Artful Theology at Fuller Studios

FULLER  STUDIO
By Maria Fee

Maria Fee, a PhD candidate at Fuller, is an artist with an MFA in Painting and MA in Theology. As an adjunct professor, she delves into theology and art through courses like Visual Arts and the Christian and Capstone Theology and Art. See her work at mariafee.net.

Pairing the investigation of art and theology exercises a whole-body intellect that includes the somatic and affective realm. Because of the concrete nature of art making, these thesis projects fill a void left by disembodied practices of the Christian faith. These nascent theologians ask, why do believers profess one thing but do the opposite or nothing at all? Why is theology often abstract to the point of ignoring actual human circumstances or experiences? Ethicist James McClendon once expressed that Christians have falsely believed that ethics has nothing to do with “our bodies, their environment, our mutual needs, our delights and horrors, our organic selfhood in context.” [More]