Episode 117: David Brown: Experiencing God through the Senses, Recovering Place, and Christian Art

The Reverend, David William Brown FRSE FBA (born 1 July 1948) is an Anglican priest and British scholar of philosophy, theology, religion, and the arts.
He taught at the universities of Oxford, Durham, and St. Andrews before retiring in 2015. He is well-known for his "non-punitive theory of purgatory, his defence of specific versions of social Trinitarianism and kenotic Christology, his distinctive theory of divine revelation as mediated fallibly through both tradition and imagination, and his proposals regarding a pervasive sacramentality discerned in nature and human culture alike."
Videos and Websites for more of David:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_B...)
• David Brown - Arts and...
• AT THE THRESHOLD: The ...
Research Areas
An earlier interest in interactions between theology and philosophy has now broadened out into one between theology and the wider culture, especially the arts. In my earlier career at Oxford (1976-90), I focused on the relationship with philosophy and this is reflected in my two major books from that period: The Divine Trinity (1985) and Continental Philosophy and Modern Theology (1987). However, thereafter with my appointment first to Durham in 1990 and subsequently to St Andrews in 2007 my interests widened to consideration of theology's relationship with the arts and culture more generally.
That interest is reflected in five books all published by Oxford University Press between 1999 and 2008. In the first two Tradition and Imagination (1999) and Discipleship and Imagination (2000) I explored the way in which the Christian understanding of biblical revelation has been affected by changes in the wider culture and in turn affected that wider culture. The history of art can provide some good examples, for instance in differing treatments across the centuries of the nativity or crucifixion of Christ. The later three then looked at religious experience and the way in which this might be mediated through the arts and culture. God and Enchantment of Place (2004) explored this primarily through landscape painting, geography and architecture, as well as, more briefly, in other neglected areas such as changing attitudes to garden design. God and Grace of Body (2007) examined attitudes to the body as well as music in all its forms (including pop music). Finally, God and Mystery in Words (2008) explored religious experience as mediated through drama and poetry and their expression in worship as liturgy and hymns.
However. a book published initially in French in 2010 La tradition kénotique dans la théologie britannique represented a return to more doctrinal and philosophical issues. An English version becomes available from Baylor University Press in 2011 under the title, Divine Humanity: Kenosis and the Construction of a Christian Theology.

[@NornIronMan.]

Very interesting guest and great interview. It was an insightful point about dance being left behind by the church. Dancehalls and nightclubs carry so much religious symbolism and are a great way to commune but the church seems to have given that space over to secularism. I also like the idea that Love can be explored through Soul music. Given God can be expressed as love it's nice to think listening to my Stax records I'm actually doing some theology homework. I hadn't even thought about the name "Soul" music much before but if course it carries such obvious religious connotations.

[@MoreChrist]

Amen, brother! Steve Turner from England has done lots of good work on this. I recently read his book on Johnny Cash, but he also has books on figures like Marvin Gaye and The Beatles, and even a lovely illustrated one on Gospel music, which I own. The Christian philosopher Douglas Groothuis has understood Jazz in a similar fashion - describing himself as a kind of 'chaplain' of his local jazz club. To borrow from The Blues Brothers, 'We're on a mission from God.' Everybody needs somebody to love!