Theology as Aesthetics
JONATHAN KING
STUDIES IN HISTORICAL AND SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY
The Beauty of the Lord: Theology as Aesthetics
Studies in Historical and Systematic Theology
Copyright © 2018 Jonathan King
Lexham Press, 1313 Commercial St., Bellingham, WA 98225
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Print ISBN 978-1-68-359058-3
Digital ISBN 978-1-68-359059-0
Lexham Editorial Team: Todd Hains, Jennifer Edwards, Michael Haykin
To my wife, Sharm—the Lord’s precious gift to me.
You are my muse in all things beautiful, but more than that,
the whole of my life with you is incomparably better than
the sum of our lives individually, and that is a dimension
of beauty I am so blessed to experience because of you.
4. The Incarnation: Beauty Condescending
5. The Cross: Beauty Redeeming
6. Re-creation: Beauty’s Denouement
Appendix 1: The General Witness of Scripture to the Aesthetic Dimension
Of the three medieval “transcendentals,” beauty typically takes third place in modern theology, behind truth and goodness. Many systematic theologies set forth the truth of Scripture; liberation theologies focus on the importance of doing what is good and right, especially pursuing justice, but few have taken up the cause of beauty. Many Christians associate beauty with a concern for aesthetics. And yet, while they would not deny that art and music and perhaps even architecture enhance worship, when the budget gets tough, the arts get cut.
Jonathan King’s book is not about the arts. It is not about the beautiful things humans create in a variety of media (i.e., a theology of the arts). It is not about the beauty of the natural world (i.e., a natural theology of beauty). It is not an exercise in theological correlation (i.e., theology and the arts). Rather, it is a dogmatic account of the beauty of the Lord (i.e., it is a proposal about the doctrine of God). Beauty is not merely in the eye of the beholder (this way modern subjectivism lies); rather, beauty is in the being and activity of God, rooted in the divine attributes. Accordingly, King focuses on the beauty of the plan ...
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About The Beauty of the Lord: Theology as AestheticsWhy is God’s beauty often absent from our theology? Rarely do theologians take up the theme of God’s beauty—even more rarely do they consider how God’s beauty should shape the task of theology itself. But the psalmist says that the heart of the believer’s desire is to behold the beauty of the Lord. In The Beauty of the Lord Jonathan King restores aesthetics as not merely a valid lens for theological reflection, but an essential one. Jesus, our incarnate Redeemer, displays the Triune God’s beauty in his actions and person, from creation to final consummation. How can and should theology better reflect this unveiled beauty? The Beauty of the Lord is a renewal of a truly aesthetic theology and a properly theological aesthetics. |
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