Beauty
Wheezinggirl writes in a recent comment, "I see much beauty in the Christian mystical tradition."
Indeed. Much of what drives me to continue exploring Christian mysticism is its emphasis on beauty.
The three great branches of theology: dogmatic theology, moral theology, and ascetical (mystical) theology, correspond to the three Platonic ways of knowing: truth, goodness, and beauty, respectively. More recently, Ken Wilber speaks of these three forms as "the big three," corresponding to his integral map of consciousness: truth corresponds to what is out there in an objective/empirical sense, goodness corresponds to the truths that govern social interaction and collective consciousness, while beauty corresponds to the riches of truth "in here," concerning the limitless depth of subjective/spiritual consciousness.
Dogmatic theology as the arbiter of truth has been under attack by western science for some time now. Indeed, while fundamentalists (of any religious persuasion) still cling to the idea that the dogma of their faith is the one and only absolute truth, most moderate to liberal Christians would now accept that dogmatic theology really only concerns religious truth, leaving the core reality-dogmas of our day under the arbitration of the scientific community. Meanwhile, moral theology has come under attack from a variety of sources, but most especially from feminism and postmodernism, two movements that have deconstructed the patriarchalism, legalism, and objectivism that have shaped and limited classical Christian morality.
So in a world where Christianity’s claims to contribute to both the true and the good have been compromised, what about beauty? I think this is where the faith remains the most relevant to today’s world. Not only are the writings of the mystics splendid in their literary artistry, but their directives for experiencing the Divine Presence through lectio divina (meditative reading of scripture), contemplative prayer, meditation, and the liturgy invite us to encounter not only beauty, but glory and wonder as well.
It’s a shame that mysticism is so marginalized within Christianity. It’s as if untold millions of people are sitting on a vast, limitless treasure that promises to transform their lives with indescribable beauty and joy, but since no one has bothered to tell them about it, the treasure goes unnoticed.
Beauty
Wheezinggirl writes in a recent comment, “I see much beauty in the Christian mystical tradition.”
Indeed. Much of what drives me to continue exploring Christian mysticism is its emphasis on beauty.
The three great branches of theology: dogmatic theology, moral theology, and ascetical (mystical) theology, correspond to the three Platonic ways of knowing: truth, goodness, and beauty, respectively. More recently, Ken Wilber speaks of these three forms as “the big three,” corresponding to his integral map of consciousness: truth corresponds to what is out there in an objective/empirical sense, goodness corresponds to the truths that govern social interaction and collective consciousness, while beauty corresponds to the riches of truth “in here,” concerning the limitless depth of subjective/spiritual consciousness.
Dogmatic theology as the arbiter of truth has been under attack by western science for some time now. Indeed, while fundamentalists (of any religious persuasion) still cling to the idea that the dogma of their faith is the one and only absolute truth, most moderate to liberal Christians would now accept that dogmatic theology really only concerns religious truth, leaving the core reality-dogmas of our day under the arbitration of the scientific community. Meanwhile, moral theology has come under attack from a variety of sources, but most especially from feminism and postmodernism, two movements that have deconstructed the patriarchalism, legalism, and objectivism that have shaped and limited classical Christian morality.
So in a world where Christianity’s claims to contribute to both the true and the good have been compromised, what about beauty? I think this is where the faith remains the most relevant to today’s world. Not only are the writings of the mystics splendid in their literary artistry, but their directives for experiencing the Divine Presence through lectio divina (meditative reading of scripture), contemplative prayer, meditation, and the liturgy invite us to encounter not only beauty, but glory and wonder as well.
It’s a shame that mysticism is so marginalized within Christianity. It’s as if untold millions of people are sitting on a vast, limitless treasure that promises to transform their lives with indescribable beauty and joy, but since no one has bothered to tell them about it, the treasure goes unnoticed.
