‘A wild whisper of something originally wise’ : harnessing the arts to restore the plausibility of transcendence within the immanent frame

Meynell, Mark

Mobius Work

‘A wild whisper of something originally wise’ : harnessing the arts to restore the plausibility of transcendence within the immanent frame

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1 electronic resource (1 PDF (xiv, 276 leaves))

Typescript

Abstract

Thesis (D. Min.)--Covenant Theological Seminary, 2022

Bibliography: leaves 262-276

标题

‘A wild whisper of something originally wise’ : harnessing the arts to restore the plausibility of transcendence within the immanent frame

最新修改

12/04/2024

创造者

Meynell, Mark

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to explore how artists are able to expose secular audiences who inhabit the ‘immanent frame’ to the plausibility of transcendence while avoiding the pitfalls of propaganda. To combat the Western church’s unprecedented cultural disdain, it needs a convincing rearticulation of the faith, for which Charles Taylor’s A Secular Age provides essential insights. The arts have a crucial role to play in this, but the church has a poor record of harnessing them well. This study employed a basic qualitative research design, using semi-structured interviews to gather data. Eight creative professionals from a range of artistic fields were interviewed, focusing on four areas: their personal experiences of secularism; their view of the arts’ potential for communicating transcendence; their creative processes; their navigation of the problems of propaganda. The literature review focused on four key areas: biblical narratives of a transcendent God’s involvement within the immanent frame; how the arts challenge and change worldviews; the relationship between the arts and the reality of transcendence; how propaganda exploits and abuses the arts. This study concluded that the arts’ apologetic importance derives from their ability to be truth-bearing outside rationalism. They provide the means for helping people of faith to subvert the norms of prevailing secularism while drawing outsiders to consider a reality beyond closed immanence. Artefacts result from a process of creative exploration driven by an innate curiosity. This penetrates facades and superficiality, with the best of the arts resisting the propagandist’s instinct for assertion and manipulation. If the church is to harness the arts, it must learn to avoid the propagandist’s easy answers and controlling assertions. At the local church level, this will entail leaders listening to and learning from creative professionals to understand how they work and how they can contribute to the life and witness of the people of God.

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