Desperate for Authenticity by Hawley Patricia;

Author:Hawley, Patricia; [Hawley]
Format: epub
Publisher: University Press of America, Incorporated
Published: 2010-08-15T00:00:00+00:00

Appreciation for the Arts and Culture

Central to the concepts of Christian humanism is narrowing “the gap between Christianity and human cultural achievement.”12 Therefore, a growing appreciation for the arts as an expression of human endeavor is a natural part of this philosophy.13 Her natural inclination for literature made it easier for Mollenkott to accept this part of Christian humanism. Two aspects of artistic and cultural appreciation that contributed to her emphasis on Christian humanism are considered here.

The Role of English Literature

As Mollenkott encountered literature during her academic journey, she was introduced to a much broader worldview than that of the fundamentalism of her young life. Her encounter with literature affected the way that Mollenkott viewed faith and learning. Educational theory according to Christian humanism is a holistic approach that includes an appreciation for the fine arts.14 As the artist expresses his own image of God through his creativity, the reader or observer communes with the artist and ultimately with God through the art. Therefore, as Mollenkott encountered literature in her journey through the lens of Christian humanism her understanding of life broadened.

As Mollenkott encountered works of literature through her education, she had the choice of filtering her knowledge through a strict epistemology given to her by her Plymouth Brethren background, or through the lens of Christian humanists who appreciated all human expressions of art and life. Her second book, In Search of Balance, is devoted to arguing for this new, balanced approach she had discovered.15 She wrote:

I have lost my balance—that is, if I ever really had any. I guess the fact is that I never really had any. It was not very many years ago that this awful realization hit me. I had lived without balance because I had not really known who I was. Actually, I had not even known what I liked or didn’t like. Don’t misunderstand me. I had achieved a Ph.D., and on the surface I looked anything but indecisive. My lack of balance stemmed from a tacitly assumed concept of God which had turned me into a drifter.16

Therefore, her developing loyalty to Christian humanism strengthened through her love and appreciation for the arts.

The Call for Unified Vision

Increasingly, Mollenkott was convinced that the way to approach all of life was contradictory to the way that she had been taught as a young child.

Christian humanism seeks to affirm a unified vision, a liberating realization that in spite of the fall of man, Christ Jesus remains the King and God remains all-powerful—the motivating force in human history. This is not to deny that man has perverted and debauched what he was intended to be and do by his sinful choice of self rather than God; but it is to assert the reality of Christ’s redemptive work and the ultimate sovereignty of God the creator.17

In her fundamentalist upbringing where she was taught that the heart of man is wicked and never to be trusted, she found her intellect and personhood invalidated.18 However, in Christian humanism she became convinced of the need both for an appreciation for God and for human endeavor.

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