Jeremy Begbie: A "Thicker" Understanding of Beauty

Jeremy Begbie is one of the leading figures in the areas that mean so much to us at Luminous: namely, the arts, and how they are informed by spirituality, and in his case we can say also, by theology. Currently at Duke University, he has taught also at Cambridge and St. Andrews. He is founding director of DITA, Duke Initiatives in Theology and the Arts – at Duke University where he is Thomas A. Langford Distinguished Professor of Theology.  Jeremy Begbie is very much a theologian, very much an artist; a musician—a pianist, oboist, and conductor; and also very much a person of faith.

He is author of several books that have made a deep impact on art and theology alike. Among them, Resounding Truth: Christian Wisdom in the World of Music (2007) was voted one of the top ten books of 2007 by Christianity Today. Theology, Music and Time (2000) was likewise voted one of the top ten books of 2000 by Books and Culture.

In his book Resounding Truth, Jeremy made some comments about Arvo Pärt — about whom we care a great deal — that have been contested by many of that composer’s ardent fans. Nearly 15 years on, our conversation here offers some useful and clarifying insights. But that’s just one of the many wonderful places we visit together.

Tune in to his interview series Meeting Our Moment, with remarkable guests such as N.T. Wright.