Based on recommendations from authors Joel Heng Hartse and Jeffrey Overstreet, I visited IMAGE's online headquarters and discovered a faith-oriented publication that actually has both a brain and a soul. American Christianity so often conflates faith and politics, offering hamfisted rhetoric in a religious frame without a compelling portrait of Christ at the center. IMAGE is countercultural in this regard, offering both depth and breadth in its portrayal of a living, breathing faith that is intellectually stimulating, spiritually enlivening, and creatively challenging. I subscribed to the print version of the publication in a heartbeat, and have since contributed my own writing to the "Good Letters" blog on the site (a piece titled "The Cannibal and the Eucharist"). I cannot recommend IMAGE highly enough.
Given the title "Image" I expected much more in the way of visual art. In my first issue, of 120 pages, only 8 pages contain any visual art, and although printed in color, they are mostly small (2"x3"?) and hard to see. The rest of the magazine is filled with a long interview, 3 short stories, 13 poems, 4 essays, and a book review. Overall, the mix of material was disappointing. Too much to read and not enough visual art to experience. I already have too much to read. I was hoping this would be something different.
Buy Image : Journal of the Arts & Religion Now
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