Rainbows for the Fallen World Calvin Seerveld (Toronto Tuppence; 1980) $25.00

One of the most interesting examples of how the attitudes of a younger generation of evangelicals has decisively altered the ethos of conservative Protestantism is how there have been innovations in the way Christians relate to the worlds of culture. Quite specifically, there are arts ministries, think-tanks about popular culture, classes on aesthetics, and a never-ending—thank goodness—stream of books about faith, creativity, the arts and a Biblically-informed view of aesthetics. Some of the most esteemed contemporary artists are themselves nurtured by the movement that invites generative cultural creativity in the name of the Creator.

When the history of this refreshing evangelical attention to the arts is told, there is no doubt that one book will stand out as seminal. It is an often-cited work, written by a professor who has worked tirelessly for 50 years networking Christian artists around the globe. The book is evocatively called Rainbows for the Fallen World and the author is Calvin Seerveld.

Seerveld is the patron saint of integrating evangelical faith with serious art.

Rainbows is the centerpiece of a trilogy of books on aesthetics by Dr. Seerveld (Christian Perspective on Art and Literature and Bearing Fresh Olive Leaves) and it may feel to some like a journey into another world. Seerveld is both a meticulous scholar and a playful, allusive writer. He can pen a furious tirade about this or that philosophical assumption found in an 18th century view of imagination, write glowingly about this Dutch painter or that Salvadoran poet, and then bellow like a prophet, calling forth Biblical texts with passion and awe. Mostly, though, he is kindly and gentle, nudging us in thick prose towards a holistic faith that sees all of life as God’s handiwork and all human doings as a blend of blessing and curse. He is fluent in philosophical aesthetics (and one chapter in Rainbows spells out his foundational approach as significantly as anywhere in his large opus) but he also knows sculpture, dance, music, and painting. He insists that the insight they bring us serve as colorful rainbows, as signs of promise through God’s common grace. All art is distorted and human ideology can further deform but it can also carry wisdom and joy. In creatively explaining all this, Rainbows for the Fallen World may be one of the most amazing books I have ever read.

There is an extraordinary insight for everyone in Rainbows amid the insights for those called to be professional artists. God has lovingly made the world to function a certain way—there are embedded in the creation what we might call laws, ordinances, principles, norms. We know this in science (oh, gravity!) and in economics (can anyone say deficit?) and only a fool tries to go against the grain of the way reality works.

Seerveld carefully argues that there are principles that help us all realize a good aesthetic life. That is, aesthetic life is not just for the specialized artist. Just think: a few people are professional athletes, but we all have bodies and must exercise good stewardship over them. Few of us are investment bankers, but even those on the most meager of budgets must learn to handle our money. Likewise, even for those of us who are not full time artists or filmmakers or professional musicians, we must respond to God’s call to live colorfully, in aesthetically-appropriate ways. Wardrobe, home decor, the telling of jokes, the charm of buildings or website design, each afford us opportunities to be artful, attentive to metaphor, playful.

God cares about what is often called “creativity” and we all can learn to be more open to aesthetic norms that can guide us into living well, colorfully, obedient to God’s call to love our neighbors, even in how we dress or design or decorate. 

Rainbows for the Fallen World explores art history and the philosophy of aesthetics.  But it is singular in opening up the way in which a “Christian view of the arts” might apply to ordinary living. We are, as image-bearers of a creative God, called to offer nuance and suggestion, metaphor and creativity, aesthetics and color, in all we do.  From NYC’s “fashion week” to how we serve enjoyable meals, from attending a local show to how we read the Bible out loud in church, the implications of Seerveld’s multidimensional view of human aesthetics are far reaching.  Many have cited him.  It is time for many more to read him.  


-----


Fashion: Philosophy for Everyone: Thinking With Style edited by Jessica Wolfendale & Jeanette Kennett (Wiley-Blackwell; 2011)

This new release is the latest in the growing series of “philosophy for everyone” books that invites top-flight academic philosophers to ruminate on a certain phenomenon of daily living (eating, college sex, climbing, hunting.)  We should note that this is not a Christian project and in many cases some of the philosophers in this series offer opinions that are clearly in opposition to a Christian construal of life and times. Still, many of the chapters in Fashion: Philosophy are fabulously interesting and, as philosophers will, full of stuff that few of us would naturally consider, helping us see new layers of meaning that we would otherwise miss. This is surely the case in this great collection on the many aspects of the human inclination to adornment. Whether you are in the fashion industry or a style-conscious dresser or even one who tends to sneer at the extravagance of couture, this book will be very useful.

Most of us realize that fashion is more than just clothes, and more than a designation of whatever is popular. There are large matters of style and of aesthetic judgment, and there are significant ways in which these questions of style give voice to deeper longings, meanings, even ideologies.

One of these well-documented chapters predicts the interface of “computational couture” as cyborgs meet up with the runway supermodels. There are chapters here about race and class, there are essays about gender and sexuality, there are discussions of taste and style and truth. This is very important content and even if many of the authors exhibit some eccentric views, they are really worth reading.

Anyway, it is just fun to read a serious description of, say, perfume advertising or lively, feminist ruminations on Barbie. And, there is much to learn—most of us, I’d suppose, are ill-informed about the way in which fashion design works, and how taste and style are shaped by philosophical assumptions (not to mention the media), for instance. Do our wardrobes really say that much about us?  Do our identities get shaped by what we wear, or is it mostly the other way around, our identity shaping what we choose to wear? One chapter, by Christian college prof Daniel Yim, is entitled “Wearing Your Values on Your Sleeve”, explores how deeply held convictions (even religious ones) end up on the runway and, literally, on our sleeves. One memoiristic chapter describes various permutations of lesbian fashion statements and is not only informative but can help us all wonder how our most deeply held sensibilities and communities are given embodiment in an aesthetic, a style. As Andy Couch, author of Culture Making, might put it, What should we make of that?

There are chapters here, too, that are quite helpful as we consider the cry for justice and how it relates to fashion. (Lisa Cassidy’s ‘Women Shopping and Women Sweatshopping: Individual Responsibility for Consumerism” is a strong reply to a previous chapter “Sweatshops and Cynicism” by Matthew Pierlott.) This is head-spinning stuff, lots of topics, lots of threads. Who are the “merchants of cool”? Is it all that bad? What are the joys and contributions to “thinking about style” and learning about the daily arts of fashion? This book will go a long way to generate more mature discussions about this sphere of life that touches us all.

Hopefully, thoughtful Christians—perhaps inspired by Calvin Seerveld’s call to allow God’s principles for aesthetic life to color our daily ‘hidden art”—will develop these ideas out of our own unique, Biblically-influenced vision. For now, Fashion: Philosophy for Everyone, is one of the more interesting examples of an intentional commitment to thinking about fashion. It can take its place next to the wonderfully witty and very insightful The Thoughtful Dresser: The Art of Adornment, The Pleasures of Shopping, and Why Clothes Matter by Linda Grant (Scribner; 2010), another key book for those wanting to be more intentional about considering the nature and notions of fashion, design, adornment and wardrobe.

You can order both of these books at Hearts and Minds Books. Mention Q Ideas when you order and receive 20% off.

1. What role do you see aesthetics playing in the Christian walk?
2. As a follower of Jesus, what is the best way to engage the messages behind fashion statements?

Editor's Note: This image was taken of Betsey Johnson's Sidewalk Catwalk display by Phil David NY.

Comments

Comments are now closed