Revisiting the use of art, imagery and symbolism in the Presbyterian Liturgical tradition in Korea : a practical-theological research

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Aesthetics has a theological calling: The beauty (or ugliness) in the world and artincites us to long for the divine eternal beauty. The earthly beauty is revelatory andanalogous to the beauty of God. Imagination, i.e. making an image, whether mentalor physical, is an inherent faculty of human beings who were created in the image ofGod. It is an insuppressible human activity. Besides, the search for meaning, whichis a universal human quest for the purpose in life, is a concern common in bothreligion and art. Aesthetics (art and beauty) thereby should be a theological locus, agraceful partner of theological dialogue. But how much are aesthetic dimensionsincorporated in the Korean Presbyterian theological/liturgical context?Visual art, imagery and symbolism are considered marginal or even dangerous in theKorean Presbyterian churches while preaching is given a dominant position in theirworship services. As a result, they are losing sight of the essential implications thataesthetic, embodied experiences of art, imagery and symbolism have for liturgicalrichness.Art, imagery and symbolism are fundamental components in Christian life andworship as demonstrated with numerous evidences throughout the Christian history.They are never discordant with the tradition of the Word, but rather, have criticalimportance to theology for five reasons – the human as embodied being, amanifestation of imago Dei, the integrative characteristic of our thinking andperceiving, the Bible as book of images, and the contemporary culture of images.Against this backdrop, aesthetic expressions of art, imagery and symbolism areclaimed to have five features significant to Christian worship: The revelatory power ofthe beauty in nature or works of art displays something of God; aestheticexpressions of art, imagery and symbolism speak to the human totality as anintelligent-affective-sensate-corporeal being; people necessarily become participantsin the performative nature of art and its claim of truth; the beauty, truth and goodnessmanifested in works of art may be a reminder of our responsibility to work for thetransformation of the world; an artwork can serve an eloquent mode of hoping for the present absent reality of the Kingdom of God. In terms of these qualities, animplication that aesthetic experiences in worship have the power to reframe, takingus to the encounter with the divine beauty, goodness and truth, is drawn, and afusion of the verbal and non-verbal is claimed conclusively.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University