Art &amp, religion

Table of Contents I. Introduction 1 Truth, goodness, and beauty. The new age. The close of the Reformation age. Protestant negation of the arts. Catholic acceptance of modernism. The art of worship the all- comprehending art. Proposals for examining the connectio ns' of art and religion, historical, psychological, and practical. Proposals of liturgical principles and materials. Proposals for architectural style, tone, significance, and tendencies. Current writings about the new age. II. An Age Described by Its Art 9 No satisfactory art in a nondescript age. The arts born of the national and time spirit. The relations of art to unified life. The youth, size, and complexity of American life. The coming description. III. The Unity of Religion and Art 18 Religion the source of primitive arts. Religion the principal subject matter of historic art. The inner identity of the mystic and aesthetic experience. The demand for unity in composition and in reality. The feeling of satisfaction derived from beauty and from being. The creativity of art and of religion? IV. The Cleft between Art and Religion 34 1. The cleft between religion and science. 2. The cleft between religion and morals. 3. The cleft between religion and art. The Roman Mass. Catholic architecture. The Anglican Prayer Book. Protestant forms. American church architecture. V. The Mutual Need 48 The world of the arts the source of spiritual life for many. The world of religion. A rt nee ds religion to universalize its concepts, to supply moral content. Religion needs the arts — to be impressive, to get a hearing, to be enjoyable, to assist reverence, to symbolize old truths, to heighten the imagination, to fire resolves. VI. Corporeality in Religion 56 1. The corporeality of objects and acts. 2. The corporeality of creeds. 3. The corporeality of crude excitement. VII. The Sensational Character of Art 63 The sensational preacher. Modem view of human nature. Sensational conduct of ancient religious teachers. The sense appeal of the Japanese temple and of the English cathedral. VIII. A Brief for the Cultus 67 Religious culture primary in religion. Its historical recognition. Its apparatus or ritual. The necessity of religious acts. The source of perpetuity. The sermon an insufficient basis for religious culture. The background of change. Modem possibilities. IX. Prophet and Priest 82 The conflict between reforming prophets and conserving priests. The prophet as instrument of change. The priest as Teacher, Spiritual Adviser, Pastor, and Artist. X. The Artist as Prophet 90 Traditionalism preserved by the arts. The aloofness and lawlessness of artists. The historic divergence of artistic forms from their content, Egyptian, Greek, Italian. New ideas through the arts. The permanence of beauty. XI. Symbols and Sacraments 97 Classic and Romantic methods. Universality and power of symbols. Danger of symbols. Idolatry. The meaning of a sacrament. The spiritual presence. The material element s. Baptism and the Eucharist. Objective value and validity. Transubstantiation of persons. XII. Religious Education 107 Observin g beauty Modem religion weakly impressive. The power of ritual. Worship in the church school. Children in the church service. Adult education in religion. Theological schools deficient in religious culture. The state university and the Christian college. XIII. Church Unity 116 Difficulties of unity in thought and action. The unifying effects of feeling. The desire for more inclusive religious experience. The incompleteness of separate types. The service of art in promoting unity. The revival of mediaevalism, liturgically and architecturally. The community church. The flank attack in debate. Universal similarity of mystic experiences. XIV. Technique and Freedom 133 The positive character of freedom. Futility of complete independency. The incoherence of liberalism. The necessity for critically improved technique in worship. A new service book. Scholarship in liturgies. Ceremonial. Freedom not the gift of formlessness but the mastery of form. XV. The Mysticism of Isaiah 145 The identity of the experience of worship and that of beauty. The elements of the experience: vision, humility, exaltation, illumination, dedication. Isaiah's great record. XVI. The Order of the Liturgy 152 Outer expression in the order of worship parallel to the elements of the inner experience of worship. The principal liturgical parts. Dramatic unity. Miss Underhill's analysis of the Mass. The need for experiment. XVII. Introit and Antiphons 166 The revival of the Introit. Materials for it. Process of ideas in it. Copies of antiphonals used at the Wellington Avenue Church. XVIII. Music 174 Music the highest ar t. The unity of the service. Faults of anthems. The matrix of the service. Members of the choir as ministers in the sanctuary. Antiphonals. Especially composed services. XIX. Architectural Style 180 Sketch of Greek, Roman, Romanesque, Byzantine, Gothic, and Renaissance building, together with meanings intimated by these historic styles. Current style revivals in Gothic and Classic strains. The question of style revival or translation. The new architecture. XX. Structural Tone 203 Tonal effects of interiors. The faults of neutrality, comfortableness, coldness, agitation. The virtues of repose, austerity, warmth, and brilliance. The effects of proport ion, scale, and materials XXI. The Chancel 214 The historic Christian Church chancel. Its revival amongst non-liturgical churches. The artistic high light, the differentiation of liturgical parts, practical convenience. Recent opinions. The use of altar and candle light. Ineffective compromises. Adaptability of the chancel. XXII. Practicable Matters 229 Educational and social facilities of the church building. Placement of the structure. Problems of the smaller church. Partial construction. The aesthetic character of practicability. XXIII. Religious Ideas for the Architect 236 A House of God. A House of Man. A House of Salvation. The intimations of modem free thinking, brotherhood, and art. XXIV. The Future Church 243 The delimitation of church functions. Integrations of the new age. The mergenceofjiistorie-faith and natural religion, in the Apostolic ageTmthe coming age. A time of formation. Truth, Goodness, Beauty. The primary category. Survey of the character of the coming cultus. Christian content in ancient categories. Appendix 252 Orders of service in the Wellington Avenue Church, Chicago. Index 257 List of Illustrations Reredos, St. Thomas's Church, New York frontispiece Pulpit, First Baptist Church, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 21 First Church in Cheshire, Connecticut 43 Carved Oak Triptych 79 Silver Crozier; Christmas in Heaven; St. Peter 95 Skinner Memorial Chapel, Holyoke, Massachusetts 123 Silver Alms Basin; Altar Cross in Silver, Ivory, and Enamel ; Carved and Gilded Candlestick 141 First Baptist Church, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania ; Second Church in Boston, Massachusetts 193 House of Hope, St. Paul, Minnesota, Presbyterian 209 South Church, New York City, Reformed 219 Second Church in Newton, Massachusetts, Congregational 225 St. Anne's Chapel, Arlington Heights, Massachusetts 231 First Congregational Church, Montclair, New Jersey 237 Second Church in Boston, Massachusetts, Unitarian 247 Digitized by Google.
Includes index