Studying art and Nature and how the two relate today: It’s a pet topic for me—an ecological theology of the arts?!

NT Wright’s thoughts on beauty are helpful, as I’ve been looking at a true christian ecology and its relationship with the arts, over many years. There aren’t many great books on our relationship with Nature or the earth from a Christ centered perspective, which I’ve been interested in since living at L’abri. Shaeffer wrote a nice little treatise, but it doesn’t really include the earth’s groaning, and all of St Paul’s thinking of our collaboration with the earth.

He starts his thinking with the Resurrection and being part of the new creation. And we being included or first fruits in that experiment of making the earth whole again.

Quote:

 “When art comes to terms with both the wounds of the world and the promise of resurrection, and learns how to express and respond to both at once, we will be on the way to a fresh vision, a fresh mission….Art at its best draws attention not just to how things are, but how they will be—the hope for the earth is that it filled with the knowledge of God, and no longer be in pain…perhaps it will be the artists who are best at conveying both the hope and the surprise—the continuing approach of the new creation, overtly seen in the Resurrection”

Art must deal both with the earth’s current groaning, and it’s future glory and rest. That is part of our work as the sons and daughters of God in relationship to the earth itself and Nature. Much Christian art is sentimental because it has not heard the groaning of the earth.

Of course as he points out: “Creation is good, but it is not God. It is in pain, but that pain is taken into the very heart of God and becomes part of the pain of the new birth.”

I love thinking about the earth, and it’s relationship with God, and our role in the dialogue. God often addresses the earth directly in conversation through the prophets. Always interested me, the idea of prophesying healing to the mountains and rivers!

 Without worshiping the earth, we clearly have a unique priestly position of creative stewardship and a role in ushering in the new creation. St Paul seems to teach us that this also has to do with empathizing with the earth, not as our Ultimate, but as priestly artistic responsibility.

“To make sense of and celebrate a beautiful world through the production of artifacts which are themselves beautiful is part of the call to be stewards of creations, as was Adam’s naming of the animals.”

But this creative part of stewardship has been largely dismissed for much of church history. Still, as humans, it beckons and shakes us awake.

Lastly, “Genuine art is thus itself a response to the beauty of creation, which itself is a pointer to the beauty of God.” He speaks of Nature as like a chalice, or violin—participating but in potential form (groaning until the sons and daughters of God come forth more fully) with the Maker of the Music, and filler of the chalice. Nice thinking. Enjoying reading this section on aesthetics, from his book “Surprised by Hope”. Helpful. Wish it was around when i was in art school. Helps contextualize creativity, as part of stewardship. Nice.

Also his idea, that since we don’t live in the garden of eden, but in an earth which groans; an earth heading towards a city of God with a garden at its center—our art should not pretend the earth is not groaning. He suggest, as I would also that so much of Christian art lacks grit and truth, because it assumes it is a perfect world, so it is not in authentic dialogue with how things actually are. Or as Bono has pointed out—it lacks the blues of the Psalms, and becomes sentimental art. Sadly much christian art is simply not good art; could this lack of empathy with the groaning of the earth (Romans 8), be part of the reason?

I’m always trying to develop a theology of the arts and ecology. Fun researching this Scottish teacher’s thoughts on beauty and Nature, and our role in relation to it. That the earth is in pain is a given from scriptures, our relationship to its healing gets us caught up in the new creation. Good to consider that stewardship includes the arts!

One of my favorite artist—Christo; has done so many projects in direct relationship with the earth; I’ve always enjoyed his active dialogue with it.

Anyway, enjoying studying NT Wright’s theology of the new creation as a context for the arts. Helpful study.