Protestant Aesthetic - Essay Example

Protestant Aesthetic Essay Word Count Affiliation: The use and application of aesthetics vary from one discipline or field to another. The suitability or relevance of aesthetic practices is highly influenced by cultural, social, economic, political, religious, and environmental aspects. Contributory factors in that process are diverse and dynamic, but the common denominator is that communities, societies, and religions exhibit lack of consensus in aesthetics matters. In the religious context, aesthetics often constitute a bone of contention. Aesthetics and all the variables that define it have elicited mixed reactions relative to the extent to which aesthetics fit into religion. Religious differences have seen the use of aesthetics in diverse and dynamic ways1. Whilst some religions have openly employed aesthetics in their religious practices, others have moved swiftly to shun aesthetics applicability in religion. The presence or absence of aesthetics in religion dates back to as long as history can remember. The early Christian church had its ways of dealing with aesthetics, and so do the contemporary church. Important to capture is the protestant views on and perspectives of aesthetics. In the protestant context, aesthetics is always been a source of controversy. This is the direct opposite of Catholic Church’s perspective of aesthetics. In this respect, it is evident that aesthetics encompass different aspects that vary across religious groups. In order to understand the underlying aesthetics diversity in religion, it is important to consider what constitutes aesthetics within and without Protestantism. The variant aspects that define aesthetics are essential in explaining the emerging issues and/or concerns relative to protestant aesthetics. In the most basic terms, aesthetics is defined by beauty and artistic works2. In other words, sense knowledge gives the best of aesthetics. The creation, development, and presentation of art are, therefore, crucial factors that influence aesthetics in the art context. This implies that aesthetics essentially means the creation, development, and presentation of art. With protestant aesthetics being the central focus of the argument, it becomes vital to assess how art fits into protestant aesthetics. In general, Protestantism and art are notably two conflicting factors. In this respect, art as an aesthetics factor fails to fit into protestant aesthetics context. Protestantism and iconoclasm are parallel to one another, with Protestantism working to its full capacity to shun idolatry and iconoclasm3. For this reason, art is not an integrative factor as far as protestant aesthetics is concerned. When aesthetics mean art, then the presence of protestant aesthetics ceases to be. The elimination of one from the other is actually based on the difficulties and complexities exhibited by the relationship between protestant aesthetics and art. Most importantly, the failure of art to connect with protestant aesthetics is phenomenal. Throughout history, art has always been one of those fields that generate valuable objects. However, Protestantism was not set to acknowledge this prospect. Protestantism employed iconoclasm and idolatry to have aesthetically valuable objects destroyed4. Since time immemorial, artistic creations and protestant aesthetics have shifted away from each other. However, the future is untold and changes might have already been realized subject to contemporary influence. The perspective and approach to protestant aesthetics can take diverse and dynamic aspects depending on the actual variables that influence that process. It is possible to subject protestant aesthetics to no external variables. This means that Protestantism would be left to determine and influence protestant aesthetics. This can only be done when protestant aesthetics is considered its purity. Purity herein means that protestant aesthetics is not subjected to external factors that encompass beauty and art. In other words, the only factor that would influence protestant aesthetics is man-God relationship. Even in the absence of artistic images, man still has a relationship with God. With the emphasis being Protestantism, then a clear roadmap is set relative to the ground within man enters into a relationship with God. A pure man-God relationship eliminates the involvement of artistic images. Subsequently, the purity of protestant aesthetics is realized. At the time man secures his own time with God, artistic images are not in the picture. The perceived disturbance caused by images is eliminated, thus giving man an ample time with God. The above-discussed protestant aesthetics’ purity pinpoints to an aesthetic relationship between God and man, even in the absence of images. The man’s lone time with God gives these two parties a perfect moment together. There are no likely ‘barriers’ between them in the form of images. The aesthetics context in play assumes that images are distractive, thus avoiding them to enhance a coherent relationship with God. Essentially, eliminating external factors between man and God constitutes the beauty of man’s relationship with God. As earlier mentioned, sense knowledge is a vital factor that influences beauty and art; or aesthetics in general. Sense knowledge encompasses a number of crucial variables, namely: sensation, feeling, and imagination5. The extent to which beauty and/or art is realized depends on the degree to which each of the variables is employed in the aesthetics context. Notably, art is a very wide field that constitutes many and differentiated activities. On a more specific ground, arts encompass visual arts, music, dance, poetry, film, drama, and literature6. In the light of arts, another aspect of aesthetics comes up; theological aesthetics. This aspect considers the beauty of theology and goes a step further to assess and evaluate the extent to which theology dialogues with arts. In so doing, all the forms of art previously highlighted are accounted for as theologians fit aesthetics into theology. It is important to note that theological aesthetics has realized immense growth and development in the recent past, thanks to the pace set by Hans Urs von Balthasar, Jonathan Edwards, Martin Luther, Thomas Aquinas, Søren Kierkegaard, Augustine of Hippo, and Karl Barth, among others7. Since time immemorial, theological writings have been part and parcel of Christianity. As a matter of fact, history traces and presents religious reformations that take place over time, highlighting changes and developments that date back to specific years at one point in time. Worth to note is that the early Christian church was not short of theological writings. This makes it plausible that theological aesthetics was at least evident from as far as the period between circa 160 and c.6508. Aesthetics of the early church revolved around their Christianity beliefs about God. These beliefs brought about themes that were essentially addressed in theological writings. Subsequently, theological writings presented the aesthetic value of the early church. The church’s vision and glory of God became eminent, resulting in aesthetic representation of these factors. Most importantly, God’s image in Jesus Christ and in His people would essentially optimize theological aesthetics at the time. Concerns over idolatry and iconoclasm were neither to be overlooked. Later on, theological aesthetics became extensive as the medieval church diversified its aesthetics platform. Over and above the vision and image of God mentioned above, the medieval church pursued beauty ideas. The idea of beauty was, therefore, introduced in the religious context. Further insights into theological aesthetics saw the consideration of the conflict between iconodule and iconoclast alongside the sturdy presence of poetic doxologies9. Religious reformation of the 16th century revisited idolatry and iconoclasm. This was a contentious issue as religious views intensified on matters of idol worshipping. Protestantism moved swiftly to advocate against idolatry and iconoclasm. Church decorations were shunned as images became a critical issue in church history. In the next three centuries, things took a diverse change. Protestants composed hymns, beauty became a topic to write about, romantic artists emerged, feeling and intuition of religion was introduced, religious art declined, and thinkers like Hegel, Burke, Kant, and Baumgarten were making their respective philosophical contributions10. Feeling, sensation, and imagination in the theological context exploded from the 20th century onwards11. Art became an essential tool that influences and informs theology. A new meaning of culture emerged, shaped by art and beauty of the world. Theology integrated imagination into its practices. The image, beauty, and glory of God informed artistic creations. Christians’ perspectives and approaches to art critique changed significantly, an aspect that reflects Christian reformation in theological aesthetics context. Protestantism, on its side, had its own way of accounting for and dealing with theological aesthetics. In spite of Protestantism’s approach to idolatry and iconoclasm, Protestants remained oriented towards a religion that was well understood and practiced. Protestants’ point of view and perspective of religion can be considered to be aesthetic. Their beliefs and religious practices were unique to Protestantism, implying that they stuck to what they believed to be the beauty of their religion. This theological approach to religion constitutes aesthetics value that cannot be overlooked as far Protestantism is concerned. In the Protestants’ religious context, God is presented as the Supreme Being. Respect, worship, and praise are directed to Him as they acknowledge His superiority and control over man. This Protestantism view of God has an aesthetic value in it. The beauty of believing is seen in the way Christians approach God and all the underlying matters. The ultimate goal of believing, worshipping, and praising God is to please Him in return for his favours. In this respect, there are unseen expectations and desires that Protestantism possesses. A theological view of these expectations and desires reveal that there is underlying aesthetics to engaging in theological practices. Art is undoubtedly a contentious issue in the Protestantism context. Whether this Christian group was for or against art, the common denominator is that it exhibited aesthetics characteristics. Note that Protestants actually identified idols, criticized art work, and destroyed aesthetically valuable objects12. This directly implies that Protestantism was aesthetically judgemental. Whether they supported art or not, practices that pinpoint to acknowledgement of the existence of art cannot be refuted. Contemporary trends in theological aesthetics continue to show the close relationship between aesthetics and religion. Theological aesthetics can be described in terms of sacraments and incarnation. Essentially, the doctrine of creation and incarnation has become the basis upon which art and theology connects. Protestant aesthetics has, in the recent past, viewed art from a sacramental perspective and reality from an incarnational perspective13. Sacramental and incarnational perspectives of theological aesthetics have essentially driven the redefinition of doctrinal categories in Christianity. Whilst this religious reformation has its positive and negative implications, the common denominator is that protestant aesthetics is highly influenced by theology. Christianity acknowledges that God is the creator, and everything that was created by God is good. It is this goodness that has led to the emergence of artistic production within and without Christianity. In the process, theological aesthetics has moved quickly to relate art and beauty with theological practices. The union of man with God accords man the responsibility to maintain the dignity of God’s creation. To do this, man has had to become creative and innovative, allowing him to generate and add aesthetic value to God’s creation. Theology has borrowed these provisions and integrated them into Protestants’ religious practices. In conclusion, there are arguments and counterarguments about protestant aesthetics. The baseline is that acts of worship have always been diverse and dynamic. Failure to engage in artistic and beauty practices does not imply total absence of aesthetics. Protestants’ sacramental and incarnational factors pinpoint to theological aesthetics of Protestantism. Theological approaches to religion since the early Christian time revolve around faith, trust, and belief. It is critically difficult to separate art and beauty from the entire creation relative to aesthetics in religion. Aesthetical judgement, therefore, resides within and without the theology factor. References A. Duke et al., eds., Calvinism in Europe 1540-1610: A collection of documents (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001). C. Christensen, Art and the Reformation in Germany (Athens, Oh., 1979). C. Eire, War Against the Idols (Cambridge: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 1986). D. Freedberg, Iconoclasm and Painting in the Revolt of the Netherlands, 1566-1609 (London, 1988). D. Natasha, Sublimer Aspects: Interfaces between Literature, Aesthetics, and Theology (Cambridge: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2007). D. William, Senses of the Soul: Art and the Visual in Christian Worship (Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2008). G. Alejandro and T. Scirghi, Living Beauty: The Art of Liturgy (Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 2008). G. Alejandro, A Wounded Innocence: Sketches for a Theology of Art (Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press, 2003). H. De Borchgrave, A Journey into Christian Art (Oxford: Lion Publishing, 1999). S. Michalski, The Reformation and the Visual Arts (London, 1993). T. Daniel, M. Husbands, and R. Lundin, The Beauty of God: Theology and the Arts (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2007). Read More