What is the significance of poetry for theology today?

Abstract

Joan Jones begins this essay by exploring what is meant by the terms ‘theology’ and ‘poetry’. ‘Theology’ is defined as the disciplined attempts of human beings to understand God. That is, the effort to understand how the world is affected by God’s presence and activity, what kind of God he is, and what his purpose is. Jones then turns to how a knowledge of God might be expressed. Might this be poetically? This could be of help in theology’s disciplined search for perfect expression. The fact is, however, that theology and poetry have always worked together, be it in Scripture, liturgy or psalms and hymns. In turn, poetry often expresses theological truths. Is poetry, then, more significant than theology in the early twenty-first century? Jones answers this question by observing that, currently, personal self-definition is much more likely to take place through subjective means than through social objectivity, as was once the case. Jones concludes by pointing to the great outpouring of new liturgy evidenced in praise songs and poetry, which demonstrate both the potential of faith’s reality and relevance and its significance for twenty-first-century theology.