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Theology of Creativity

Dan DeWitt

following is an excerpt from Dorothy Sayers book The Mind of the Maker. The work, published in

1, dealt with a theology of creativity based on the doctrine of the Trinity. I will post additional

erpts from the book in the following weeks.

experience of the creative imagination in the common man or woman and in the artist is the only

g we have to go upon in entertaining and formulating the concept of creation. Outside our own

erience of procreation and creation, we can form no notion of how anything comes into being. Theressions God the Father and God the Creator are thus seen to belong to the same category-th

f analogies based on human experience, and limited or extended by a similar mental process in e

e.

l this is true, then it is to the creative artists that we should naturally turn for an exposition of wh

ant by those creedal formulae that deal with the nature of the Creative Mind. Actually, we seldom

m to consult them in the matter. Poets have, indeed, often communicated in their own mode of

ression truths identical with the theologians truths; but just because of the difference in the mode

ression, we often fail to see the identity of the statements.

artist does not recognize that the phrases of the creeds purport to be observations of fact about t

tive mind as such, including his own; while the theologian, limiting the application of the phrases

divine Maker, neglects to inquire of the artist what light he can throw upon them from his own

mediate apprehension of truth.

confusion is as though two men were to argue fiercely whether there was a river in a certain dist

whether, on the contrary, there was a measurable volume of H2O moving in a particular direction w

ascertainable velocity; neither having any suspicion that they were describing the same phenomen

minds are not infinite; and as the volume of the worlds knowledge increases, we tend more and

e to confine ourselves, each to his special sphere of interest and to the specialized metaphor

nging to it. The analytic bias of the last three centuries has immensely encouraged this tendency,

it is now very difficult for the artist to speak the language of the theologian or the scientist the

uage of either. But the attempt must be made; and there are signs everywhere that the human m

nce more beginning to move towards a synthesis of experience.

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is a sketching, writing, thinking, coffee drinking, husband, father, pastor, creative combatant wh

s a killer communications department at Southern Seminary and pastors the Campus Church. Da

wife, and three sons live in Louisville, KY.

e from Dan DeWitt or visit Dan at www.theolatte.com/

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