From an article I’m working on towards a theology of the imagination, for a Christian journal. Fun trying to frame the essentialness of engaging our imaginations in our spiritualities or intimacy with God within that frame!

Been circling around this topic for some time, seeing the imagination as part of being human, rather than some special artistic aspect, and part of what we all engage with in our spirituality. Part of what is to be in the sanctification process. That our imaginations are also being baptized and sanctified, like the rest of us! That the transformation of the imagination is part of renewing our minds daily, and putting on the full mind of Christ! That, as Paul put it, it is part of not just seeing, but also perceiving the inner meaning of people, places and things, including ourselves! That the imagination is part of discernment, interpretation and understanding, as well as expression. It’s a way of knowing. So, it’s not just about making art, but much more, about being fully human!

Our becoming one integrated sanctified person includes our imaginations! But also even being able to interpret the morning news has to include our imaginations!

This might be boring for some, and is mostly preached towards the creative christian choir I’m sure, but I’ve been thinking lots about how to engage the creative dimensions of being human more practically in our daily relationship with God and others. In short, on the sanctification and theology of the imagination! One of my pet topics over the years! The imagination is part of being human, so still seems really important to me in our spiritualities.

The imagination is part of how we know things; part of being fully human, and part of what is loved and capable of loving others. It’s not just about art, but part of being fully human. Part of what we bring to the banquet of our intimacy with God.

We are meant to be seeing and perceiving! And bringing our whole selves into intimacy with God, including our creativity and imaginations. The poverty of imagination which we often see in the church, has many causes, but those “in Christ” are really without excuse in the area of creativity, as we claim to be intimate with the one who created the universe, and made us as His symbols or in His Image. We are poems (Ephesians 2:10) and we are poetry makers! Collaborators with Christ in creative communion. Even our stewardship of the earth is a creative collaboration, which requires an engaged imagination!

The imagination has to do with: how we know and interpret things; being fully human; and about integrating our whole selves in our active living relationship with God. We can’t throw out our imaginations in our relationship with Christ. Our spiritual perception is essential, even to knowing Him. Like Peter, if we cannot see Him well, we cannot even see, or hear whispered, our own names!

Creative engagement is essential to knowing even our own identities, much less others! If I cannot see you more as God does, I will not love you well. When we engage our imaginations in our relationship with God, we start to see one another, more through His Perception. This is one of the main reasons we want our imaginations engaged in the process of sanctification. It is part of renewing our minds daily. Our minds include our imaginations! To put on the full mind of Christ, includes our imagination!

“You will be ever seeing, but never perceiving,” Isaiah, quoted by St. Paul in talking to and warning his audience. To see without perceiving, is still a huge problem, especially in His Church. You see the events of the day, but cannot perceive and interpret them spiritually. Their inner meaning eludes us. Why? Our spiritual perceptions are dull. A sanctified imagination can interpret the heart of the matter, as Jesus could with people. He looked into their hearts and knew! So our creativity has to do with how we know things.

Jesus opened many blind eyes literally, and many eyes of the heart! St Paul was made blind physically in order to see spiritually! We lose our sight to find it!

It’s still the same lack of spiritual vision, or poverty of imagination which keeps us from perceiving and interpreting the real meaning of things. Paul taught us to abound in Love and be ever increasing our knowledge and the proper discernment of things. To have an ever awakening spiritual imagination!

You don’t know how to interpret this event spiritually, Jesus kept telling His own disciples or students. See differently, interpret from another, higher perspective friends. Fish are more than fish. Bread is more than bread. It’s a warning directed towards our perception of things. It’s a call to wake up our imaginations in Christ! I’m not talking about worship of the imagination like the Romantics did, this is just as bad as worshiping reason; I’m talking about yielding and engaging the imagination in our relationships with Christ!

Then, we will be seeing and perceiving the inner meaning of things, events and people, cities and nations! Then we will begin to be seeing more as we truly are seen. More face to Face. That’s the healing trajectory of our imaginations. And that’s the process of the sanctification of thole whole person, including their imaginations. That’s the journey we are meant to be on!

A baptized imagination, as CS Lewis called it, is part of how we know things as they really are! Our spiritual perception is crucial to being able to interpret! We are meant to be ones who see and perceive the inner meaning of things and events. Let’s engage our imaginations in our spiritualities! CS Lewis spoke of having his imagination baptized as he was reading George Macdonald’s works. To have our imagination and creativity engaged in our relationship with God should be the norm, especially for Christians!

The imagination has three purposes: it helps us interpret things, it is part of being fully human, and is a place of communion with Christ’s actual Life! His inventiveness and vision. We need more of all three. As we bring our imaginations into His Light, we are putting on the full Mind of Christ. The mind of Christ, was never meant to mean only our reason. We engage with Him in the healing of the imagination, and are able to express more from that intimacy. It includes our imagination and spiritual perception. Our creative center is meant to be part of our relationship with God.

Bringing our creativity home, or into The Life of Christ, is about bringing more of the whole person into relationship with our God. For, Jesus is Lord over the whole Person, the Father Loves the whole person, and God is One. These are the three foundations of a theology of the imagination.

Spiritual sight, helps us know what is true and Real. It is part of being fully human, and is part of what Christ died to know and be in relationship with! Let’s include our imaginations in our relationship with Him, for His Name’s or Identity’s sake!

If a theology of the arts rest on: Jesus Lordship over the whole of Reality; God’s Love for the whole person; and God’s Oneness; then, to know all three we must engage our imaginations in our active living daily relationship with God.