Theopoetics

The term Theopoetics draws on the Greek words “theo,” meaning God, and “poeisis,” which refers to the process of making or creating. Theopoetics is only about a 50-year-old discipline. The term was coined by theologian Amos Niven Wilder (brother of Thornton Wilder). In his book Theopoetic, he tried to develop a methodology by which we could create new metaphors and images to express the gospel. He felt that many of the images that had served the church well, those shared by the surrounding culture, for centuries, were no longer reaching our world. Since then, Theopoetics as a concept has grown and changed.

Overview of the Project

In years past, congregations would spend much of their time with their brothers and sisters in Christ: living in the same community, attending multiple services per week, participating in events at the church, sharing life and work throughout the week, and generally participating in the same culture. Today, we spend an hour in worship on Sunday mornings—sometimes spending more time in our cars on the way to and from church than in the actual service—singing songs that may be informed by theology and listening to a 15-45 minute sermon.
We then return to our spacious homes.
The spiritually mature among us may read our Bibles and pray throughout the week. We may also listen to Christian radio as we work or travel. There are also Christian books to read and podcasts to listen to. Much of this may be scattered and unrelated to themes and messages shared in our churches. Others may spend the week carried by entertainment, distraction, and politics.
It is difficult for leaders to shepherd their flocks when their 30-minute messages are offset by 5, 10, or 20 hours of conflicting messaging.
With this project, I want to use theopoetics to weave the culture around us into the process of reflecting on our Sunday sermons. The cultural artifacts I choose will not necessarily repeat or reinforce the Sunday Message. Instead, I am selecting media that will touch on themes or concepts from the sermons. Some may agree with the messages; others may represent worldly conflict with them. I want to bring scripture, interpretation, and church instruction into dialogue with the world.