In recent years there has been a long-overdue and much-needed re-emphasis on God's unconditional and extravagant grace. As with all pendulum swings, this proper emphasis is in need of some correction in order to prevent an imbalance. A Terrible Beauty seeks to probe the fierce splendour, the profound mystery, and the perplexing mixture of agony and ecstasy that lie at the very heart of human experience, and which are most sharply focussed at Calvary. The redemptive work of God in purifying his creation - the divine project to renew all things - is both terrible and beautiful. But it is the one thing that ultimately gives sense and purpose to life.