Taste and Spirituality

When we talk about taste and spirituality we have to define what a taste is and break it down spiritually. We define taste as something we like and consider to be appealing to us. For example, each person has a different view of what is beautiful and what is not. But what is beauty? Is beauty in Creation? Is it in art and human creativity? I’m going to take beauty as my focus and show what beauty is in a human sense and also how God sees true beauty.

How we determine what is beautiful depends on what we prefer. In other words, our determination is based on our taste. For example, suppose that you were standing by the Grand Canyon at sunset with two other people. You become deeply moved and utter the words, "This is beautiful; this is glorious." The person beside you says, "Beautiful? It's just a big, ugly ditch.[1]" Both statements are true personal reflections based on a personal preference. As humans we see beauty as something we like, usually visually. When we look at Creation we see animals, plants, stars ,etc. Each shows the beauty of God. However, our taste in beauty will determine how we interpret God’s beauty. If we prefer to focus on the immensity of the heavens, we may see God as great and big. If our preference is the tiny beauty of each petal of a flower, our view of God might be more drawn to His attention to detail.

Also we find that our taste can color the way we see Truth. As pointed out in Brown’s text he gives an example of Augustine when he no longer is moved to tears by the hymns he sings in church but revels the fact that there is Truth in the words he is singing.[2] Just as Augustine saw in the words of the hymns we can also find Truth through other types of art whether it is written or displayed on a wall for someone to look at. As the book describes there are many types of art that are able to inspire. We can find a glimpse of Truth in a non Christian piece of art because as Christians we find our Truth through what the Bible says is true and morally acceptable. God has given each person the ability to be creative and imaginative and whether you are Christian or non Christian that is something to be admired because it was given to you from the Creator.

In the text the author makes a key point when talking about taste and how it applies to religion and aesthetics, he says “Matters of religion and morality cannot be reduced to aesthetics; neither can aesthetics be reduced to religion and morality. But these spheres overlap and interact in ways that we have barely begun to appreciate…the good, the true and the beautiful.”[3] What he is saying is although these are at two different spectrums they work together, they both can be appreciated but it also determines on what a person perceives to be true and beautiful.

Even though there a billion personal perceptions on what is beauty and what is true, we know as Christians where we find our Truth and that is in Christ. Everything centers around Christ and the cross, as long as that is our focus we are able to hold differing perceptions on what is and what is not good taste. If that is not the center then we have lost meaning in what we perceive and why we view certain things to be true and beautiful.

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[1]http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Sermons/ByDate/1982/338_Jesus_Is_Precious_Because_We_Yearn_for_Beauty/

[2] Brown, Frank Good Taste, Bad Taste, and Christian Taste. p. 17

[3] Brown, Frank Good Taste, Bad Taste, and Christian Taste. p 23