Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Beauty & A Book

As we mentioned before, Lindsey and I are excited to take part in Jim Spiegel's blog tour for his recent book, Gum, Geckos and God. Somewhere in between an apologetic for Christian doctrine and a day-in-the-life of a father of four, Gum, Geckos and God centers around theological discussions Mr. Spiegel has shared with his children.

As Mr. Spiegel is a Professor of Philosophy at Taylor University, Lindsey and I were eager to ask him some questions, especially about the nature of beauty (aesthetics.)

In the context of Psalm 139:13-16, as a Christian philosopher, do you believe physical beauty is objective or subjective?

SPIEGEL: I strongly believe in the objectivity of beauty. Furthermore, I would say that the notion that beauty is subjective (that beauty is "in the eye of the beholder") is an indirect result of the deteriorating belief in divine creativity in our culture. To recognize genuine artistry implies belief in the existence of an artist. So when the Cosmic Artist is denied, as is so common in our culture, there necessarily comes with this a loss of the sense of the world as a beautiful work of art.

Biblically, how would you define the nature of beauty?

SPIEGEL: While I don't think Scripture gives us an actual definition of beauty, a sound Christian theology would tell us that beauty (i.e. artistic excellence) must be grounded in the being of God. Just as God is the source of all truth and goodness, he must also be the source of all beauty. In fact, these are basic categories which describe God himself. He IS truth, goodness, and beauty. And all true, good, and beautiful things we experience in this world are merely reflections of their source--God. Scripture confirms this with its many references to God as true, good, and beautiful. With regard to the latter, see such passages as Ps. 27:4 and Ps. 45:11.

Do you think physical beauty has been impacted by the Fall? (i.e. Has humanity lost it's level of physical beauty since the Fall, or is it merely our perception of beauty that has altered as a result of sin?)

SPIEGEL: Yes, the Fall has affected the whole of creation and how it reflects its Creator in the three main categories I just noted: truth, goodness, and beauty. I do believe our ability to perceive beauty has also been compromised (just as has our ability to ascertain truth and goodness), but this is just another aspect of the problem. The Fall into sin, and the consequent curse, has marred all aspects of creation, making it less beautiful and compromising the human aesthetic sensibility.

Many times in the book, your children seemed to begin the theological conversations by asking a question. Are there any specific conversation starter-questions you would recommend asking the child who perhaps isn't so eager to initiate deep discussions?

SPIEGEL: I would recommend starting those conversations in contexts where a child is already interested, such as sports, movies, cartoons, or nature. In Gum, Geckos, and God I share how my kids' thinking about God is impacted by everything from bugs to Star Wars. The more a parent can show her/his child that God is the ultimate source of all such things, the more s/he will be inclined to draw theological connections from them. Also--to bring the question back to your blog's theme--note how a kid's interest in such things is, at bottom, a search and appreciation for beauty. Nature in all its aspects is beautiful. Sports is enjoyable to us, in large part, because of its aesthetic appeal. And, of course, films, cartoons, and other creative art forms have fundamentally to do with beauty. Like all adults, children hunger for the beautiful. We should help them in this quest, assisting them in appreciating beauty in so much of human experience and reminding them that God is the source of all of it.

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