Seeing and Believing: The Eye of Faith in a Visual Culture

In a cinematic culture where multiple visions of reality "play" at the same time, it is critical that Christian believers know how to confidently identify and "discern" among other stories, the Jesus-story that defines their most important commitment in life. Using the optical metaphor of the "eye of faith" the author identifies the spiritual life as a "visual life" Through themes such as "looking through Jesus' eyes" the bible as a "visionary text" and the church as a "wide-eyed people" he builds a connecting bridge between the seeing-soul in Christian spirituality, and the twenty-first century as the "age of the eye" The key words for this exploration are spirituality, discipleship, insight, luminescence, and optical "therapy" The author proposes the need for a "catechism of the eye" that will lead to the renewal of Christian ministry, spirituality, discipleship, and identity.