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Theological aesthetics is the interdisciplinary study of
theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...
and
aesthetics Aesthetics (also spelled esthetics) is the branch of philosophy concerned with the nature of beauty and taste (sociology), taste, which in a broad sense incorporates the philosophy of art.Slater, B. H.Aesthetics ''Internet Encyclopedia of Ph ...
, and has been defined as being "concerned with questions about
God In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...
and issues in theology in the light of and perceived through sense knowledge (
sensation Sensation (psychology) refers to the processing of the senses by the sensory system. Sensation or sensations may also refer to: In arts and entertainment In literature *Sensation (fiction), a fiction writing mode *Sensation novel, a British ...
,
feeling According to the '' APA Dictionary of Psychology'', a feeling is "a self-contained phenomenal experience"; feelings are "subjective, evaluative, and independent of the sensations, thoughts, or images evoking them". The term ''feeling'' is closel ...
,
imagination Imagination is the production of sensations, feelings and thoughts informing oneself. These experiences can be re-creations of past experiences, such as vivid memories with imagined changes, or completely invented and possibly fantastic scenes ...
), through
beauty Beauty is commonly described as a feature of objects that makes them pleasure, pleasurable to perceive. Such objects include landscapes, sunsets, humans and works of art. Beauty, art and taste are the main subjects of aesthetics, one of the fie ...
, and
the arts The arts or creative arts are a vast range of human practices involving creative expression, storytelling, and cultural participation. The arts encompass diverse and plural modes of thought, deeds, and existence in an extensive range of m ...
". This field of study is broad and includes not only a theology of beauty, but also the dialogue between theology and the arts, such as
dance Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...
,
drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...
,
film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...
,
literature Literature is any collection of Writing, written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially novels, Play (theatre), plays, and poetry, poems. It includes both print and Electroni ...
,
music Music is the arrangement of sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm, or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Music is generally agreed to be a cultural universal that is present in all hum ...
,
poetry Poetry (from the Greek language, Greek word ''poiesis'', "making") is a form of literature, literary art that uses aesthetics, aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meaning (linguistics), meanings in addition to, or in ...
, and the
visual arts The visual arts are art forms such as painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics (art), ceramics, photography, video, image, filmmaking, design, crafts, and architecture. Many artistic disciplines such as performing arts, conceptual a ...
. Notable theologians and philosophers that have dealt with this subject include
Augustine of Hippo Augustine of Hippo ( , ; ; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430) was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North Africa. His writings deeply influenced the development of Western philosop ...
,
Thomas Aquinas Thomas Aquinas ( ; ; – 7 March 1274) was an Italian Dominican Order, Dominican friar and Catholic priest, priest, the foremost Scholasticism, Scholastic thinker, as well as one of the most influential philosophers and theologians in the W ...
,
Martin Luther Martin Luther ( ; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, Theology, theologian, author, hymnwriter, professor, and former Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinian friar. Luther was the seminal figure of the Reformation, Pr ...
,
Jonathan Edwards Jonathan Edwards may refer to: Musicians *Jonathan and Darlene Edwards, pseudonym of bandleader Paul Weston and his wife, singer Jo Stafford *Jonathan Edwards (musician) (born 1946), American musician **Jonathan Edwards (album), ''Jonathan Edward ...
,
Søren Kierkegaard Søren Aabye Kierkegaard ( , ; ; 5 May 1813 – 11 November 1855) was a Danes, Danish theologian, philosopher, poet, social critic, and religious author who is widely considered to be the first existentialist philosopher. He wrote critical tex ...
,
Karl Barth Karl Barth (; ; – ) was a Swiss Reformed theologian. Barth is best known for his commentary '' The Epistle to the Romans'', his involvement in the Confessing Church, including his authorship (except for a single phrase) of the Barmen Decl ...
,
Hans Urs von Balthasar Hans Urs von Balthasar (; 12 August 1905 – 26 June 1988) was a Swiss theologian and Catholic priest who is considered one of the most important Catholic theologians of the 20th century. With Joseph Ratzinger and Henri de Lubac, he founded the th ...
, and
David Bentley Hart David Bentley Hart (born February 20, 1965) is an American philosopher, theologian, essayist, cultural commentator, fiction author, and religious studies scholar. Reviewers have commented on Hart's baroque prose and provocative rhetoric in over on ...
among others. Theological aesthetics has recently seen rapid growth as a subject for discussions, publications, and advanced academic studies.


Aesthetics in Christian theology


The early church

Theological writings during the period of the early Christian church which deal with aesthetics span from circa 160 to c. 650 and include writings by
Justin Martyr Justin, known posthumously as Justin Martyr (; ), also known as Justin the Philosopher, was an early Christian apologist and Philosophy, philosopher. Most of his works are lost, but two apologies and a dialogue did survive. The ''First Apolog ...
,
Irenaeus Irenaeus ( or ; ; ) was a Greeks, Greek bishop noted for his role in guiding and expanding Christianity, Christian communities in the southern regions of present-day France and, more widely, for the development of Christian theology by oppos ...
,
Origen Origen of Alexandria (), also known as Origen Adamantius, was an Early Christianity, early Christian scholar, Asceticism#Christianity, ascetic, and Christian theology, theologian who was born and spent the first half of his career in Early cent ...
,
Augustine of Hippo Augustine of Hippo ( , ; ; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430) was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North Africa. His writings deeply influenced the development of Western philosop ...
,
Pseudo-Dionysius Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite (or Dionysius the Pseudo-Areopagite) was a Greek author, Christian theologian and Neoplatonic philosopher of the late 5th to early 6th century, who wrote a set of works known as the ''Corpus Areopagiticum'' or ...
,
Gregory of Nyssa Gregory of Nyssa, also known as Gregory Nyssen ( or Γρηγόριος Νυσσηνός; c. 335 – c. 394), was an early Roman Christian prelate who served as Bishop of Nyssa from 372 to 376 and from 378 until his death in 394. He is ve ...
, and
Maximus the Confessor Maximus the Confessor (), also spelled Maximos, otherwise known as Maximus the Theologian and Maximus of Constantinople ( – 13 August 662), was a Christianity, Christian monk, theologian, and scholar. In his early life, Maximus was a civil se ...
, among others. Prevalent themes during this period included "the vision of God or of God's glory, the image of God in Christ and in us, and the concern with idol worship".Thiessen, p. 9.


The medieval church

During the
Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...
, Western theologians such as
Anselm of Canterbury Anselm of Canterbury OSB (; 1033/4–1109), also known as (, ) after his birthplace and () after his monastery, was an Italian Benedictine monk, abbot, philosopher, and theologian of the Catholic Church, who served as Archbishop of Canterb ...
,
John Scotus Eriugena John Scotus Eriugena, also known as Johannes Scotus Erigena, John the Scot or John the Irish-born ( – c. 877), was an Irish Neoplatonist philosopher, theologian and poet of the Early Middle Ages. Bertrand Russell dubbed him "the most ...
,
Bonaventure Bonaventure ( ; ; ; born Giovanni di Fidanza; 1221 – 15 July 1274) was an Italian Catholic Franciscan bishop, Cardinal (Catholic Church), cardinal, Scholasticism, scholastic theologian and philosopher. The seventh Minister General ( ...
,
Thomas Aquinas Thomas Aquinas ( ; ; – 7 March 1274) was an Italian Dominican Order, Dominican friar and Catholic priest, priest, the foremost Scholasticism, Scholastic thinker, as well as one of the most influential philosophers and theologians in the W ...
,
Nicholas of Cusa Nicholas of Cusa (1401 – 11 August 1464), also referred to as Nicholas of Kues and Nicolaus Cusanus (), was a German Catholic bishop and polymath active as a philosopher, theologian, jurist, mathematician, and astronomer. One of the first Ger ...
, and
Bernard of Clairvaux Bernard of Clairvaux, Cistercians, O.Cist. (; 109020 August 1153), venerated as Saint Bernard, was an abbot, Mysticism, mystic, co-founder of the Knights Templar, and a major leader in the reform of the Benedictines through the nascent Cistercia ...
touched upon themes such as "the idea of beauty, the vision of God, the image of Christ, the
iconodule Iconodulism (also iconoduly or iconodulia) designates the religious service to icons (kissing and honourable veneration, incense, and candlelight). The term comes from Neoclassical Greek εἰκονόδουλος (''eikonodoulos'') (from – '' ...
-
iconoclast Iconoclasm ()From . ''Iconoclasm'' may also be considered as a back-formation from ''iconoclast'' (Greek: εἰκοκλάστης). The corresponding Greek word for iconoclasm is εἰκονοκλασία, ''eikonoklasia''. is the social belie ...
conflict, and the strong presence of personally grounded and poetic doxologies".Thiessen, p. 59.


The Reformation

Concerning aesthetics, the theologians of the 16th century
Protestant Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the papacy and ...
(
Martin Luther Martin Luther ( ; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, Theology, theologian, author, hymnwriter, professor, and former Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinian friar. Luther was the seminal figure of the Reformation, Pr ...
,
Jean Calvin John Calvin (; ; ; 10 July 150927 May 1564) was a French theologian, pastor and reformer in Geneva during the Protestant Reformation. He was a principal figure in the development of the system of Christian theology later called Calvinism, ...
, and
Huldrych Zwingli Huldrych or Ulrich Zwingli (1 January 1484 – 11 October 1531) was a Swiss Christian theologian, musician, and leader of the Reformation in Switzerland. Born during a time of emerging Swiss patriotism and increasing criticism of the Swis ...
) dealt primarily with "the theology of the image, in particular,
idolatry Idolatry is the worship of an idol as though it were a deity. In Abrahamic religions (namely Judaism, Samaritanism, Christianity, Islam, and the Baháʼí Faith) idolatry connotes the worship of something or someone other than the Abrahamic ...
and
iconoclasm Iconoclasm ()From . ''Iconoclasm'' may also be considered as a back-formation from ''iconoclast'' (Greek: εἰκοκλάστης). The corresponding Greek word for iconoclasm is εἰκονοκλασία, ''eikonoklasia''. is the social belie ...
".Thiessen, p. 125.


The 17th–19th centuries

Theological aesthetics increased in diversity during this period, with activity such as "the composition of
hymns A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' ...
in
Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...
circles, Edwards' writing on beauty, the Romantic artists and intellectuals with their panentheist sensibilities,
Schleiermacher Friedrich Daniel Ernst Schleiermacher (; ; 21 November 1768 – 12 February 1834) was a German Reformed theologian, philosopher, and biblical scholar known for his attempt to reconcile the criticisms of the Enlightenment with traditional ...
's idea of religion as feeling and intuition, the decline of religious art, and the ground-breaking philosophical contributions of thinkers such as
Burke Burke (; ) is a Normans in Ireland, Norman-Irish surname, deriving from the ancient Anglo-Norman and Hiberno-Norman noble dynasty, the House of Burgh. In Ireland, the descendants of William de Burgh (''circa'' 1160–1206) had the surname'' de B ...
,
Baumgarten Baumgarten () may refer to: Places *Baumgarten, Burgenland, Austria *Baumgarten, Vienna, Austria *Baumgarten an der March, Austria (the natural gas hub) * Baumgarten, Germany, a municipality in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany Other uses * Baumgart ...
,
Kant Immanuel Kant (born Emanuel Kant; 22 April 1724 – 12 February 1804) was a German philosopher and one of the central Enlightenment thinkers. Born in Königsberg, Kant's comprehensive and systematic works in epistemology, metaphysics, et ...
and
Hegel Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (27 August 1770 – 14 November 1831) was a 19th-century German idealism, German idealist. His influence extends across a wide range of topics from metaphysical issues in epistemology and ontology, to political phi ...
."Thiessen, p. 159.


The 20th century

Some major themes which emerged and developed in the 20th century included the question of "how art can function as a source of and in theology"Thiessen, p. 204. ( Tillich, Rahner, Dillenberger), the question of "the art work as a shaper of meaning in today's culture"Thiessen, p. 205. ( Burch Brown,
Cox Cox or COX may refer to: Companies * Cox Enterprises, a media and communications company ** Cox Communications, cable provider ** Cox Media Group, a company that owns television and radio stations ** Cox Automotive, an Atlanta-based busines ...
,
Küng Küng (also written as Kueng) is a surname of German origin. Notable people with the surname include: * Andres Küng (1945–2002), Swedish journalist, writer, entrepreneur and politician * Carmen Küng (born 1978), Swiss curler * Hans Küng (1 ...
), "the essential role of imagination in theology"Thiessen, p. 206. (
Lynch Lynch may refer to: Places Australia * Lynch Island, South Orkney Islands, Antarctica * Lynch Point, Marie Byrd Land, Antarctica * Lynch's Crater, Queensland, Australia England * River Lynch, Hertfordshire * The Lynch, an island in the Rive ...
, McIntyre,
Green Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by a com ...
), and the beauty of God ( van der Leeuw, Barth, von Balthasar). Rookmaaker helpfully sought to provide a reformed Christian critique of art and aesthetics in the cultural and political upheavals of the 1960s in his book 'Modern Art and the Death of a Culture'.


Present day


Academic programs


Graduate studies

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Andover Newton Theological School Andover Newton Theological School (ANTS) was a graduate school and seminary in Newton, Massachusetts, affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA and the United Church of Christ. It was the product of a merger between Andover Theological ...
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- Newton Centre, MA ** Master of Arts in Theology and the Arts *
Dallas Theological Seminary Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS) is an evangelical theological seminary in Dallas, Texas. It is known for popularizing the theological system of dispensationalism. DTS has campuses in Dallas, Houston, and Washington, D.C., as well as extension ...
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Dallas, TX Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...
** Master of Arts in Media and Communication ** Master of Theology with ministry track in Media and Communication *
Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology The Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology (DSPT) is a Catholic graduate school in Berkeley, California. It is a member of the interfaith Graduate Theological Union (GTU) and an affiliate of the University of California Berkeley. DSPT ...
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Berkeley, CA Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Anglo-Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland and ...
** Master of Arts in Art and Religion *
Duke Divinity School The Duke Divinity School at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, is one of ten graduate or professional schools within Duke University. It is also one of thirteen seminaries founded and supported by the United Methodist Church. It has 39 ...
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Durham, North Carolina Durham ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Durham County, North Carolina, Durham County. Small portions of the city limits extend into Orange County, North Carolina, Orange County and Wake County, North Carol ...
, USA **Master of Divinity - Theology and the Arts course *
Fuller Theological Seminary Fuller Theological Seminary is an Evangelical seminary in Pasadena, California, with regional campuses in the western United States. It is egalitarian in nature. Fuller has a student body of approximately 2,300 students from 90 countries and ...
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Pasadena, California Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commerci ...
, USA ** Master of Arts in Theology - Theology and the Arts Format ** Master of Arts in Worship, Theology, and the Arts *
Graduate Theological Union The Graduate Theological Union (GTU) is a consortium of eight private independent American Seminary, theological schools and eleven centers and affiliates. Seven of the theological schools are located in Berkeley, California. The GTU was founded ...
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Berkeley, CA Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Anglo-Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland and ...
** Master of Arts in Art and Religion *
Huron University College Huron University College is a university college affiliated with the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario, Canada. It was Incorporated on the 5 May 1863. Huron is the founding institution of the University of Western Ontario. It ...
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London, Ontario London is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, along the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. The city had a population of 422,324 according to the 2021 Canadian census. London is at the confluence of the Thames River (Ontario), Thames River and N ...
, Canada ** Master of Arts in Theology *
King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public university, public research university in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV ...
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London, England London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
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Regent College Regent College is an interdenominational evangelical Christian College of Christian studies, and an affiliated college of the University of British Columbia, located next to the university's campus in the University Endowment Lands west of Va ...
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Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...
, British Columbia, Canada ** Master of Christian Studies (with an option for an arts thesis) *
Southern Baptist Theological Seminary The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (SBTS) is a Baptist theological institute in Louisville, Kentucky. The seminary was founded in 1859 in Greenville, South Carolina, where it was at first housed on the campus of Furman University. The s ...
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Louisville, Kentucky Louisville is the List of cities in Kentucky, most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeastern United States, Southeast, and the list of United States cities by population, 27th-most-populous city ...
, USA ** Master of Arts in Theology and Art

* Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York, Union Theological Seminarybr>
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New York, NY New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on New York Harbor, one of the world's largest natural harb ...
** Master of Arts in Theology and the Arts *
United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities (United) is an ecumenical graduate school, historically rooted in the United Church of Christ and located in St. Paul, Minnesota. The school was formed in 1962 with the merger of Mission House Semi ...
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New Brighton, MN New Brighton ( ) is a city in Ramsey County, Minnesota, Ramsey County, Minnesota, United States. It is a suburb of the Minneapolis-St. Paul, Twin Cities. The population was 23,454 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History In the mi ...
** Master of Arts in Theology and the Arts *
Wesley Theological Seminary Wesley Theological Seminary is a United Methodist Church seminary in Washington, D.C. It was founded in 1882. History Wesley Theological Seminary can trace its roots back to the 1881 meeting of the Methodist Protestant Church's Maryland Ann ...
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Washington, DC Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and Federal district of the United States, federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from ...
** Master of Divinity, Master of Theological Studies, and Master of Arts with Certificate in Theology and the Arts *
Yale Divinity School Yale Divinity School (YDS) is one of the twelve graduate and professional schools of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. Congregationalist theological education was the motivation at the founding of Yale, and the professional school has ...
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New Haven, CT New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is List ...
** Master of Arts in Religion concentrated in Religion and the Arts *
Yale Institute of Sacred Music The Yale Institute of Sacred Music (ISM) is a joint venture between the Yale School of Music and Yale Divinity School focused on the study of music, visual arts, literature, liturgy, and other forms of the arts. Master of Music (M.M.), Master of ...
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**Master of Arts in Religion concentrated in Religion and the Arts


Postgraduate studies

*
Duke Divinity School The Duke Divinity School at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, is one of ten graduate or professional schools within Duke University. It is also one of thirteen seminaries founded and supported by the United Methodist Church. It has 39 ...
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Durham, North Carolina Durham ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Durham County, North Carolina, Durham County. Small portions of the city limits extend into Orange County, North Carolina, Orange County and Wake County, North Carol ...
, USA **ThD Concentration in the Arts *
Fuller Theological Seminary Fuller Theological Seminary is an Evangelical seminary in Pasadena, California, with regional campuses in the western United States. It is egalitarian in nature. Fuller has a student body of approximately 2,300 students from 90 countries and ...
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Pasadena, California Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commerci ...
, USA **PhD in Theology and Culture *
Graduate Theological Union The Graduate Theological Union (GTU) is a consortium of eight private independent American Seminary, theological schools and eleven centers and affiliates. Seven of the theological schools are located in Berkeley, California. The GTU was founded ...
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Berkeley, CA Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Anglo-Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland and ...
, USA ** PhD in Art and Religion *
Southern Baptist Theological Seminary The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (SBTS) is a Baptist theological institute in Louisville, Kentucky. The seminary was founded in 1859 in Greenville, South Carolina, where it was at first housed on the campus of Furman University. The s ...
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Louisville, KY Louisville is the most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeast, and the 27th-most-populous city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 24th-largest city; however, by populatio ...
, USA ** PhD in Christianity and the Art

*
University of St. Andrews The University of St Andrews (, ; abbreviated as St And in post-nominals) is a public university in St Andrews, Scotland. It is the oldest of the four ancient universities of Scotland and, following the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, t ...
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- Institute for Theology, Imagination & the Arts, The Institute of Theology, Imagination, and the Arts, St. Andrews, Scotland ** PhD research program *
University of Chicago Divinity School The University of Chicago Divinity School is a graduate professional school at the University of Chicago dedicated to the training of academics and clergy across religious boundaries. Formed under Baptist auspices, the school today is without ...
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Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
, USA **PhD in Religion and Literature *
Wesley Theological Seminary Wesley Theological Seminary is a United Methodist Church seminary in Washington, D.C. It was founded in 1882. History Wesley Theological Seminary can trace its roots back to the 1881 meeting of the Methodist Protestant Church's Maryland Ann ...
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Washington, DC Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and Federal district of the United States, federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from ...
, USA **DMin in Religion and the Arts


See also

* Cultural depictions of Jesus *
Christian worship In Christianity, worship is the act of attributing reverent honour and homage to God. In the New Testament, various words are used to refer to the term worship. One is ("to worship") which means to bow down to God or kings. Worship in the N ...
*
Iconography Iconography, as a branch of art history, studies the identification, description and interpretation of the content of images: the subjects depicted, the particular compositions and details used to do so, and other elements that are distinct fro ...
*
Christians in the Visual Arts Christians in the Visual Arts (CIVA) is an American visual arts organization working to enhance and explore the relationship between Christian faith and the visual arts. It was founded in 1979. After 45 years CIVA ceased its programming in June 2 ...


References


Further reading

* Begbie, Jeremy. ''Beholding the Glory: Incarnation through the Arts''. London: Darton, Longman, and Todd, 2000. * Begbie, Jeremy. ''Sounding the Depths: Theology through the Arts''. London: SCM Press, 2002. * Begbie, Jeremy. ''Theology, Music, and Time''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000. * Begbie, Jeremy. ''Voicing Creation’s Praise: Towards a Theology of the Arts''. Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1991. *de Borchgrave, Helen. ''A Journey Into Christian Art.'' Oxford: Lion Publishing, 1999. * Brown, David. ''Divine Generosity and Human Creativity: Theology through Symbol, Painting and Architecture''. Edited by Christopher R. Brewer and Robert MacSwain. London and New York: Routledge, 2017. * Brown, David. ''God and Mystery in Words: Experience through Metaphor and Drama''. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008. * Brown, David. ''God and Grace of Body: Sacrament in Ordinary''. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007. * Brown, David. ''God and Enchantment of Place: Reclaiming Human Experience''. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004. *Burch Brown, Frank. ''Good Taste, Bad Taste, and Christian Taste: Aesthetics in Religious Life''. London, New York: Oxford University Press, 2003. *Burch Brown, Frank. ''Religious Aesthetics: A Theological Study of Making and Meaning''. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1989. *Bustard, Ned. ''It Was Good: Making Art to the Glory of God''. Baltimore, MD: Square Halo Books, 2000. *Cawkwell, Tim. ''The New Filmgoer's Guide to God''. Leicester: Troubador Press 2014 *Corby Finney, Paul, ed.. ''Seeing Beyond the Word: Visual Arts and the Calvinistic Tradition''. Eerdmans, 1999. *Dagget Dillenberger, Jane. ''Style and Content in Christian Art''. New York, Crossroad: 1965 (1986). *Deacy, Christopher. ''Screen Christologies: Redemption and the Medium of Film''. Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 2001. * Dillenberger, John ''A Theology of Artistic Sensibilities: The Visual Arts and the Church''. London: SCM Press, 1987. *Drury, John. ''Painting the Word: Christian Pictures and Their Meanings''. Yale: Yale University Press, 1998. *Duquette, Natasha, Ed. ''Sublimer Aspects: Interfaces between Literature, Aesthetics, and Theology''. Cambridge: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2007. * Dyrness, William. ''Christian Art in Asia''. Amsterdam:Rodopi, 1979. * Dyrness, William. ''Reformed Theology and Visual Culture: The Protestant Imagination from Calvin to Edwards''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004. * Dyrness, William. ''Roualt: A Vision of Suffering and Salvation''. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1971. * Dyrness, William. ''Senses of the Soul: Art and the Visual in Christian Worship''. Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2008. * Dyrness, William. ''Visual Faith: Art, Theology, and Worship in Dialogue''. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2001. * Dyrness, William. ''Poetic Theology: God and the Poetics of Everyday Life''. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2011. * Evdokimov, Paul E. ''The Art of the Icon: A Theology of Beauty''. Wheathampstead, Hertfordshire & Redondo Beach, California: Anthony Clarke Publishers & Oakwood Publications, 1990, . (French original: ''L'Art de l'Icône: Théologie de la Beauté''. Paris, Desclée De Brouwer, 1972.) *
Fiddes, Paul Paul Stuart Fiddes (born 30 April 1947) is an English Baptist theologian and novelist. Fiddes is Professor Emeritus of Systematic Theology in the University of Oxford, Principal Emeritus and Senior Research Fellow of Regent's Park College, ...
. ''Freedom and limit: a dialogue between literature and Christian doctrine'' (Basingstoke: Macmillan, 1991; Macon, Georgia: Mercer University Press, 1991) *
Fiddes, Paul Paul Stuart Fiddes (born 30 April 1947) is an English Baptist theologian and novelist. Fiddes is Professor Emeritus of Systematic Theology in the University of Oxford, Principal Emeritus and Senior Research Fellow of Regent's Park College, ...
. ''The Novel, Spirituality, and Modern Culture''. Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 2000. *
Fiddes, Paul Paul Stuart Fiddes (born 30 April 1947) is an English Baptist theologian and novelist. Fiddes is Professor Emeritus of Systematic Theology in the University of Oxford, Principal Emeritus and Senior Research Fellow of Regent's Park College, ...
. ''The Promised End: Eschatology in Theology and Literature''. Oxford: Blackwell, 2000. *Forde, Nigel. ''The Lantern and the Looking-Glass: Literature and Christian Belief''. SPCK, 1997. * Gaebelein, Frank E. ''The Christian, the Arts, and Truth: Regaining a Vision of Greatness''. Ed. Bruce Lockerbie. A Critical Concern Book. Portland, OR: Multnomah, 1985. *Garcia-Rivera, Alejandro. ''The Community of the Beautiful: A Theological Aesthetics''. Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press, 1999. *Garcia-Rivera, Alejandro. ''A Wounded Innocence: Sketches for a Theology of Art''. Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press, 2003. *Garcia-Rivera, Alejandro and Thomas Scirghi. ''Living Beauty: The Art of Liturgy''. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 2008. * Gorringe, Timothy. ''The Education of Desire: Towards a Theology of the Senses''. London: SCM, 2001. * Gorringe, Timothy. ''Furthering Humanity: A Theology of Culture''. London: Ashgate, 2004. * Harries, Richard. ''Art and the Beauty of God: A Christian Understanding''. London: Mowbray, 1993. * Harries, Richard. ''The Passion in Art''. Aldershot: Ashgate, 2004. *Hurley, Neil P. ''Theology Through Film''. New York: Harper & Row, 1970. *Jensen, Robin M. ''The Substance of Things Seen: Art Faith and the Christian Community.'' Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2004. *Jewett, Robert. ''Saint Paul at the Movies: The Apostle’s Dialogue with American Culture''. Louisville: Westminster/John Knox, 1993. *Jewett, Robert. ''Saint Paul Returns to the Movies: Triumph over Shame''. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999. *Koehrsen, Jens. ''Religious Tastes and Styles as Markers of Class Belonging'', in: Sociology 53(6), 2018, . * Kandinsky, Wassily. ''Concerning the Spiritual in Art.'' New York: Dover Publications, 1977. *Kreitzer, Larry J. ''The New Testament in Fiction and Film: On Reversing the Hermeneutical Flow''. Sheffield: JSOT Press, 1993. *Kreitzer, Larry J. ''The Old Testament in Fiction and Film: On Reversing the Hermeneutical Flow''. Sheffield: JSOT Press, 1994. *Marsh, Clive, and Gae Ortiz, eds. ''Explorations in Theology and Film: Movies and Meaning''. Oxford: Blackwell, 1997. *May, John R. ''Nourishing Faith through Fiction: Reflections on the Apostles’ Creed in Literature and Film''. Franklin, Wisconsin: Sheed and Ward, 2001. * Murphy, Michael P. ''A Theology of Criticism: Balthasar, Postmodernism, and the Catholic Imagination''. New York: Oxford University Press, 2008. * Niebuhr, H. Richard. ''Christ and Culture''. New York: Harper & Row, 1951. *Power Erikson, Kathleen. ''At Eternity’s Gate: The Spiritual Vision of Vincent van Gogh''. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1999. * Rookmaaker, Hans R. ''Art Needs No Justification''. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1978. * Rookmaaker, Hans R. ''The Creative Gift''. Leicester: InterVarsity, 1981. * Rookmaaker, Hans R. ''Modern Art and the Death of A Culture''. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1970. *Ryken, Leland. ''The Christian Imagination: Essays on Literature and the Arts''. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1981. *Ryken, Leland. ''The Liberated Imagination: Thinking Christianly about the Arts''. The Wheaton Literary Series. Wheaton, IL: Harold Shaw, 1989. * Sayers, Dorothy L. ''The Mind of the Maker''. Cleveland: World, 1956. * Schaeffer, Francis A. ''Art and the Bible''. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1973. * Schaeffer, Franky. ''Addicted to Mediocrity: 20th Century Christians and the Arts''. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 1985. *Seerveld, Calvin. ''Bearing Fresh Olive Leaves: Alternative Steps in Understanding Art''. Carlisle, UK: Piquant Press, 2000. *Seerveld, Calvin. ''Rainbows for the Fallen World: Aesthetic Life and Artistic Task''. Toronto, ON: Toronto Tuppence Press, 1980. * Soldini, Jean. ''Saggio sulla discesa della bellezza. Linee per un'estetica''. Milan: Jaca Book, 1995. * Tillich, Paul. ''On Art and Architecture''. Ed.
John Dillenberger John Dillenberger (1918–2008) was professor of historical theology at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California. He was instrumental in forming the Graduate Theological Union which he headed during its first decade, first as dean f ...
and Jane Dillenberger. New York: Crossroad, 1987. *Treier, Daniel J., Mark Husbands, and Roger Lundin. ''The Beauty of God: Theology and the Arts''. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2007. *Veith, Gene Edward. ''State of the Arts: From Bezalel to Mapplethorpe''. Turning Point Christian Worldview Series. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 1991. *Viladesau, Richard. ''Theological Aesthetics: God in Imagination, Beauty, and Art''. New York, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999. *Viladesau, Richard. ''Theology and the Arts: Encountering God through Music, Art, and Rhetoric''. New York, Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 2000. * Von Balthasar, Hans Urs. ''The Glory of the Lord: A Theological Aesthetics, vol. 1, Seeing the Form''. Trans. Erasmo Leiva-Merikakis. Ed. Joseph Fessio, SJ and John Riches. Edinburgh: T & T Clark, 1982. *Wolfe, Gregory. ''Intruding Upon the Timeless: Meditations on Art, Faith, and Mystery''. Baltimore: Square Halo Books, 2003. * Wolterstorff, Nicholas. ''Art in Action: Toward a Christian Aesthetic''. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1980. *Wood, Robert E. ''Placing aesthetics: Reflections on the philosophical tradition''. Athens, Ohio: Ohio University Press, 1999. . (Subject Index entries "God" and "Religion".)


External links


Brehm Center for Worship, Theology, and the Arts
- at
Fuller Theological Seminary Fuller Theological Seminary is an Evangelical seminary in Pasadena, California, with regional campuses in the western United States. It is egalitarian in nature. Fuller has a student body of approximately 2,300 students from 90 countries and ...

Center for the Arts, Religion, and Education
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Graduate Theological UnionCenter for Christian Study of CharlottesvilleChristian Study Center of GainesvilleDamah Film FestivalDominican School of Philosophy & Theology, Berkeley, CAMars Hill Audio
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NPR National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...
-like audio journal
Society for the Arts in Religious and Theological Studies
- a professional academic society
Theology Through the Arts project
- Directed by
Jeremy Begbie Jeremy Sutherland Begbie, DD, BA, BD, PhD, LRAM, ARCM, FRSCM, is Thomas A. Langford Distinguished Research Professor of Theology at Duke Divinity School, Duke University, where he is the McDonald Agape Director oDuke Initiatives in Theology and th ...

Theology and the Arts reading list
- By Jeremy Begbie
Transforming Culture: A Vision for the Church and the Arts
- A symposium for pastors, church leaders, and artists (April 1–3. 2008)
Veritasse Arts Society, OxfordHoly Icons: Theology in Color
{{Authority control
Aesthetics Aesthetics (also spelled esthetics) is the branch of philosophy concerned with the nature of beauty and taste (sociology), taste, which in a broad sense incorporates the philosophy of art.Slater, B. H.Aesthetics ''Internet Encyclopedia of Ph ...
Applied aesthetics