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Christ in Everything
Drawn by Beauty: Awe and Wonder in the Christian Life
Wonder and awe of the beautiful is essential to the human experience. Our souls are often shaped and formed by the aesthetic experiences provided by the Creator. When we neglect this aspect of our lives, we fail to realize how God has created us uniquely to not only enjoy beauty, but to also create the beautiful. A distinctly Christian vision of these realities opens our eyes to see how God has enchanted our world to draw us toward Him, the source and substance of beauty, for a deeper experience of the Christian life.
In Drawn by Awe and Wonder in the Christian Life, pastor and theologian Matthew Z. Capps points to the reality that our spirits are formed by God through the beautiful experiences that he offers. This book is a call to not only acknowledge the effect that beauty has on the human spirit, but it is an appreciation of the obviously divine presence in the things of this world that are truly awe inspiring.
In Drawn by Awe and Wonder in the Christian Life, pastor and theologian Matthew Z. Capps points to the reality that our spirits are formed by God through the beautiful experiences that he offers. This book is a call to not only acknowledge the effect that beauty has on the human spirit, but it is an appreciation of the obviously divine presence in the things of this world that are truly awe inspiring.
192 pages, Paperback
Published March 1, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
May 26, 2025
What a refreshing read! I can’t praise this enough. It seems like almost every book on my list lately is about such a dark, difficult topic, and there’s a reason I want/need to read about those things. But this was a glorious journey outside of all of the fallenness of this world to remind me that there is still so much beauty to behold and to encourage me to pursue it wholeheartedly. Definitely on my re-read list.
September 11, 2025
What a lovely reminder that experiences of beauty in our lives are meant to draw our hearts deeper into a posture of awe and wonder as we learn to be captivated by the Source of all beauty.
July 22, 2025
What a lovely book!
1. I learned new truths about beauty and aesthetics.
2. I was invited to see God as the generous One who self-reveals through His beautiful creation.
3. I saw the importance of consent when it comes to receiving beauty and art.
And more! I appreciated its succinctness—the lack of redundancy that a book like this could easily fall into. The quotes culled for this work were a special feature. An excellent read.
1. I learned new truths about beauty and aesthetics.
2. I was invited to see God as the generous One who self-reveals through His beautiful creation.
3. I saw the importance of consent when it comes to receiving beauty and art.
And more! I appreciated its succinctness—the lack of redundancy that a book like this could easily fall into. The quotes culled for this work were a special feature. An excellent read.
March 19, 2025
A great little book connecting beauty to the Christian’s life and life in general. This book can be helpful for modern Christians who need a theology connecting this material world with the spiritual life of faith. Our God is the standard of beauty and as such created a beautiful world to woo us back to him.
October 26, 2025
Not just saying this because he’s one of my dearest friends and a remarkable Pastor, but truly a great book!
March 27, 2026
Good book. If you consider reading, pair it with Francis Schaeffer's short booklet "Art and the Bible"
April 13, 2025
Beauty is often downplayed (or outright dismissed) by Christians, believing it to be too subjective or detached from propositional truth to matter. Capps shows why this view is mistaken and does harm to our walk with Christ and witness for Christ in a broken world.
Rather than found “in the eye of the beholder,” beauty is a mirror of and a magnet to God. It is just as objective as truth or goodness, and as our ability to both perceive it and participate in it is cultivated, so too will our understanding of God and his world grow.
Capps may overreach at times, such as in a closing chapter’s assertion that beauty may affect us more deeply than truth or goodness. Yet Capps previously argued that beauty, truth, and goodness are intertwined as they all reflect God as their Source. So, while encountering aesthetic beauty may indeed evoke feelings seldom found elsewhere, for something to be legitimately beautiful it must also contain God’s truth and goodness to some degree. What stirs us in those encounters is not beauty itself (as if it could be isolated) but truth and goodness in and through the beauty.
Capps also references cathedrals, symphonies, and museums, and while I appreciate the skill and craftsmanship on display there, I was left wondering how (or if, or to what degree) beauty can be found in less-skillful offerings.
In all, however, this is a well done invitation to recover the awe and artistry of beauty as God’s people living in God’s world.
Rather than found “in the eye of the beholder,” beauty is a mirror of and a magnet to God. It is just as objective as truth or goodness, and as our ability to both perceive it and participate in it is cultivated, so too will our understanding of God and his world grow.
Capps may overreach at times, such as in a closing chapter’s assertion that beauty may affect us more deeply than truth or goodness. Yet Capps previously argued that beauty, truth, and goodness are intertwined as they all reflect God as their Source. So, while encountering aesthetic beauty may indeed evoke feelings seldom found elsewhere, for something to be legitimately beautiful it must also contain God’s truth and goodness to some degree. What stirs us in those encounters is not beauty itself (as if it could be isolated) but truth and goodness in and through the beauty.
Capps also references cathedrals, symphonies, and museums, and while I appreciate the skill and craftsmanship on display there, I was left wondering how (or if, or to what degree) beauty can be found in less-skillful offerings.
In all, however, this is a well done invitation to recover the awe and artistry of beauty as God’s people living in God’s world.
February 15, 2026
A beautiful masterpiece
Wow. What a beautiful masterpiece this book is. I have always appreciated beauty in nature ( I love hiking all over Scotland ) , art, architecture and music. I have never fully understood why I am so fascinated with it and love it so much and find it so beneficial for physical, mental and spiritual health. This book has helped me understand the gift of beauty and how to appreciate it more and its contribution to our spiritual formation. It has also helped ignite more of an appreciation of all things beautiful in our world that will lead me back to the beautiful One in praise and wonder. In considering that we become what we behold, I have had my eyes opened to the “beautification” work of the Spirit in sanctification and spiritual development. It has helped stir a desire to grow and become more beautiful and release more beauty and beautiful works into our world. This book is beautiful from start to finish. What a labour of love to produce this book and think I will need to read it a few times over to fully get to grips with it. Thank you for your beautiful contribution and labour of love. Aaron
Wow. What a beautiful masterpiece this book is. I have always appreciated beauty in nature ( I love hiking all over Scotland ) , art, architecture and music. I have never fully understood why I am so fascinated with it and love it so much and find it so beneficial for physical, mental and spiritual health. This book has helped me understand the gift of beauty and how to appreciate it more and its contribution to our spiritual formation. It has also helped ignite more of an appreciation of all things beautiful in our world that will lead me back to the beautiful One in praise and wonder. In considering that we become what we behold, I have had my eyes opened to the “beautification” work of the Spirit in sanctification and spiritual development. It has helped stir a desire to grow and become more beautiful and release more beauty and beautiful works into our world. This book is beautiful from start to finish. What a labour of love to produce this book and think I will need to read it a few times over to fully get to grips with it. Thank you for your beautiful contribution and labour of love. Aaron
June 24, 2025
I think it's better than many other such introductions to the subject
October 15, 2025
Simple with great clarity yet deep and satisfying
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews