, considering it parallel in substance to the body of Jewish American literature of the same period. "The Catholic Imagination in American Literature" fills a distinctive place in the study of American literature.
Indigenous Symbols and Practices in the Catholic Church by
Indigenous Symbols and Practices in the Catholic Church presents views, concepts and perspectives on the relationship among Indigenous Peoples and the Catholic Church, as well as stories, images and art as metaphors for survival in a contemporary world. Few studies present such a multidisciplinary interpretation of appropriation, spiritual and religious tradition, educational issues in the teaching of art and art history, the effects of government sanctions on traditional practice, or the artistic interpretation of symbols from Indigenous perspectives. Through photographs and visual studies, interviews and data analysis, personal narratives and stories, this book explores the experiences of Indigenous Peoples whose lives have been impacted by multiple forces-Christian missionaries, governmental policies, immigration and colonization, education, assimilation and acculturation. Contributors explore current contexts and complex areas of conflict regarding missionization, appropriation and colonizing practices through the voices of Indigenous and non-Indigenous scholars, and provide interpretations and possibilities for the future.
The Oxford Dictionary of Christian Art and Architecture by
The Oxford Dictionary of Christian Art and Architecture explains a wide range of terms used in the study of the history of Christian art and architecture including subjects, topics, themes, artists, works, movements, and buildings. This long-awaited new edition of Peter and Linda Murray'sclassic text continues to provide an invaluable, authoritative, and engaging guide to interpreting Christian Art both for students and teachers of the subject, as well as non-specialists or those without a formal education in Christianity.The new editor, the Reverend Tom Devonshire Jones, has been aided by over a dozen expert contributors, fully updating the text for the new century. Areas that have been expanded upon include the artwork, artists, and innovations of the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries (such as the relationship betweenChristianity and film). Coverage includes art from around the world, with new entries upon the Christian art of North America, Latin America, Australasia, and of the non-Western world, as well as Christian artistic interactions with other religions, including Judaism and Islam.The detailed bibliography has been heavily revised and updated, increasing the number of sources cited and expanding on sources relevant to the study of non-traditional Christian art. The updated bibliography will be placed on a companion webpage to the Dictionary, which will also feature anappendix of web links to sites of relevant interest.
Sacred Music and Liturgical Reform by 
The Visual Arts and Christianity in America: from the colonial period to the present by 
The Visual Culture of American Religions by
Contemporary artists have often clashed with conservative American evangelicals in recent years, giving the impression that art and religion are fundamentally at odds. Yet historically, artistic images have played a profound role in American religious life. This superb collection of essays, with its unique assembly of images, challenges the apparent tension between religion and the arts by illustrating and investigating their long-standing and intriguing relationship from the early nineteenth century to the present day. The essays explore such varied topics as Sioux Sun Dance artifacts and paintings, American Jewish New Year postcards, the New Mexican santos tradition, roadside shrines, images of journey in African American pictorial traditions, the public display of religion, and the religious use of nineteenth-century technologies of mass reproduction.
Visual Piety : a history and theory of popular religious images by
This fascinating study of devotional images traces their historical links to important strains of American culture. David Morgan demonstrates how popular visual images--from Warner Sallman's "Head of Christ" to velvet renditions of DaVinci's "Last Supper" to illustrations on prayer cards--have assumed central roles in contemporary American lives and communities. Morgan's history of popular religious images ranges from the late Middle Ages to the present day and analyzes what he calls "visual piety," or the belief that images convey. Rather than isolating popular icons from their social contexts or regarding them as merely illustrative of theological ideas, Morgan situates both Protestant and Catholic art within the domain of devotional practice, ritual, personal narrative, and the sacred space of the home. In addition, he examines how popular icons have been rooted in social concerns ranging from control of human passions to notions of gender, creedal orthodoxy, and friendship. Also discussed is the coupling of images with texts in the attempt to control meanings and to establish markers for one's community and belief. Drawing from the fields of music, sociology, theology, philosophy, psychology, and aesthetics,Visual Piety is the first book to bring to specialist and lay reader alike an understanding of religious imagery's place in the social formation and maintenance of everyday American life.