Salvation and the City: Christian Faith and the Arts in London’
How have the arts provided a means for Christians in London to express their faith? Answer giving particular examples.
How are ecclesiastical buildings in London related to the activities that have gone on within and around them, and does this make their architecture an expression of Christian worship and/or witness? Make reference to at least two buildings.
‘Seeing is believing:’ do you think that one of the purposes of establishing a National Gallery full of sacred art at the heart of London was to foster religious belief? And either way, how might an argument for maintaining such a collection today differ from the vision of its founders?
Discuss two works of art made for a specifically Christian setting that are now displayed in a gallery setting in London (paintings, prints, or sculptures). Critically compare (i) their setting, function and intended effect at the time of their creation and (ii) their setting and function now.
Either (a) ‘London is a great musical melting pot in which there can be no purely religious and no purely secular musical form.’ Discuss.
Or (b) What purpose, if any, might music serve in the creation or sustenance of religious vision and religious community?
‘The history of London theatre must in part be a history of the Church’. Discuss.
Does London’s theatrical tradition support the claim that theatre is a kind of liturgy?
Compare two different visions of London in the works of Christian writers.
What has been the influence of Christian patrons on the art we encounter today in London?
Do modern artworks and the institutions which display them tell their own ‘story of salvation’?
Who, if anyone, benefits when theology engages with the arts in the context of the modern city, and how?
The 20th century has used film to reflect on the modern city; the 21st century continues to do so. Is there anything theologically interesting about this tradition?
Do you agree with the claim that art museums in the modern period fulfil some of the same functions as cathedrals and churches have done in the past?
‘Christianity is the most materialistic of all the great religions’ (William Temple). Do you agree with this claim, and what are its implications for the making of Christian art? Use examples from London to support your argument.
