Lenten Series 2024: The Theology of Beauty

Kehinde Wiley: An Archaeology of Silence with Dr. Caroline Goeser and Brittney Levingston

On February 18, we welcomed Caroline Goeser, Ph.D., W.T. and Louise Moran Chair of Learning and Interpretation at the Museum of Fine Arts, and Brittney Levingston also of the MFAH to discuss the ongoing exhibit of paintings and sculptures by the American artist Kehinde Wiley that use the traditional forms of Western visual arts to invite the viewer to consider the sacredness of contemporary human bodies denied human dignity.

The True, the Beautiful, and the Difficult: Finding God in Art and Culture with Dr. Greg Garrett

On February 25, we welcomeed Greg Garrett, Ph.D., Carole McDaniel Hanks Professor of Literature and Culture at Baylor University. Dr. Garrett led a fascinating discussion drawing upon the works of James Baldwin, Mary Oliver, and Paul Thomas Anderson to illuminate the ways even challenging art can teach us who God might be.

March 3rd: The Dance of Beauty and Justice with Rev. Paul Fromberg

On March 3, we welcomed The Rev. Paul Fromberg, Rector of St. Gregory of Nyssa Episcopal Church in San Francisco, CA back to Christ Church. Having previously served within our parish family, Rev. Fromberg returned home to to reflect upon the themes of Beauty and Justice inspired by the theology of Gregory of Nyssa and the Cappadocian Fathers.

March 10th: Scripture and Imagination: Poems from the Gospel of Mark with The Very Rev. Cynthia Briggs Kittredge

On March 10, we welcomed The Very Rev. Cynthia Kittredge, Th.D., Dean and President of Seminary of the Southwest in Austin for an enlightening presentation drawing upon her expertise as a scholar of scripture and poetry.

March 17th: Art, Poverty & Waste: Christian Vocation in a World of Need with Dr. Natalie Carnes and Dr. Matthew Whelan

On March 17, we welcomed Natalie Carnes, Ph.D., Professor of Theology in the Baylor University Department of Religion and Matthew Whelan, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Moral Theology in the Honors Program at Baylor University, as they concluded our Lenten series by exploring how Christian understandings of creation, hope, and community shows us a way of holding together the twin vocations to create art and to alleviate poverty.

Beauty is not likely to be among the first words to come to mind when we think of the season of Lent. The practices of penitence and fasting that are central facets of Lenten observance often motivate us to deny ourselves beauty as something luxurious or even frivolous. Our Lenten Series for 2024 will seek to shift this perspective. We will examine ways that beauty in various forms allows us to be more present – more present to the world around us, to ourselves and our inner lives, and to God in our midst. This is at its core the spiritual work of Lent – to be present to God in our lives such that we are able to make course corrections that allow us to deepen our relationship with God and follow Jesus more faithfully.

For five consecutive Sundays, our Dean’s Hour will feature speakers who are scholars and practitioners in the ways that beauty in the form of visual art, literature, film and more causes us to focus our attention on our lives and our world in a manner different from anything else. Their perspective will prompt us to consider how we might approach beauty in a way that changes how we relate to ourselves, to our neighbor and to our God.