THE DIVINE ABOVE AND THE DIVINE BELOW: WHAT SUFJAN STEVENS’ POST-LITERAL AND POST-RATIONAL AESTHETIC COMMUNICATES ABOUT THE DIVINE
FINAL PAPER SUBMITTED TO CRAIG DETWEILER DOCTOR OF MINISTRY PROGRAM FULLER THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY
IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE COURSE TC709 INTERPRETIVE LEADERSHIP
BY ZACHARY MCGOWEN DUE: OCTOBER 1, 2017 SUBMITTED: OCTOBER 1, 2017 Many mainline denominational churches, like First Presbyterian Church in
Lakeland, FL, face a problem: the desire for relevance while being layered in the trappings of what some consider archaic religious heritage and vestments. The old forms and structures meant to point to the transcendence of God and the reverence a person should hold for their Creator and Savior Jesus Christ instead smack of institutionalism of a bygone Christendom. As a result, new congregations often opt for surroundings and liturgies that are devoid of traditional elements, and older/more established congregations, such as FPC Lakeland, try to solve the problem by adding contemporary services in gyms, fellowship halls, and the like, removing those members of the congregation away from the transcendent forms. These efforts seek relevance by emphasizing God’s immanent presence over God’s transcendent character.
Modern artists and pop culture contributors demonstrate that there is a longing for both and a desire to see the transcendent in the everyday. On one hand, Craig Detweiler and Barry Taylor observe the post-rational/ultra-experiential nature in current musical trends, “Almost all scholarly research or analysis of pop music begins and ends with personal experience.”1 On the other hand, Robert Johnston writes of surveying his students about their own religious experiences, “In my teaching in theology and the arts, it is a common experience for me to hear students relate stories of their own transcendent experiences that they have had while reading a book or viewing a movie.”2 In a post-
1 Craig Detweiler and Barry Taylor, A Matrix of Meanings: Finding God in Pop Culture (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2003). Kindle: Loc 2499-2500.
2 Robert K. Johnston, God's Wider Presence: Reconsidering General Revelation (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2003). Kindle: 6.