Illustration with Purpose Creativity with Power
Reading the Bible like Art
Understanding how people look at and understand artwork can give us insight into how people grow in how they understand the Bible.
Abigail Housen’s Stages of Aesthetic Development
Inspired by Piaget’s Stages of Human Development, Abigail Housen sought to explore how humans’ interaction with art changed and developed. She identified five stages. They are not associated with any specific ages. It seems, however, that people usually progress through them in order as they become more and more familiar with art.
Accountive - viewers are storytellers, constructing a narrative within the work based on what they know and like.
Constructive - viewers build a framework for what art should and shouldn’t be, their understanding of conventions informs value judgements.
Classifying - artwork is sorted into groups by histories and movements; categorization is key.
Interpretive - seeking a personal encounter with art, slowly seeking subtle meanings which reveal themselves to those who ponder them.
Re-creative - experienced viewers set aside conventions to intentionally interpret it in new ways, like a friend you get to know over many years.
How might each stage respond to “Saying Grace” by Norman Rockwell?
Accountive - A woman and her grandson are praying in a crowded diner. The people around them are watching them, a little surprised by the sight.
Constructive - This painting is so detailed and so realistic. The artist did a great job of showing each person’s emotions.
Classifying - This is a Norman Rockwell painting. He was an American illustrator. This was probably a Saturday Evening Post cover.
Interpretive - Rockwell might have been addressing the changing times, showing a grandmother passing on her faith despite the cynical urban world around her.
Re-creative - The reaction of the crowd is a lot like how America views Rockwell paintings, respecting the idealism but not quite believing it will ever be true again.
How do these apply to the Bible?
I would argue that these stages can be applied as stages of Biblical interpretation.
Readers begin by looking at literal story events, they attempt to make moral lessons of good or bad, they might dive deep into the context of the original text. Next they can begin seeking to understand how it fits into God’s grand design. Finally, they might encounter the Spirit in the text and perceive new meanings day by day.
Here’s how each stage might read Noah’s Ark:
Accountive - A man builds an ark to save his family from a flood.
Constructive - Always listen and obey God, even if it’s unpopular!
Classifying - Part of the Torah. Narrative text in the style of a Mesopotamian deluge myth.
Interpretive - The Ark is like Christ who saves all who are in Him through faith.
Re-creative - I am reminded that, just like God closed the door of the ark, He has sealed my Soul. I cannot lose my salvation, it would be like Noah opening the doors of the ark again.
The Apostles and early Church Fathers often approached scripture from a perspective that was both Interpretive and Re-creative. Interpretive because they sought to understand the Bible’s deeper meaning which they believed God had placed there from the beginning; re-creative because they continued to draw new meaning and new allegorical significance as time went on. Christians throughout history have let the Holy Spirit speak to them directly through Biblical text, inspiring their lives and fleshing out meaning as they make personal connections.
Mainstream Sunday School, however, does not typically seek to bring people beyond the first two stages. We work to ensure kids are familiar with Bible stories or we work to ensure they get a clear moral “takeaway.” The other three stages require a lot more effort and can feel inaccessible to kids. While it is true that some curricula in recent years have stressed the Bible as a narrative that points to Jesus; what would a curriculum look like that equips students to explore this whole spectrum before arriving somewhere Re-creative and Spirit led?