This fall my church, Redemption Church in KC, took three weeks to turn our focus to the topic of the beautiful. We did a three part sermon series and a few side classes during which we took the famous line from Fyodor Dostoevsky “Beauty Will Save the World,” as our jumping off point.
It’s fascinating how often this quote is used without the context. In fact, when the line appears in Dostoevsky’s novel, The Idiot, it is a question. “Is it true, Prince, that you once said: ‘It is beauty that will save the world’?” That it appears as a question on the mouth of a character in the story seems important, especially given the fact that Dostoevsky doesn’t typically comment on his own dialogue. The line is restated in a mocking tone, “The Prince says that the world will be saved by beauty.” The character who does the mocking adds a salient question of his own. “What sort of beauty will save the world?”
The Idiot is a fascinating study of beauty, made all the more powerful by the fact that the study occurs in the midst of a beautiful novel from late in Dostoevsky’s life. Other memorable lines include the assertion “beauty is a riddle”—which on the whole might be an even more profound statement about beauty—and the assertion that “beauty and prayer” are the highest synthesis of life, which is an incredible rationale for worship.
Strictly speaking Dostoevsky isn’t commenting on beauty, the character is. One the whole, however, I think Dostoevsky is trying to provoke us to imagine that beauty isn’t simply something to behold, but something to be lived. What does it meant to live a beautiful life?
This is, in part, why I’m so excited about the upcoming Ecclesia National Gathering, 09 MAR 2016 in Newark, DE.
In anticipation of that event, Ecclesia & Missio Alliance are holding a free online learning hangout today with James Bryan Smith, who is the keynote for the upcoming event. You can click here to join the event at 1pm PT/4pm ET on Thursday Nov 19.
The preview from Missio reads:
Several times each year Missio Alliance and The Ecclesia Network provide a free, online learning hangout as part of our attempt to “partner with, equip, and multiply” missional churches. Tomorrow, James Bryan Smith will give us a preview of what we will experience in March at the Ecclesia National Gathering.
Dr. James Bryan Smith (M.Div., Yale University Divinity School; DMin Fuller Seminary) is the Executive Director of the Apprentice Institute. Dr. Smith is currently a theology professor at Friends University, in Wichita, Kansas, and an ordained elder in the United Methodist Church. He is the author of eight books, most notably The Apprentice Series (InterVarsity Press), which continue to shape the work of the Apprentice Institute. Dr. Smith’s other titles include Devotional Classics (with Richard J. Foster), Embracing the Love of God, Room of Marvels, and Hidden in Christ.
Bob Hyatt from MA gave me a little more information on the format:
This will be a live event- JBS will be speaking for about 30-40 minutes on a topic of his choosing, most likely relating to the Good and Beautiful Life and spiritual formation and then answering questions for about 1/2 hour. People will be able to ask questions in the chat function on the side- he can read them and the respond verbally. All they have to do is click on the link we’ve been sending out and it will take them right to the “event”/stream on Youtube.Our purpose in all this is to provide easy ways to connect with, hear from and interact with some of the best theological/missiological thinkers out there. So far we’ve had Cherith Fee Nordling, Greg Boyd, Brian Zahn… they’ve been super good. Always good to hear from people in this format and be able to actually ask follow up questions. One of the up sides to technology when we can all do this from our homes or offices or even a coffee shop wherever we are!
Looking forward to this later on today!
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In