Pentecostal Experience and art in a Collingwoodian frame

Abstract

ABSTRACT Long overlooked British philosopher R. G. Collingwood articulated a sophisticated expressivist theory of art that is receiving renewed interest in aesthetic circles. He locates true art within a sophisticated and comprehensive theory of mind, wherein the making and appreciation of art is intimately tied to the ‘expressing’ of feelings at the foundation of sensation. This provides a productive point of contact for Pentecostals whose experience of the Spirit falls within with his description of the mysterious feelings of consciousness. Within a Collingwoodian frame, Pentecostal language, especially in preaching and testimony, can be understood as aesthetic expression, with its reception by affective Pentecostal audiences akin to the apprehension of art with consequent communal benefits. Along such lines, utilizing Collingwood’s distinction between art-proper and art-falsely-so-called provides avenues for imagining and validating distinctly Pentecostal art as the expression of the Spirit in a way that is meaningful to both artistic and missional communities.