Beauty and Process Theology. Patricia Adams Farmer
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by Kant and Burke. What does that re-marriage look like? Whitehead offers a view of Beauty that can be distilled into two words: Intense harmony.8 That is, Beauty is not just harmony, which can sometimes be shallow and exclusive; Beauty is not just intensity, which can be stormy and dissonant and chaotic. Beauty, at its most divine, integrates both elements into a larger frame: that is, Beauty as intense harmony is a celebration of contrasts within a larger, harmonious whole. Beauty, then, is the very yearning of God for our evolving world–a world of creative movement, where the diverse elements strive not toward bland sameness, but rather toward rich and complex forms of well-being.
Beauty’s beckoning toward intense harmonies applies to all aspects of life, from nature’s richly evolving diversity to whole civilizations. Such is Whitehead’s great theme in Adventure of Ideas when he suggests that a civilization which settles for a static harmony will perish. Civilization needs ongoing adventure in order to thrive. Process theologian Bruce Epperly often speaks of “holy adventure” or “embracing adventure with God,” enlivening for us Whitehead’s own focus on the necessity of adventure. From Beauty’s standpoint, adventure offers intensity of feeling. Such creative tension between order and novelty creates a path for Beauty. Whether it be a civilization, or a marriage, or a church, or a spiritual life, we desire that balance of harmony and adventure if we want our experiences to be truly beautiful.
The Lure of Beauty
Whitehead understood Beauty as a calling deep within God’s loving embrace of all creation. In this way, Beauty is the guiding “lure” in every becoming moment. Other words to describe this pull of Beauty can help fill out the meaning of “lure.”
In his book Beauty: The Invisible Embrace, the late philosopher and poet John O’Donohue used the word “call” to describe Beauty’s work. He noted that the Greek word for “the beautiful” is kalon, which is related to kalein, a word that includes the notion of call. “When we experience beauty,” said O’Donahue, “we feel called.”9
Many ancient writers, theologians, and philosophers—including Homer, Plato, Aquinas, and Dante—repeatedly described Beauty as a “greeting.” Philosopher Elaine Scarry drew upon this welcoming aspect of Beauty when she said, “At the moment one comes into the presence of something beautiful, it greets you. It lifts away from the neutral background as though coming forward to welcome you.”10
And so, we are not “lured” in a negative way, as if being lured into temptation. Rather we are called, beckoned, wooed, welcomed, and invited to walk a path that leads home—home to our true selves, where intense harmonies offer peace and well-being.
Beauty and Love
The notion of Beauty’s call toward intense harmony means that Beauty is not all “sweetness and light.” Because it includes an intensity and contrast, Beauty embraces diversity, which is why actively resisting hate and bigotry is an act of Beauty. In this context, I see love itself as the highest instantiation of Beauty. That is why we seek to “love our enemy” as Jesus taught; it is why we seek to embrace each other in our differences and callings and personality quirks—and yes, political views, too. Beauty tells us that the friction inherent in such contrasts and differences creates enriching possibilities for the larger good in Beauty’s wide and transforming embrace.
Process theologian and philosopher Jay McDaniel wrote, “Beauty is not always prettiness. It is intensity and harmony combined in some variation that shakes and shocks our imaginations, so that we are then capable of receiving novelty in our lives.”11 I not only understand this sense of “intense harmony” as a nature lover, writer, and musician, but also as a minster. I love to preach on the Sermon on the Mount. I think of it as one of the most beautiful of all religious texts—not because it is easy, but because it is not. “Blessed are the poor in spirit” and other seemingly discordant ideas do not go down like vanilla pudding. None of Jesus’ sayings and parables do. They shake us up and topple our understanding and preconceived notions, carrying within them seeds of unexpected freshness—even shock—that both unsettles and inspires.
“Beauty,” said process theologian Marjorie Suchocki, “is holding the contrasting tensions of the good, bad, and indifferent together in such a way that transformation can occur.”12 Such “holding contrasting tensions” is not for the faint of heart, the fearful, or the spiritually lazy. Either/or, us/them, or black/white thinking simplifies our lives, but it also impoverishes our souls. It takes a wide soul and a deep commitment to the core of our faith to unleash the full force of Beauty’s work in the world.
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