Theology is in all of our worship. Most obviously it is in how the Bible readings are unpacked in a church service, or fellowship/study group, or even just in discussions between friends; looking at what that reading says about God and what that might mean, is doing theology. It is also present in the prayers we pray - referring to God as 'Loving' or 'Creator' or 'Saviour' are all ways of exploring who God is and what that means to us.
One of the ways perhaps not used quite so widely in a lot of our churches or groups is reading a creed. A creed is a statement of belief and read together can be quite powerful reminding us of the bare-bone structure, to some degree, of the shared beliefs we, as Christians, hold. Another way, which as you know I am very interested in at the moment, is in art and architecture. This had a HUGE place in the past, and though it may not be used to quite an extravagant extent now-a-days we certainly still see this in our churches and homes today. For example, something as simple as what people see when they come to worship can bring theology into that - flowers speaking of a wonderful creation, a stained-glass window reimagining a Bible story, a wall hanging, a cross, or a lighted candle; all saying something about the human response to God. This message may even be more powerful and subliminal than a similar spoken message. A way I haven't really considered theology being done before is in action, rituals and practices. These enable us to actually embody our convictions about God and Christ and the Spirit. Like how a Christening of a baby proclaims God's sure love for them even before she/he can speak for themselves. Or in sharing the 'sign of peace' we say something about God's love that became present in Jesus bringing reconciliation and peace to the world, or in carrying forward the offering plate, how we express our offering of ourselves in response to God's self-giving to us. This list could be longer; including actions Christians do in the community and discussion/reflection groups in the wake of challenging circumstances and so on. Worship is a setting in which the aim of a worship leader is to enable people to meet with and experience God, or put another way: "to make a space for encounter with God". We should thus be bringing more theology into our worship; purposefully and intentionally (using the many diverse ways we can!) speaking of God through all that we do and say and are.
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I've been getting quite into art of late! My mum has started doing LOTS of painting at home, and her paintings look sooo good they've inspired me to be a bit more creative... when I have time! But I've also become fascinated over the connection points between theology and art!
I've been working on my coursework essays a lot this term, and one of them is on art and archeology during the 2nd Century to 5th Century CE, and what it tells us about Jewish identity at the time. To limit my essay somewhat (and fit it into the 5000 word limit!) I've decided to focus particularly on the use of the Bible in art found in Jewish settings and what that suggests. And it is so cool! Because around the 2nd-5th centuries, synagogue art just exploded in a way we haven't found in a Jewish setting at any other time; there were people and animals and even depictions of the hand of God in some of the stories, and then after that time, there seems to have been a process of "undoing", almost, all that figural art and a returning to a state of only permitting geometric designs. And I don't know enough about the use of art across different times, or particularly in relation to Christian theology, but I really want to!!! Maybe when I get some more time, hey! ;-D But it's also gotten me thinking about art and theology more generally as well; like how in both doing art and perceiving art you can say/hear different things than just with what we can say/hear with only words. How different people can see different things in art; different emphases. How it allows God to speak to people, where they are, through what they see in it. And that makes me wonder about how that could be used in worship. I think a lot of "religious art" over the years has been literal depictions of Biblical stories or images. And I kind of think that's a shame, because I don't think that's the only way it can be done. As I said, I don't really know enough about the relation between theology and art, but I WANT TO! Like, what does it even mean to "do theology" through art? How do you capture, for example, all the multiple layers and ambiguity in a parable and what that is trying to say about Jesus, about God, and/or about life?! What about starting with an image and moving to a theological interpretation from there - just as we can see God in life and in people, what can we see of him in pictures? And is all of this still "doing theology"?! Further, how does our culture or experience affect the pictures we make, or the meanings we see, or the view of God we hold? These are all questions I want to explore, and maybe post final exams this May/June, I'll still want to and I'll be able to really think about some of these questions more fully! Oh for free time!!! But for now, amidst the busyness of my Uni course, my preaching and all the other little things that fill up my calendar, I'll have to be content with the odd hour here and there to delve into my thought-world of theology and art. I'm also going to try and put more art on here - when I get chance to make any! - alongside views from people of what it could mean. Hopefully people might also comment and share what they see in it too! :-) One thing I am sure of; "doing theology" isn't just for those doing a course in an educational establishment, or even those who like to or find it easy to read! Theology is "the study of the nature of God and religious belief" - so anyone who thinks on who God is and his relation to their life is doing theology. And as Christians, I believe we should all be doing a whole lot more of it!!! |
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AuthorI'm a recent Cambridge Theology graduate now studying for a Masters in Biblical Studies and blogging about all sorts of things! I'm interested in faith, Church, theology, social action, the great outdoors and being creative, and all of those things - along with many more - come through in my posts!
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