Here is a link to the full podcast: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5Jws5lo07yPqYmijf6HuRw?si=d7d64c64aefb4641
I discovered the Imagination Redeemed podcast a couple months ago and have loved it so far. I wanted to zero in on an episode that is particularly relevant to my blog. This podcast brings a Christian perspective to why the physical world matters-and thereby why the arts are important for Christians to support and create. My main takeaways from this podcast were: 1: The physical world does matter. 2: The correct response to God’s good creation is enchantment. And 3: that God wants us to help redeem both humans and the physical world He created.
Why does the physical world matter?
Many modern Christians (especially those of a Protestant persuasion) have fallen into the trap of believing that the physical world doesn’t matter very much. They often believe that the only thing that matters in this life is to help people get to heaven. This mentality ignores the Bible’s teachings about how to be a steward of God’s creation and making this present world better. But this ignores the human desire for beauty and meaning in this life. This thought process also originates from how Protestantism has been influenced more by post-Enlightenment modern thought. This also stemmed from the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century. The reformers wanted to address was the medieval Catholic church’s focus on imagery at the expense of educating people about the Bible’s teachings. This had the unfortunate effect of keeping many Protestant traditions from appreciating art.
How can we appreciate beauty appropriately?
Physical objects are not just things to be used, but can bring glory to God by their existence. The podcast used the analogy of a tree. A tree can be turned into furniture, buildings, etc. But it also is beautiful in and of itself and is a testament to God’s creativity and omnipotence. Any living thing is a microcosm of the universe God created, and deserves to be appreciated as such. The podcast went as far as to say that all things are somehow sacramental and point towards the existence of God. We are not meant to worship the creation itself, but the patterns of God’s creation point us to the splendor and majesty of the God we worship.
How do we redeem the world?
If you examine the Bible closely, God clearly values our physical bodies. In the New Testament, Christ’s resurrected body is physical, not just spiritual. Jesus allows Thomas to touch His wounds from His Crucifixion and eats with His disciples. This gives us a glimpse of what our heavenly bodies will be like when God restores the world. Jesus instituted Communion as a way for us to have our physical bodies replenished while we live on this earth. It is meant to prefigure God’s ultimate redemption of all things in both the physical and spiritual world.
I would highly recommend checking out the entire podcast for a more thorough discussion of these topics. I would also recommend the other excellent podcast put out by the Anselm Society, Believe to See. https://open.spotify.com/show/4jrT8P05kInqS2ifX3o9oz?si=ec147427a8f94ed5
Here are some links to other posts you may find useful:
This is a link to my friend’s website, where she also discusses Christianity and the arts: https://ryannemolinari.com
