The Episcopal Church has lost approximately a third of its members in 50 years. This should be a warning to other denominations. The gas that is choking The Episcopal Church is the same gas that is affecting all other church traditions, as well as the universities and other institutions of Western Civilization. The air we breathe does not contain the gas of coal mines, but our air does contain a mold or yeast.
[b]When finally there is no justice, when ultimately nothing is fair, when goodness to which we strive is never reached, when sin, selfishness, betrayal, tears, loneliness, cruelty and death are at last unredeemed, unresolved, and are the unloving final realities, it is truly depressing. No amount of Zoloft or Prozac can cure this malignancy.[/b]
I’d say this is a must read. Thanks Kendall.
Some gold here. I appreciate that he reads widely beyond Christian theologians. That said, I think that the concept of “secularism” has to be interrogated even more than he does.
There is a religious aspect to secularism, to be sure. But it is properly a formal political arrangement. When it becomes a religion, it is dangerous. As a particular stance, a mode, that does not convey identity it is useful. My family in India, for example, are ardent secularists. Why? Because the predominant religion in India is Hinduism. For their own safety they demand a secular constitution.
His interrogation of optimism is quite promising. Here he shares an attitude with the socialist Barbara Ehrenreich. Sadly, he has no critique of capitalism, which runs on the engine of optimism and futures. Perhaps he should read Mark Taylor’s book Confidence Games. He’s the one talking about secular and atheist religiosity.
I join #1 in thanking Kendall for posting this essay/address from about a year ago (Nov., 2008). Yes, it’s all too true, TEC is the canary in the coalmines, and it has expired. But will the other so-called “mainline” denominations take the warning? The example of the ELCA sadly suggests otherwise.
David Handy+
Excellent — and sobering — essay. I especially liked his treatment of what happens when art is bereft of God. We are living in that mediocre and utilitarian reality, and it pains me to see the young, especially, gobble it up. I lament for a generation who so rarely glimpse or listen to art that is beautiful, hopeful, and uplifting.
As for poetry, I’ve been revisiting English Romanticism a lot lately. We have much in common.
Art bereft of God is what sells. You can’t worship the market and God.
As Jesus said.
But how many of us are willing to critique it?
I’m on the liberal, capitalist side also. But you can’t have both tradition and capitalism. Even free-marketeers are aware of that.
[i]Art bereft of God is what sells. You can’t worship the market and God.[/i]
Is that why so very, very much of what gets called “art” is dependent on subsidies? Dependence on subsidies (as opposed to commissions) broadly seems to have arrived on the scene about the same time the art world reached an internal consensus that “art should challenge” rather than uplift.
[i]”You can’t worship the market and God.”[/i] … so all of Mozart’s masses apart from the C-minor don’t worship God?
[i]you can’t have both tradition and capitalism.[/i] Given that capitalism is the natural result of freedom, and that America has a long tradition of freedom greater than anywhere else in the world … such a statement makes no sense. Usually your posts are better.
Exactly, Bart. I guess Mr. Wilkins is just writing about his own personal taste. I’d wager that reproductions of ANY of the religious works of the masters have sold much better (and are recognized by more people) than modern art. And even atheists appreciate the beauty of classical works, including the Masses.
But if the “dogs playing poker” is your thing, hey, capitalism says, “buy it!”
I share with #2 the appreciation for the breadth and depth of reading behind this. It seems to me the absolute gem of the essay is the extended piece on Arrogance and Naivete. The quote from Scott Peck about the mystery of goodness is especially moving. A culture grounded in personal and ethical practice premised on the reality of transcendence is a culture that will be generative of both reverence and, on the strength of that, great art. I’m not sure “capitalism” in the abstract has anything to do with it one way or the other.