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Jonathan Jackson on Christ as the Story Every Story Reaches Toward
27:16
What the video says
Father Chris interviews actor and author Jonathan Jackson about his new book, The Eternal Poet and the Cosmic Drama, releasing September 26th. Jackson explains how the book explores storytelling, drama, and poetry as reflections of humanity made in the image of God, the Eternal Poet. He discusses how narrative principles found in ancient tragedy and drama—planting seeds and fulfilling promises—point toward the Incarnation, Crucifixion, and Resurrection of Christ, and how God's providential authorship can be seen in our own lives.
Key moments
- Jackson introduces his new book, explaining it focuses on the art of storytelling and narrative—tragedy and drama—and how they connect to Scripture and who Christ is, unlike his earlier book The Mystery of Art which focused on the artist's spiritual approach to work.
- The intended audience includes artists of all kinds, since the arts are deeply connected, as well as those interested in theology.
- Storytelling is foundational to human history and culture, reflecting that we are made in the image of God the Maker; poetry has been devalued into sentimentalism when it is far deeper, as in epic works like the Odyssey and Paradise Lost.
- Modern society consumes art like fast food rather than nourishing, generational meals; story has been devalued both secularly (as escapism and even idolatry) and spiritually (as a superficial tool to illustrate points).
- There is such a thing as bad art; Jackson rejects postmodern relativism about aesthetics, citing Roger Scruton, and notes art can fail aesthetically or be nihilistic and sentimental without transformative depth.
- The idea that art can inspire virtue or excite base passions is pre-Christian—Aristotle taught this about music—so it is not merely Christian moralizing; art need not be explicitly Christian to be transcendent, as the best art awakens the right questions.
- The book's first section examines Aristotle's Poetics and Shakespearean tragedy, showing that even before the Incarnation, ancient cultures stumbled upon narrative truths because Christ, the Alpha and Omega, is the author and finisher of our faith.
- Chekhov's 'rifle on the hearth' principle—promises planted and fulfilled—mirrors Scripture's prophecies; God as the eternal author has 'rifles' in our lives, and recognizing His providential authorship brings comfort against chaos, despair, and nihilism.
Actor and author Jonathan Jackson discusses his new book, The Eternal Poet and the Cosmic Drama (releasing September 26th), in an interview with Father Chris. Unlike his earlier book The Mystery of Art, which addressed the artist's spiritual approach to work, the new book examines storytelling, drama, and poetry as reflections of humanity made in the image of God, the Eternal Poet.
Jackson argues that narrative principles found in ancient tragedy—planting seeds and fulfilling promises—point toward the Incarnation, Crucifixion, and Resurrection of Christ, and that God's providential authorship can be discerned in our own lives. The conversation covers why storytelling is foundational to human culture, how poetry has been reduced to sentimentalism when it is far deeper, and how modern society consumes art like fast food rather than nourishing, generational meals.
Jackson rejects postmodern relativism about aesthetics, insisting there is such a thing as bad art—work that fails aesthetically or is nihilistic and sentimental without transformative depth. He notes that the idea of art shaping virtue or exciting base passions is pre-Christian, going back to Aristotle's teaching on music, so this is not merely Christian moralizing; art need not be explicitly Christian to be transcendent, since the best art awakens the right questions.
The book's first section examines Aristotle's Poetics and Shakespearean tragedy, showing that even before the Incarnation, ancient cultures stumbled upon narrative truths because Christ, the Alpha and Omega, is the author and finisher of our faith. Jackson also draws on Chekhov's 'rifle on the hearth' principle—promises planted and fulfilled—mirroring Scripture's prophecies, and suggests that recognizing God as the eternal author of our lives brings comfort against chaos, despair, and nihilism.
The book is intended for artists of all kinds, since the arts are deeply connected, as well as readers interested in theology. Jackson is the author of two previous books, The Mystery of Art and The Harrowing of Hell.
Main points
- The new book traces narrative patterns from Greek tragedy through Scripture, arguing Christ is the fulfillment of every story.
- Storytelling reflects humanity made in the image of God the Maker; poetry has been devalued into sentimentalism.
- Jackson rejects aesthetic relativism: bad art exists—work that is nihilistic, sentimental, or lacking transformative depth.
- Art's moral power is a pre-Christian insight (Aristotle on music); art need not be explicitly Christian to be transcendent.
- Chekhov's 'rifle on the hearth' mirrors biblical prophecy; seeing God's providential authorship in our lives comforts against nihilism.