"Beauty and Brokenness" explores the way we think about the relationship between creation and humanity, their respective brokenness and beauty and, in this connection, compassion (both as God's righteous indignation and meaning 'to suffer with'), faith and power. The author's thinking in this area began when his son was born with Downs Syndrome thirteen years ago, and has continued developing in the last twelve months as his wife has been left physically disabled from the effects of a brain tumour. He uses as a starting point, Mantegna's painting "Presentation at the Temple", which is, in many respects, a traditional Madonna and Child composition except that the infant Jesus is depicted as a child with Downs.
