Holy Beauty: A Reformed Perspective on Aesthetics within a World of Unjust Ugliness

Posted on April 21, 2015 by PLT Staff

Lecture given by John de Gruchy as part of the Sprunt Lectures at Union Theological Seminary and Presbyterian School of Christian Education in Richmond, Virginia. De Gruchy explores theological aesthetics and its attempt to see reality from the perspective of the beauty of God revealed in creation and redemption. He approaches this through the themes of beauty and holiness, the relationship of the Holy Spirit to creativity, and the relationship between sanctification, good taste and social transformation. For a listing of all our Occasional Lectures, click here.

Excerpt: “Art in itself cannot change society, but good art, whatever its form, helps us both individually and corporately to perceive reality in a new way, and by so doing, it opens up possibilities of transformation. In this way art has the potential to change both our personal and corporate consciousness and perception, challenging perceived reality and enabling us to remember what was best in the past even as it evokes fresh images that serve transformation in the present.”

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