Christian symbols have been around for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. Most are pictures condensed into a simplified form.

Ask a believer what the first Christian symbol was, and most likely they would respond: “The cross.” They would, however, be dead wrong.

Artwork and visual symbolism seen in a church building often make a confession long before parishioners hear what is confessed in the liturgy. Some of …

Images of birds, for example, often appear in Christian art, but a few of these symbols need some explaining.

Stars have a long and distinguished history in church art, and this didn’t start with the old “stars and stripes.”

Representations of Mary, the mother of our Lord, often evoke a great deal of consternation among Lutherans.

For the most part, early Christians placed halos on images of “sainted” Christians, that is, Christians already in heaven …