Illustrating Christianity
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Christianity has played a big part in my life, not as something separate from my creative work, but as part of the broader journey that has shaped how I see the world around me. It was never my plan to be creating Christian images, but through a few unexpected twists in life, my ability to communicate through illustrations found its way into outreach work. |
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In the early 2000s, my wife Sue and I worked with our church to create a series of free books and visual resources for outreach projects in India and Africa. Through that experience, we became aware that many Christian ministries around the world are working with little or no budget, yet still rely heavily on visual material to communicate their message. |
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As a result, Sue and I decided to set aside one day each week to create illustrations that anyone could download and use at no cost or obligation. |
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As interest in these resources grew internationally, we took the next step and created a dedicated website called Free Christian Illustrations, making the artworks available to individuals, churches and organisations around the world. |
For Christian teachers or missionaries, our FCI website has free resources to aid in your ministry - without any obligation. |
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A Personal Note on Christianity: |
I share that discomfort when Christianity is misused or when Christians act in ways that look nothing like Jesus Christ. But I believe it’s important to separate the failures of people from the teachings of Christ himself. Jesus consistently challenged hypocrisy, condemned exploitation, defended the vulnerable and called for mercy, humility and love. When Christians fail to live that way, they are departing from Christianity, not representing it. Dismissing Christianity because of its misuse is a bit like rejecting medicine because it has been abused — the wrongdoing doesn’t cancel out the value of the thing itself. There’s also a common belief that science has made faith unnecessary. Yet many respected scientists and thinkers hold Christian beliefs, (Check out Wikipedia’s: List of Christians in Science and Technology). Historically, Christianity helped lay the groundwork for scientific inquiry by affirming an ordered, intelligible universe. Science investigates how the world works, but it doesn’t answer deeper human questions about meaning, morality, purpose or value. Christianity speaks to those questions. Christianity has also shaped much of what modern society still values: hospitals, education, charitable work, human rights and care for the vulnerable. Beyond its historical influence, it continues to offer people hope and a sense of purpose that extends beyond the material world. That said, I have no desire to push my views on anyone. For that reason, my Christian illustrations and publications live on a separate website. If you’re curious and would like to explore some simple visual explanations of Christianity, you’re welcome to visit Free Christian Illustrations. Everything there is free, and we don’t solicit donations. |
Below are some Christian subjects you may be interested in pondering. |
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Encouraging Feedback: |
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No one is more amazed than us how our little ministry is being utilized worldwide. Below is a sampling of emails we have received: |
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INDONESIA: My name is Ratna, at first I need to thanks to Jesus for you two who let us to use your illustrations for free. Thanks for the ebook, biblecard, and the bibleclipart, thats very helpful for me and my team, specially for my sunday school students. Yup, i am a Sunday school teacher at Malang city, Jawa Timur, Indonesia. I hope, i can receive weekly illustration email from you, to enrich my material lessons and make my students love to learn about bible more and more with your illustration. Jesus bless you and your family always, more than you be blessing for me and my students through your creation. BOLIVIA: Hello from Santa Cruz, Bolivia! I just wanted to write and thank you for providing your materials for free. I have worked in Bolivia 28 years (in November) and I have spent many, many hours looking for and using graphics to illustrate my lessons (I am not artistic in the slightest). Almost all websites, with half-decent graphics, charge for them - and sometimes quite a bit. Your graphics are top-notch and so I was very impressed, not only by the quality, but by the fact that you offer them for free. Anyway, a great big THANK YOU all the way from South America. Carolyn. CHINA: I'm in HangZhou China and I prepare my sunday school class. I want to thank you for your web and pictures, because I can use these in my class, and these pictures are really useful, helpful and so nice. God bless you, thank you again. PHILIPPINES: I am Shiela, 29 years old and l am from the Philippines. I really want to thank our LORD JESUS CHRIST for this free Christian illustration site and to you all. I always enter and leave the site blessed. WASHINGTON: My name is Byron and I am a Christian teacher and principal at a small private school in the state of Washington, United States. I found your wonderful site about three months ago. I have been using the Bible clip art for a Bible game for my students in grades 3-8. It has been a great way for them to learn the Bible and to know Jesus better. They love all the interesting faces and characterizations! I appreciate all you are doing with this. I check often for new clip art images to use in our game at school. I am looking forward to more Bible characters. Keep up the good work! INDIA: GREETINGS FROM INDIA. I AM WORKING IN THE MISSIONS OF JHARKHAND. WE HAVE A RETREAT CENTRE HERE. IT IS A HINDI LANGUAGE SPEAKING AREA. WE DONT HAVE PROPER BIBLE BOOKS FOR KIDS IN LOCAL LAGUAGE HERE. THE BOOKS THAT ARE AVAILABE HERE IS TOO COSTLY FOR THE POOR PEOPLE. I WOULD LIKE TO PRINT SOME BIBLE STORIES FOR THE POOR PEOPLE OF THE LOCALITY. I HAVE SEEN YOUR WESITE AND THE ILLUSTRATIONS. IT WOULD BE VERY KIND OF YOU IT CAN GIVE US THE PERMISSION TO USE YOUR IMAGES FOR PRINTING. I ASSURE YOU THAT THESE IMAGES WILL NOT BE USED FOR PROFIT MAKING, BUT ONLY FOR THE PROCLAMATION OF THE GOSPEL. WITH LOVE, FR JOBIN. CHILE: Dear Ian and Sue, just wanna say THANK YOU SO MUCH for your website and illustrations. I´m from Chile, South America. Yes, the end of the world!!! And I found your website accidentally, and it´s been very helpful, specially now we are in quarantine, and as church and Sunday school we are making digital material. I´m using your illustrations for Sunday school, and they are amazing! I think from now, I will only use your work, kids love it! (and me too). Thank you so much! and please, continue drawing!!!!. Claudia ALABAMA, USA: I found your site years ago and have used it many times to illustrate our Sunday School Lesson! Now working with Adult Senior Single Ladies, they always turn to the back page of my handout to see your illustration first! May God continue to bless and keep you! Merle SOUTH WALES: Just wanted to say thanks. I have just found your website and have used some material to fill space in our Parish Magazine. Best wishes from Edwina, South Wales, UK QUEBEC CANADA: I will use your images in your website to create animation cartoon video for french speaking peoples in youtube. So thank you for all your work. I am a member of a baptist church in the french province of Quebec. God bless you praying for you, Mathieu USA: I just wanted to say that your labor is definitely not in vain! Thank you so much for having this website. I am a home school mom and a children's bible study teacher and it not always easy to have free resources. God Bless your family and ministry. Glory to God, and happy thanksgiving. MALAYSIA: My name is Jenny. I am from Malaysia. I thank God for leading me to your website. I am currently a volunteer teacher to the Myanmar refugees in Malaysia. There are 70 Myanmar refugee schools registered with UNHCR here. The school that I teach in has 150 kids aged between 6 to 18. I teach the older children who understand English and they are in Year 6 and Form 1. And I also teach once in a while in a care group of my church. Recently I discover your website as I was searching for some stories and illustration to help me teach better. CANADA: THIS WEBSITE IS ASTOUNDING!!! WHAT A BLESSING!!! I hope it remains available in cyberspace forever. Thank you soooo much for sharing your talents and your Christian messages and lessons. Awesome. Well done. With Love in Christ, Hope. (Ontario, Canada) PHILIPPINES: Greetings from the Philippines. I'd like to commend your work in spreading the good news of our Lord Jesus Christ through your website and your generosity in freely giving as we Christians have freely received… I truly enjoyed your website and felt uplifted by your work of love in Jesus' name. Your brother in Christ, Steve . AUSTRALIA: I run a Sunday School at a Baptist Church in New South Wales. I am ever on the watch for decent resources, especially colour-in sheets. I stumbled across you today… Finding your site has been an absolute blessing, for many reasons: we have a very limited budget and I am ever on the lookout for material so our kids really 'get it'. I am thanking God for you. Jen PORTUGAL: My name is Tânia and I´m currently coordinating … children ministry at Portugal. We're using your illustrations every sunday for children's evangelism and Sunday School. I´m really thankful for people like you that give without expecting to get back.
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Gordon Callow’s virtue and attitude to life convinced me of the truth to Christianity just as much as his logical argument. |
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