Well, I always thought theology tried to explain all domains – that would include art. I always thought that art expressed anything with no limit (Jessie Helms had a problem with that) – that would include theology.
Maybe the word we are grasping for is: “Mystical”. Because creating and viewing art is an [i:eb6db06523]experience[/i:eb6db06523]. Geoff mentions this word “mystical” in the same breath with Polanyi and “expressing the ineffable”. But this seems like this is just getting too complicated. Mysticism is experiencing God. Theology is explaining faith and religious experience (etc . . . ), but mysticism is living it. In my way of thinking [i:eb6db06523]everything[/i:eb6db06523] is an aspect of God and God’s creation . . . but of course people normally use words like spiritual and mystical to describe one particular frequency of experience – the light, if you will.
So it seems like we have a bit of a communications problem that starts with the regrettable habit of both the Art community and Theologions to take themselves too seriously and loose track of their disciplines place in the larger fabric. Which comes back to the regrettable habit of the Academy as a whole to loose track of practicality and direct communication. And that is an entirely different conversation.
conductorchris
Apr 11 2005
05:10 pm
Well, I always thought theology tried to explain all domains – that would include art. I always thought that art expressed anything with no limit (Jessie Helms had a problem with that) – that would include theology.
Maybe the word we are grasping for is: “Mystical”. Because creating and viewing art is an [i:eb6db06523]experience[/i:eb6db06523]. Geoff mentions this word “mystical” in the same breath with Polanyi and “expressing the ineffable”. But this seems like this is just getting too complicated. Mysticism is experiencing God. Theology is explaining faith and religious experience (etc . . . ), but mysticism is living it. In my way of thinking [i:eb6db06523]everything[/i:eb6db06523] is an aspect of God and God’s creation . . . but of course people normally use words like spiritual and mystical to describe one particular frequency of experience – the light, if you will.
So it seems like we have a bit of a communications problem that starts with the regrettable habit of both the Art community and Theologions to take themselves too seriously and loose track of their disciplines place in the larger fabric. Which comes back to the regrettable habit of the Academy as a whole to loose track of practicality and direct communication. And that is an entirely different conversation.