The primary reason to take up reading and studying both poetry and theology is that these can show us paths for journeying with Jesus through our lives. Poetry and theology can point us to Jesus, inviting us to consider Him in ways that can make His Presence with us more real and continuous. Being more like Jesus is what the Holy Spirit is working within us to do.[1] I hope you have seen, from our preceding sections in The InVerse Theology Project Explained, some important ways that these two disciplines can help us in our walk with and work for the Lord. With that in mind, I’d like to take a closer look at what it means to consider Jesus. Then I’ll share some resources you can begin to use immediately to help you in this work.
Looking to Jesus
Twice in the book of Hebrews we are urged to “consider Jesus.” In Hebrews 3.1, the writer exhorts us to consider Jesus (κατανοήσατε) so that we will continue believing in and confessing Him throughout our lives. This word means to pay attention to something through direct observation, with the implication of also thinking about it, meditating on it, and returning to it often, just as one might carefully observe an object in creation or a work of art.
An aesthetical and poetic consideration of Jesus engages all our senses and stirs our hearts to delight in and enjoy Him, as we become immersed in the various devices and images the Scriptures use to reveal His great goodness and glory. Considering Jesus in this contemplative way fills our mind with new aspects of vision, our heart with greater excitement and love, and our conscience with firmer resolve to know, love, obey, and glorify this majestic and powerful King of glory.
In Hebrews 12.3, the writer calls us again to consider Jesus, but this time as a work of rational analysis (ἀναλογίσασθε), a theological analysis, as opposed to an aesthetical contemplation. This suggests the need to study, read, think deeply, meditate, talk with others, and know Jesus in terms appropriate to His uniqueness and mission. Which is pretty much what the study of theology involves.
Scripture is the place to start in theological study, as we have seen. But others can help us by their writings and insights. Church history offers many excellent writings about Jesus and how to know Him. Jesus is one of the most popular subjects of contemporary Christian writers, and we can greatly enhance our theological understanding of our Lord by taking recourse to these excellent resources.
Looking to Jesus is the starting-place and substance for attending to, rather than neglecting, our great salvation. And both poetry and theology can help us in this project.
Poetry Resources
In my reading of poetry—in particular, poetry that directs me upward to God—a few poets have made a lasting impression. I return to them over and over.
The earliest of these is the Syriac deacon and church father, Ephraim, who flourished in the middle of the 4th century. His hymn cycle, The Pearl, is one I return to, in part because of the beauty of the poetry but also because of the blending of theological disciplines Ephraim employs—Biblical, creational, and spiritual theology in particular—and the focus on Christ that each hymn features. Another 4th century poet/theologian whose poetry is equally beautiful and theological is the Spaniard Prudentius. His Morning Hymn is as relevant and beautiful for our day as for his.
Poetry of both these ancient bards is available online and at no charge.
Skip forward to Geoffrey Chaucer, Edmund Spenser, and the 17th-century metaphysical poets, especially, in my pantheon, John Donne and George Herbert. Chaucer and Spenser might be a bit more demanding, as their best-known verse is lengthy. But Donne and Herbert offer shorter, easily-accessible poems which provide immediate pleasure and insight and repay repeated reading and meditation.
Anne Bradstreet (17th century) is the first lady of American poetry. She is a consistent craftswoman and theologian, even though her subject matter tends to be quotidian.
I enjoy reading 18th-century poet William Cowper’s The Task, but it is lengthy and one must read for some time to access his theological insights. His blank verse is nothing short of astonishing, and his observations of life in the English countryside can teach us to appreciate the revelation of God in creation and culture all around us.
Let me just list the remaining few poets whose work I read over and over. They include, from the 19th century, Gerard Manley Hopkins and Emily Dickinson; from the 20th, William Butler Yeats, Robert Frost, and Czeslaw Milosz; and from the last century into this, Dana Gioia, Richard Wilbur, Denise Levertov, and the Australian Andrew Lansdown. I read others as well, but it’s these I return to both to refresh my soul and to grow in my understanding of the Lord.
Again, samples of the poetry of each of these poets can be found simply by typing their name into your search box. For a good introduction to most of these and many other fine poets, I encourage you to purchase a copy of Good Poems, selected by Garrison Keillor.
Theology Resources
In my pantheon of helpful theologians are Augustine of Hippo (4th into the 5th century) is first. His Confessions and City of God engage the whole spectrum of theological studies and thus help us to see how looking through all six windows of divine revelation can enrich our understanding.
A few theologians in between Augustine and Calvin are worth mentioning, such as John Chrysostom (died, 407—anything by him), Basil of Caesarea (4th century), Boethius (6th century—especially his meditation on philosophy and his study of music), Anselm of Canterbury (11th century, Cur Deus Homo is his best-known work), and Martin Luther (16th century, especially The Freedom of the Christian and The Pagan Servitude of the Church). I skip Aquinas because I have never developed a taste for him. Have a sip, though, if you have a few hours to spare.
Starting with Calvin (16th century) then, and his Instruction in Faith and Institutes of the Christian Religion I leap the centuries to Jonathan Edwards (18th century). Everything Edwards ever wrote is theologically sound and can edify your soul. You may have to read over it a few times, but in my book, Edwards is the gold standard of theologians.
As for more modern theologians who have helped my thinking, I mention (in no particular order) J. Gresham Machen, Carl F. H. Henry, Francis Schaeffer, Alexander Schmemmann, J. Edwin Orr, Alister McGrath, J. I. Packer, Vern Poythress, Cornelius Van Til, Kenneth Scott Latourette, Gerhardus Vos, O. Palmer Robertson, and C. S. Lewis and Dallas Willard (both of whom would shiver at the thought of being referred to as a theologian).
For a good overview of the history of theology, using original resources in a wide variety of forms, I recommend you secure a copy of Alister McGrath’s The Christian Theology Reader.
Conclusion
The desire of our hearts, as followers of the Lord, should be that of those ancient Greeks: “We would see Jesus.”[2] And when it is, we will seek out ways, means, resources, and venues that can help us in this quest. Our prayer is that The InVerse Theology Project will help you discover the richness of each of these disciplines for growing us in the grace and knowledge of the Lord.
[1] Philippians 2.12; 2 Corinthians 3.12-18
[2] John 12.21
