Photographer blends gorgeous pictures with biblical text.Byline: REVIEW By Paul Carter Paul Carter is the name of:
The Image of God: The Glory of Man By Ric Ergenbright (Tyndale House
Tyndale House is a publisher founded in 1962 by Kenneth N. , 145 pages, $24.99) Ric Ergenbright, who lives in Oregon, is a talented photographer who has traveled the world building an extensive stock image file. Over the years, he has accumulated stunning pictures of exotic landscapes, people and places. The newest showcase for Ergenbright's work, this coffee table book of gorgeous color photography is also very much a book about religion and the photographer's faith. Ergenbright uses his work to illustrate accompanying passages from the Bible and to deliver an evangelical Christian message. His thesis is summed up in the opening text: "This book considers man as he is portrayed por·tray tr.v. por·trayed, por·tray·ing, por·trays 1. To depict or represent pictorially; make a picture of. 2. To depict or describe in words. 3. To represent dramatically, as on the stage. in the Bible. Made in the glorious image of God, man rejected the design of his Creator and thus became a broken image. But God, in his compassion, provided healing and restoration so that man might once again live as God's glorious image on the earth." And, indeed, the images in this book are glorious. Ergenbright has culled his files for breathtaking breath·tak·ing adj. 1. Inspiring or exciting: a breathtaking view; a breathtaking ride. 2. Astonishing; astounding: breathtaking insensitivity. vistas and handsome, smiling people from nearly every continent. We see happy people in marketplaces, farm fields, in villages and cities, at work and at play. Ergenbright is especially fond of children, and there are many pictures of contented tots. There is no hunger, no disease, no deprivation DEPRIVATION, ecclesiastical Punishment. A censure by which a clergyman is deprived of his parsonage, vicarage, or other ecclesiastical promotion or dignity. Vide Ayliffe's Parerg. 206; 1 Bl. Com. 393. portrayed in this trip around the world. The book becomes troubling in its presentation of religious faith in the non-Christian world. We are shown beautiful images of people engaged in worship in many of the world's great religions. However, the biblical passages on these pages are meant to remind us that the followers followers see dairy herd. of Buddha, Allah, the Hindu deities Within Hinduism a large number of personalities, or 'forms', are worshipped as murtis. The belief is that these beings are either aspects of the supreme Brahman; Avatars of the supreme being (Bhagavan); or significantly powerful entities known as devas. and others are all worshipping false gods. A picture of Hindu worshippers, for example, is shown with the passage from Jeremiah: ``Do men make their own gods? Yes, but they are not gods!'' This is a book with superb travel photography in the service of an unequivocal point of view. It will be immensely pleasing to some readers, difficult to accept for others. CAPTION(S): Ric Ergenbright's book "The Image of God" combines photos from his world travels with spiritual text by his daughter Dana. |
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