Theopoetics in its modern context is an
interdisciplinary
Interdisciplinarity or interdisciplinary studies involves the combination of multiple academic disciplines into one activity (e.g., a research project). It draws knowledge from several fields such as sociology, anthropology, psychology, economi ...
field of study that combines elements of
poetic analysis,
process theology
Process theology is a type of theology developed from Alfred North Whitehead's (1861–1947) process philosophy, but most notably by Charles Hartshorne (1897–2000), John B. Cobb (1925–2024), and Eugene H. Peters (1929–1983). Process ...
,
narrative theology
Postliberal theology (often called narrative theology) is a Christian theological movement that focuses on a narrative presentation of the Christian faith as regulative for the development of a coherent systematic theology. Thus, Christianity i ...
, and
postmodern philosophy
Postmodern philosophy is a philosophy, philosophical movement that arose in the second half of the 20th century as a critical response to assumptions allegedly present in Modernism#Origins, modernist philosophical ideas regarding culture, identit ...
. Originally developed by
Stanley Hopper and
David Leroy Miller in the 1960s and furthered significantly by
Amos Wilder with his 1976 text, ''Theopoetic: Theology and the Religious Imagination.''
In recent times there has been a revitalized interest with new work being done by two schools of thought in theopoetics.
One school values process theology and postmodern philosophy. It is led by individuals such as L. Callid Keefe-Perry,
Rubem Alves,
Catherine Keller,
John Caputo
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Second ...
,
Peter Rollins
Peter Rollins (born 31 March 1973) is a Northern Irish writer, public speaker, philosopher, producer and theologian.
Drawing largely from various strands of continental philosophy, Rollins' early work operated broadly from within the tradition ...
Scott Holland Melanie May,
Matt Guynn,
Roland Faber, and others.
The other school of thought values the philosophical
transcendentals
The transcendentals (, from transcendere "to exceed") are "properties of being", nowadays commonly considered to be truth, unity (oneness), beauty, and goodness. The conceptual idea arose from medieval scholasticism, namely Aquinas but originated ...
as informed by
classical theology. It is led by individuals such as Anne M. Carpenter of
St. Mary’s College, California, and Richard Viladesau of
Fordham University
Fordham University is a Private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit research university in New York City, United States. Established in 1841, it is named after the Fordham, Bronx, Fordham neighborhood of the Bronx in which its origina ...
, with contributions from Brian Nixon of
Veritas International University. This school of theo-poetics is influenced by the thought of
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 ...
as informed by a range of thinkers as divergent as
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 ...
,
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 ...
,
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 ...
,
Dietrich Richard Alfred von Hildebrand,
David Bentely Hart and
Pavel Florensky
Pavel Alexandrovich Florensky (also P. A. Florenskiĭ, Florenskii, Florenskij; ; ; – December 8, 1937) was a Russian Orthodox theologian, priest, philosopher, mathematician, physicist, electrical engineer, inventor, polymath, neomartyr and f ...
.
Description
Postmodern Theopoetics
The first school of theopoetics suggests that instead of trying to develop a "scientific" theory of God, as
systematic theology
Systematic theology, or systematics, is a discipline of Christian theology that formulates an orderly, rational, and coherent account of the doctrines of the Christian faith. It addresses issues such as what the Bible teaches about certain topics ...
attempts, theologians should instead try to find God through poetic articulations of their lived ("embodied") experiences. It asks theologians to accept reality as a legitimate source of divine revelation and suggests that both the divine and the real are mysterious — that is, irreducible to literalist dogmas or scientific proofs.
Theopoetics makes significant use of "radical" and "ontological" metaphor to create a more fluid and less stringent referent for the divine. One of the functions of theopoetics is to recalibrate theological perspectives, suggesting that theology can be more akin to poetry than physics. It belies the logical assertion of the
principle of bivalence
In logic, the semantic principle (or law) of bivalence states that every declarative sentence expressing a proposition (of a theory under inspection) has exactly one truth value, either true or false. A logic satisfying this principle is calle ...
and stands in contrast to some rigid Biblical
hermeneutics
Hermeneutics () is the theory and methodology of interpretation, especially the interpretation of biblical texts, wisdom literature, and philosophical texts. As necessary, hermeneutics may include the art of understanding and communication.
...
that suggest that each passage of scripture has only one, usually
teleological
Teleology (from , and )Partridge, Eric. 1977''Origins: A Short Etymological Dictionary of Modern English'' London: Routledge, p. 4187. or finalityDubray, Charles. 2020 912Teleology. In ''The Catholic Encyclopedia'' 14. New York: Robert Applet ...
, interpretation. The dismissal of the aesthetic as a living part of language has turned the academic enterprise of biblical studies and theology into a language more at home with lawyers than poets. Theopoetics is the art of using words and thoughts that speak to the reader in an aesthetic and existential way to inspire spirituality in the reader.
Whereas those who utilize a strict,
historical-grammatical approach believe scripture and theology possess inerrant factual meaning and pay attention to
historicity
Historicity is the historical actuality of persons and events, meaning the quality of being part of history instead of being a historical myth, legend, or fiction. The historicity of a claim about the past is its factual status. Historicity deno ...
, a theopoetic approach takes an allegorical position on faith statements that can be continuously reinterpreted. Theopoetics suggest that just as a poem can take on new meaning depending on the context in which the reader interprets it, texts and experiences of the Divine can and should take on new meaning depending on the changing situation of the individual.
Classical Theopoetics
In the second school of theopoetics, the aim is drawn “from
von Balthasar’s affirmation of poetic expression: when God speaks to us in the Incarnation, all qualities of human language—even being itself—are employed as created ‘grammar’ by which God expresses himself to us…With God at the center of expression, poetry becomes capable of an authentic role in theological language.”
This form of theo-poetics “requires the interplay of three massive fields of knowledge:
metaphysics
Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that examines the basic structure of reality. It is traditionally seen as the study of mind-independent features of the world, but some theorists view it as an inquiry into the conceptual framework of ...
,
language
Language is a structured system of communication that consists of grammar and vocabulary. It is the primary means by which humans convey meaning, both in spoken and signed language, signed forms, and may also be conveyed through writing syste ...
, and
Christology
In Christianity, Christology is a branch of Christian theology, theology that concerns Jesus. Different denominations have different opinions on questions such as whether Jesus was human, divine, or both, and as a messiah what his role would b ...
”
and is to be “sharply distinguished from the agnostic overtures of the ‘theo-poetics’ movement, whose lineage is not be found in the thought of
Balthasar.”
The mythopoetics of the Oxford Inklings (C.S. Lewis, JRR Tolkien, Owen Barfield, Charles Williams, among others) would also be an example of classical theopoetics. Charles Williams gave the name "Romantic Theology" to his project of establishing a subclass of theology at the intersection of imaginative, specifically romantic, literature and classical theology; however this subclass of theology is focused on romantic love between a couple as a way of loving God. C.S. Lewis fits poetry into a broader understanding of theology in his essay "Is Theology Poetry?" Others have called it Christian Romanticism, Mythopoetics or Theopoetics. Northwind Seminary offers a doctoral degree program in the Romantic Theology of the Oxford Inklings.
ww.NorthwindSeminary.edu
Notable publications
Books
* .
* .
* .
* Carpenter, Anne (2015). Theo-poetics : Hans Urs von Balthasar and the risk of art and being. University of Notre Dame Press. . OCLC 927188404.
* Cruz-Villalobos, Luis (2015). Theological Poetry. Foreword by John D. Caputo. Santiago de Chile: Hebel Edicione
* Cruz-Villalobos, Luis (2019). Wise Crimes. Santiago de Chile: Hebel Edicione
* Cruz-Villalobos, Luis (2019). Haikus al Cielo. Santiago de Chile: Hebel Edicione
* Cruz-Villalobos, Luis (2020). Pauper God. Theographies. Santiago de Chile: Independently Poetr
* Cruz-Villalobos, Luis (2020). Poesía Teológica. Prólogo de John D. Caputo. 2da Ed. Santiago de Chile: Independently Poetr
* Cruz-Villalobos, Luis & Lagunas, Samuel (2020). Plegarias Sórdidas. Santiago de Chile: Independently Poetry
* .
* .
* Gundy, Jeff. ''Songs From an Empty Cage: Poetry, Mystery, Anabaptism, and Peace'', USA: Cascadia Publishing House, ISBN 9781931038973
* .
* .
*
* Nixon, Brian C. (2021). ''Beauty (and the Banana): A Theopoetic Aesthetic''. Wipf & Stock,
*
* Bronsink, Troy (2013), ''Drawn In: A Creative Process For Artists, Activists, and Jesus Followers'', Paraclete,
* Harrity, Dave (2013), ''Making Manifest: On Faith, Creativity, and the Kingdom at Hand,'' Seedbed,
* Keefe-Perry, L. Callid (2014), ''Way to Water: A Theopoetics Primer'', Cascade,
* Garner, Phillip Michael (2017)
Theopoetics: Spiritual Poetry for Contemplative Theology and Daily Living
Wipf and Stock,
* Tagore, Rabindranath (1913/2019). Gitanjali: Song Offering. Santiago de Chile: Independently Poetr
See also
*Poetics
Poetics is the study or theory of poetry, specifically the study or theory of device, structure, form, type, and effect with regards to poetry, though usage of the term can also refer to literature broadly. Poetics is distinguished from hermeneu ...
*Biblical theology
Because scholars have tended to use the term in different ways, Biblical theology has been notoriously difficult to define. The academic field of biblical theology is sub-divided into Old Testament theology and New Testament theology.
Academic ...
*Christian theology
Christian theology is the theology – the systematic study of the divine and religion – of Christianity, Christian belief and practice. It concentrates primarily upon the texts of the Old Testament and of the New Testament, as well as on Ch ...
*Narrative or postliberal theology
*Postmodern Christianity
Postmodern theology, also known as the continental philosophy of religion, is a philosophical and theological movement that interprets Christian theology in light of postmodernism and various forms of post- Heideggerian thought, including post-s ...
* Secular Theology
*'
*'' Theopoesis''
References
{{Reflist
External links
Theopoetics.net websiteTheopoetics: A Journal of Theological Imagination, Literature, Embodiment, and Aesthetics"Microtheology: Toward a theopoetic of the local" article
* Theological Poetry. Poetry (2015) By Luis Cruz-Villalobos. Foreword by John D. Caput
"Theopoetics: that the dead may become gardeners again" article
'' Cross Currents (journal), Cross Currents''
"Theopoetic/theopolitic" article
'' Cross Currents (journal), Cross Currents''
Masters of Arts: Theopoetics and Writing (MATW), Bethany Theological SeminaryCertificate in Theopoetics and Theological Imagination, Bethany Theological Seminary
Process theology
Poetics
Postmodern theory
Theology