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Introduction

In De Musica, Augustine described beauty as “a plank amid the waves of the sea.”1 From the perspective of process theology, the experience of beauty not only offers life-saving rescue from the storms of life, but also serves as a glimpse into the very nature of God and the world.

Writing this book during the coronavirus quarantine offers new meaning to the phrase, “waves of the sea,” as waves of the virus sweep across the globe, ravaging lives and livelihoods. This new catastrophe layered atop systemic racism, economic injustice, and the existential threat of climate change, catapults Augustine’s words into a new world on the brink of drowning. How can beauty be a plank against such waves? How is beauty relevant in such times as these? What part does beauty play in the transformation of our exhausted and beleaguered world? And how can beauty tend to our aching souls in these times of crises on every front?

These are some of the questions I address in this short theology of beauty, inspired by process theology, scripture, experience—and in loving companionship with poets, philosophers, artists, mystics, musicians, and the mother of all teachers: nature herself.

In this offering on beauty, I will often refer to philosopher and mathematician Alfred North Whitehead (1861-1947), whose works are the primary source and inspiration for process theology. In Adventures of Ideas, he often referred to beauty with a capital “B,” surely to distinguish it from our everyday use of the word “beauty,” which often falls short of its fuller meaning. I will follow his cue from this point forward, primarily using Beauty (with a capital B) to indicate this larger theological sense of the word.

Finally, this book seeks to offer a pastoral process theology for those seeking a deeper experience with both Beauty and God, for this is the story of a beautiful God. And, while profound expressions of process theology are found in other faiths besides my own, the process theology expressed in this book issues from my own progressive Christian standpoint. As a companion to Bruce Epperly’s foundational books in this series, including Process Theology: Embracing Adventure with God2 and Process Spirituality3, this offering introduces process theology through the eyes of Beauty.