The concept of Incarnationalism and the “manifesto” that follows first saw the light of day here, and the discussion that ensued in the comments below that post will be worth reading in addition to what is presented here. Further explication and practical development will follow in due course, but for the moment you can take this as normative.
Incarnationalism: the word refers to the belief that “the world is charged with the grandeur of God.” It is writing in the tradition of Dostoevsky, Chesterton, and Waugh. It is modern. It is narrative. It is coherent.
- God is real, and life has meaning.
- Incarnationalist art and literature is representative of the world, and therefore portrays a world wherein God is real and life has meaning.
- Art is not an abstracted ideal, and does not exist for its own sake in its own world.
- Incarnationalist art has function in the real world. It is art with social purpose, and isn’t divorced from lived human experience; therefore, it is not abstracted to the point of unintelligibility, and respects the intelligence of its audience.
- The Incarnationalist believes in truth and beauty, but does not separate truth and beauty into all-encompassing ideals.
- The Incarnationalist is concerned with portraying a world in which human life is charged with grandeur and meaning, but not romanticized.
- The Incarnationalist respects the role and function of God and of grace.
- The Incarnationalist is responsible for his work.
- The Incarnationalist is not above his audience.
- The Incarnationalist is traditional; he does not reject narration or coherence.
- The Incarnationalist is a revolutionary; he portrays a world at odds with the commercial, disposable culture which surrounds him.
- While praising and believing worthy of memory valor and sacrifice, the Incarnationalist does not in his work laud violence as an end unto itself, aesthetically or morally.
More to come…
Nick Milne
Brian
godescalc
