A Grace of Sense - theological aesthetics

“A grace of sense” is a quote from T. S. Eliot’s Burnt Norton (from Four Quartets). What makes it of interest for me is its ambiguousness. One could either read it as “unmerited blessing of meaning” or “elegance of perception” , why not “beauty of reason” or eventually “gratification of senses”. In all these aspects, this phrase illuminates the scope of theological aesthetics. The key values in aesthetic theology are beauty, gratuitousness, expertise, sensory perception, a feeling of significance and intrinsic enjoyment.  “A grace of sense” refers also to the way an aesthetic experience often occurs when one least expects it to happen. All artistic occasions – concerts, exhibitions etc – are intended to arouse “a grace of sense”, but one cannot guarantee that it takes place. When an aesthetic experience happens, one cannot but gratefully accept it. In this regard the aesthetic experience resembles greatly the religious experience of grace. That the world makes sense ...

St Anne. Photo Anu Hätinen  The universe does not have to make sense to us. It is not ultimately necessary that we can understand the logic of being. Moreover, being does not ultimately need to have a logic whatsoever. Yet that is what we experience: we encounter the world as something that has a logic, as a series of incidents that make sense, almost without exception. When that is not the case, we shout: "This does not make sense!" And we feel distressed. We stubbornly expect that being makes sense. Obviously, this conviction is right. Our life does not work without a meaning. My words here, these letters on the screen, are designed to convey a meaning. They are written with the intention to be intelligible, not arbitrarily (like this: sodkhg wkreesi lasit). If the reader should find my point flawed, the criterion for that would be the reason, i.e. rationality that we both appeal to.  No one truly believes in the mere chance. On the contrary, it is amazing that the origin o...

Religious traditions tend to become systems of oppression and attendants of violence. Subjugation of women in religious societies, as well as the difficult position of sexual and gender minorities among churches serve as examples of the violent undercurrents of sacred hierarchies. To say the least, religious convictions are prone to be conservative, unyielding and unimaginative. This should not necessarily be the case. As a matter of fact, religion can be a source of endless creativity and irresistible hope that cherishes all life in its variety. I suppose this applies to all major religions. In this article I however concentrate on the Western Christianity, the religious tradition I am most familiar with. The history of the Western Christendom is full of power conflicts, prejudice and inflexibility, resulting in condemnations and sheer bloodshed. On the other hand, the very same tradition includes innovations, reforms, religious creativity, tolerance,beauty and love of neighbor. My pe...