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Dissertation Complete-Final DISCOVERING BEAUTY, DISCOVERING GOD Cynthia A. Bacon Hammer April 2015 Waunakee, Wisconsin A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary in Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Ministry Discovering Beauty, Discovering God Cynthia A. Bacon Hammer Doctor of Ministry Degree University of Dubuque Theological Seminary Dr. Bonnie Sue Lewis, Dr. Philip Jamieson, Dr. Susan Forshey, Advisors May 2015 Dissertation Abstract Beauty is an entryway into the presence of God. The arts used in worship can act as a catalyst for that entryway. Chapter one, defines beauty theologically using the arguments of Hans Urs von Balthasar, Daniel Trier, Garrett Green, Jeremy Begbie, Robert Lewis Wilken, Leland Ryken, and Luci Shaw, as well as explores natural beauty and created beauty, the human need to create, and humanity’s desire and need for beauty. Beauty is defined as that which reflects God’s essence: God is beauty. In order to measure beauty, this project argues for six criteria: Christ himself, a reflection of eternity and of human limitations, universality and uniqueness, harmony with truth and goodness, a transformative nature, and abundance. Intentionally using beauty in worship can be a means for transformation. Art is an animator of faith, engaging the imagination, and linking the essence of the human being with the essence of the Divine. Entering into a work of art and its beauty can lead to the transformation of the human being. The importance of the relationship between the arts and faith is argued and defined. Chapters three through seven explore specific works of art. Using the criteria from chapter one they are defined as beautiful. Specific examples, such as sermons, meditations, and study groups, are given for worship use. The works of art included are: the string composition Adagio for Strings by Samuel Barber, the painting Miss Elsie Palmer by John Singer Sargent, the novel Mary Barton by Elizabeth Gaskell, the film Monster’s Ball directed by Marc Forster, and the play Our Town by Thornton Wilder. Contents DISSERTATION ABSTRACT Chapter 1. Defining Beauty Introduction 1 Thesis Statement 2 Rationale and Context 3 Chapter Outline 6 Defining Beauty 9 Natural Beauty and Created Beauty 13 Humanities Desire for Beauty 15 The Human Need to Create 18 The Measure of Beauty 20 The Need for Beauty 25 A Definition of Beauty 27 Chapter 2. The Intentional Use of Beauty in Worship The Intentional Use of Beauty in Worship as 30 a Means of Transformation Faith Informs Art and Art Enhances Faith 34 Conclusion 38 Chapter 3. Adagio for Strings: Opening the Heavens History of Adagio for Strings 40 About the Music 42 What Makes Adagio Beautiful? 45 How to Use Adagio in Worship 48 A Guided Meditation for use with Barber’s Adagio for Strings 51 Sermon to be used with Barber’s Adagio for Strings: Climbing the 52 Mountain Chapter 4. John Singer Sargent and Miss Elsie Palmer: Eyes into the Soul John Singer Sargent and His Art 56 Miss Elsie Palmer 64 The Portrait 68 Why Miss Elsie Palmer is Beautiful 70 Use in Worship 71 Sermon to be used with Sargent’s Miss Elsie Palmer: 73 Eyes into the Soul Spiritual Exercise to be used with Sargent’s Miss Elsie Palmer 76 Chapter 5. Elizabeth Gaskell’s Mary Barton: The Least of These Elizabeth Gaskell 77 Mary Barton 80 Why is Mary Barton Beautiful? 93 Use in Worship 96 Sermon to be used with Gaskell’s Mary Barton: The Sin Within 98 Two Exercises and Discussion Questions for a Church Book Club 102 Chapter 6. Monster’s Ball: Choosing Forgiveness, Choosing Hope About the Film 104 The Film Itself 108 Why the Film is Beautiful 116 Use in Worship 118 Sermon to be used with Monster’s Ball: Hope for a future 120 Study guide for a church film club to use with Monster’s Ball 124 Chapter 7. Our Town: Eternity Now and Then Thornton Wilder 125 The Play 129 What Makes Our Town Beautiful? 137 Use in Worship 138 Outline for a Sermon Series Using Scenes from Our Town 139 Guidelines for Church Group Discussions Before and After 151 a Performance of Our Town CONCLUSION 152 BIBLIOGRAPHY 158 Chapter 1 Defining Beauty Introduction It was Friday afternoon. Four pastors, including myself, heads full to the brim with history, polity, and ecclesiology, took the T to another part of Boston. Exhausted from our week of work, we sought a respite of sorts. We entered the museum anxiously, our energies restored at the thought of it. Tickets purchased, maps in hand, we made our way to the special exhibit: the paintings of John Singer Sargent. Earpieces in place, the guided tour began. Painting after painting, room after room we traveled. By the time we reached the final space I felt compelled to sit. We had to sit, it was so overwhelming. We did not want to leave the presence of this place. It was not only one painting or one technique or one appealing color combination. Instead it was the whole, the body of work. And so we sat. We felt our bodies breathing, the sensation of blood pumping through our veins. We were exhausted, yet more alive than we could describe. We had not merely observed the paintings, we had been invited into a mystery, an experience that was beyond words. That experience was beauty. Not the beauty of fashion models or the latest trend, but a beauty that spoke of truth and goodness, a beauty that was genuine to its core. “But what was the core, from where did this beauty come?” I wondered. And then it came to me. I was standing in a spiritual space. The work of the artist had brought me to rest in the presence of God. I saw God’s face in the body of work. I felt the essence of God revealed through the experience. And, in the midst of this mystery, I was filled, my imagination alive with thoughts of that which was beyond my grasp. The joy I knew 1 as the divine entered my heart and mind and soul was immeasurable. And I stayed in that place as long as I could. Though sharing a story such as this may be considered unusual, it is experiential. That is what is spoken of when engaging with beauty. Beauty draws a person. Unable to merely observe, a relationship with beauty begins. Just as God is experienced and not merely known in a cognitive sense, beauty too is experienced, and that is precisely the purpose of this paper. Thesis Statement Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Philippians 4:81 We are told by Paul in Philippians 4:8 to “think about these things.” Why: because they lead us to God. They reveal God to us, helping us to see God at work in every corner of the world. When we think about “these things” we see God more clearly. We see “these things” in the beauty of God’s Kingdom. We are able to look at the world, in part, through the eyes of God. “These things” transform us and give us a heart to do the work God has placed before us. This work includes the calling of the church to love and serve, bringing all together in call, bringing all together in how they are sent. This project will explore “these things,” specifically, works of art which are beautiful because they reflect the essence of God. The beautiful provides an entryway into an awareness of God’s presence. This project will begin by defining beauty in ! 1 All biblical quotes in this project will be taken from the New Revised Standard Version. 2 theological terms, and then speak in detail about the use of the arts in worship as an entryway into the awareness of God’s presence. Lastly, we will explore specific works of art and how they can be used in worship to this end. By addressing the concept of beauty in worship, intentionally seeking to awaken the imagination of the worshiper, God’s beauty can be named and reclaimed, that the people of God may be transformed heart, mind, and soul. Rationale and Context Beauty belongs to God. God is the measure by which all beauty is evaluated. I am arguing that God is beauty. God is revealed to us through beauty which is both true and good. Authentic or honest beauty is about God’s essence and reflects God’s character. Through beauty, we are able to behold a glimpse of God. When that glimpse is revealed, our imaginations are awakened to all the possibilities of how God might be seen and what God might be sharing with us. In this awakening, we are able to see God more clearly and within many examples of beauty. Our desire to meet God in this way then grows, our longing is fueled, and our journey with God goes more deeply into the human- divine connection2 that is found in the imagination. When in worship, we then intentionally provide opportunities to see God through beauty. We open the door for spiritual formation through beauty. Beauty, in this way, is then an entryway to the divine. When God is sought and then encountered through ! 2 See Garrett Green, Imagining God: Theology and Religious Imagination (Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co, 1998). Here Green argues that the imagination is the meeting place of the human and the Divine.
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