Mikeal C. Parsons, a Campbell alumnus and professor of religion at Baylor University, served as a contributor and editor for the book Interpreting Christian Art, a collection of essays by art historians, theologians, and biblical scholars on the role of visual arts in the theology and liturgy of the Christian Church. The book was published by Mercer University Press.

Since the iconoclastic controversies of the eighth and ninth centuries, the visual arts have been the subject of much ecclesiastical discussion and contention. In particular, since the mid-1960s, Protestant scholars have been examining the relationship between the visual arts and the Christian Church. As a result, numerous academic programs have developed which examine the relationship between art and religion.

Parsons’ essay, “Luke and Pontormo: The Visitation in the Third Gospel and at SS. Annunziata,” examines Jacopo Pontormo’s painting, “The Visitation,” in relation to both renaissance and baroque art and to the biblical text. Parsons co-wrote the essay with his wife, Heidi J. Hornik. He also co-edited the book with Hornik.

Most of the essays in the book, Interpreting Christian Art, were originally presented as part of a symposium on Christian art held at Baylor University. The symposium provided the opportunity to bring together scholars, clergy, and laity who are interested in the question of how religious art can contribute to the life of the contemporary Christian community.

Mikeal Parsons graduated summa cum laude from Campbell University in 1980. He received both Master of Divinity and Doctor of Philosophy degrees from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY. He is a member of the International Society of New Testament Scholars, the Society of Biblical Literature, and serves on the Editorial Board of the Faith and Learning Newsletter and Discussion Group.

Other published works by Parsons include Illuminating Luke: The Infancy Narrative in Italian Renaissance Painting; The Acts of the Apostles: Greek Commentary on the New Testament; and Stories About Jesus: Storytellers’ Companion to the Bible, Vol. 9.

Founded in 1887, Campbell University is North Carolina’s second largest private institution of higher education and the second largest Baptist university in the world. Located in Buies Creek, NC, just east of the center of the state, Campbell combines academic excellence and Christian commitment.

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