By Jonathan Sargeant
Where was the last place you experienced God?
It’s a big question. It’s a question Christians should ask themselves regularly. Our reflection on regular experiences of God in our lives keeps our faith fresh, living and growing. Without developing the eyes to reflect on our faith we might even be relegating ourselves to a staid, stagnant faith that is neither inspiring or life-giving.
Of course, the answers to the question are interesting too. Maybe you answered at church? Maybe at a small group. Maybe in a quiet time at home or by the beach as waves crashed in. Maybe in your daily prayer, or in the laughter at your dinner table. Maybe in the stillness of a single, lit candle.
Or maybe at an Art Gallery, whilst quietly meditating on a thoughtful painting or sculpture. Maybe at the cinema, watching a story that illustrates something about our humanity. Maybe on Netflix, during your latest binge. These last few answers are fascinating to me. For some of us they might be less common. We might more readily associate experiences of God with more “churchy” occasions.
For some of us they might just be quite common, pointing to God’s willingness to be revealed by beauty, or through depicted ethical struggles or in the joy of a fictional community or just through storytelling that helps us get in touch with our core beings, our souls.
Whether they are common for you or not, I’m a profound believer in the idea that the openess to discern God in our everyday lives is a vital skill for every Christian. I’m a passionate believer in the idea that God and more broadly, experiences that speak to our faith can be found readily in the world of The Arts around us. Not all the time. Not in every piece of art. But wherever there is art, there is the potential to discern moments that can invigorate our faith or at the very least give us much to ponder and reflect upon.
This is the reason why I enjoy lecturing in the field of thelogy and The Arts so much. I’m passionate about it!
God and Contemporary Culture: Theology and the Arts (DA2013Z) is the subject I’m delivering in Semester One next year at St Francis College. It’s a terrific subject where we hone our skills in seeing God in the world around us, using The Arts as a lens. We look at paintings, sculptures, music, and especially film. TV as well! Students who do the subject towards their degree can do a project where they create some art and reflect upon it. We’ve had a terrific variety of work created in the past: dance performances, tattoos, vestments, painted buzzsaws… so exciting! Others write inspiring essays.
It’s also an option to audit the subject just to be a part of the sessions without doing degrees or assessments. That’s possible too. We’ve had artists, art novices, and others who’ve never thought about art before deciding to do this subject. You can imagine with the perspectives of such a diverse array of particpants, these sessions are always thrilling! There’s always something to learn!
Want to find out more about this unit? You can email me at this address or contact Dr Sheilagh O’Brien, St Francis College’s Dean of Students who can help with answers or sign you up!