The Theological Imagination

de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture

Available on-demand

Is our imagination merely a retreat into fiction, or is it the very mechanism by which we perceive the truth? Join Judith Wolfe as she explores how we navigate the world’s unseen depths. Discover how faith and art unveil the “wholes” of reality, transforming our vision through the theological imagination.

Men and women of faith continue to draw on the wisdom, wonder, and beauty of the evergreen Catholic tradition to inform a particular mode of understanding and engaging with the world around them. Inspired by a sacramental vision of reality, the Catholic arts in particular grapple with the mystery and meaning that permeate the created order, giving shape and expression to the transcendent.

At its 24th annual Fall Conference, the de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture considered the idea of the Catholic imagination, its enduring and inexhaustible nature, and how it continues to illumine our modern world. With a particular focus on the literary arts, the conference explored unique expressions of the Catholic imagination in more than 150 presentations, performances, and discussions across the disciplines, including philosophy, theology, ethics, law, history, and the natural and social sciences, as well as the creative domains of film, music, theater, and the visual arts.

For 2024’s Fall Conference, the de Nicola Center was pleased to partner with the Biennial Catholic Imagination Conference, which aims to enhance the understanding and appreciation of the richness and variety of contributions by Catholic artists; to explore the critical and theoretical foundations of the Catholic imagination; and to foster community and collaboration among writers and readers who share a knowledge of and respect for the Catholic tradition.

How do we truly see the world around us? In a profound keynote for the de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture, Dr. Judith Wolfe challenges the common assumption that the imagination is merely “imaginary.” Instead, she invites us to recognize it as a fundamental tool for human orientation. By understanding imagination as the silent engine of perception, we can better appreciate its strategic role in helping us navigate—and co-create—our complex, meaningful reality.

The Power of Integration (Gestalt) Dr. Wolfe defines imagination through the lens of Gestalt—our innate power to integrate discrete, often chaotic sense data into meaningful “wholes.” Drawing on the philosophical tradition of Kant and Mary Warnock, she explains that this process is indispensable for our “ordinary business.” Without the imagination’s ability to organize the sensory field into familiar forms, the world would remain a continuous, unmanageable stream of perception. It is the power that allows us to see not just lines and colors, but a smile; not just movements, but an act of bravery.

The Tension of “Finding” and “Making” A central thesis of Wolfe’s address is that our perception is “at once immediate, mediate, and mediating.” We do not simply “find” a world that is already fully interpreted; rather, we are co-creators of our reality. This duality carries significant ethical stakes. Because we “make” the meaning of the faces and actions we encounter, we bear a profound responsibility for our interpretations. We must ask ourselves: are we seeing clearly, or are we prone to the “mis- or over-interpretation” of the people and events that shape our lives?

Art as a Laboratory for the Mind Why do we find such pleasure in art? Wolfe suggests that our delight in a painting or poem rests precisely in the mind’s effort to bridge the gap between a flat surface and a world of depth. Art functions as a laboratory that brings the “hidden” work of the imagination to the surface—what Kant called the “blind but indispensable function of the soul.” By analyzing Impressionism’s call for collaboration and Expressionism’s tendency to frustrate our habituated patterns, Wolfe shows how artists like Picasso or poets like Seamus Heaney force us to recognize our own interpretative participation in the world.

Theology and the “Literal Metaphor” The lecture culminates in a beautiful theological synthesis: the Christian faith as a metanoia, a total renewal of the mind. Wolfe describes the Eucharist as a “literal metaphor”—not a mere symbol, but a “carrying over” of reality that names and transforms a mystery. In the bread and wine, the imagination truly finds what it seeks. This “theological imagination” does not impose alien structures upon our lives; rather, it participates in an “unseen depth” of goodness and love held together by God.

As we reflect on these concepts, we invite you to explore the following takeaways, which offer a roadmap for our shared intellectual and spiritual journey.

Imagination as an Integrative Power (Gestalt): Far from being a faculty for the “unreal,” the imagination is the primary agent of all human perception. It functions by synthesizing discrete data points into coherent “wholes,” allowing us to recognize the world as a navigable and meaningful place rather than a chaotic stream of sensations.
The “Hiddenness” and “Malleability” of Our Worldviews: Our imaginative processes usually occur unconsciously, creating an illusion that we are seeing “straightforward” facts. This leaves us vulnerable to manipulation; for instance, propaganda and advertising can mold our worldviews by arbitrarily associating a car with “freedom” or a political party with “evil.”
Art’s Function in Exposing Our Imaginative Work: Experiences with art and literature act as “formal indications”—paths to be walked rather than just lessons to be learned. By deliberately frustrating our ability to match patterns easily, art makes us aware of the mental effort required to bridge the difference between sensory data and reality.
The Responsibility of “Finding and Making”: We live in a constant “stress field” between discovering truth and constructing meaning. Because our perception of the world is a co-creative act, we are ethically responsible for how we “see” others, requiring us to guard against the dangers of prejudice and misinterpretation.
The Eschatological Limit of Imagination: While our imagination is adequate to reality, it remains inadequate to the fullness of God. We must practice a “self-abnegating imagination” that acknowledges the gaps and contradictions of this life, trusting that while we currently see “in a mirror dimly,” we are being drawn toward a future face-to-face vision.

“Imagination as I use the term is not primarily the capacity to picture absent or fictional things rather it is first and foremost the power to make the continuous stream of sense perception meaningful by integrating discrete data points into forms or wholes what the Germans call Gestalt.” — Judith Wolfe

“Our way of seeing the world is at once immediate, mediate, and mediating. Not merely a matter of finding, but also always one of making. This holds both danger and promise.” — Judith Wolfe

“The Christian faith is among other things a way of seeing the world which beholds in that world an unseen depth of goodness, significance, and love which we do not make but in which we can participate.” — Judith Wolfe

“The Lord’s choice… to take Bread and Wine and declare them his body and blood… was what we might call a literal metaphor carrying something over from one form of reality to another. It is an instance of seeing as which in imagining truly finds.” — Judith Wolfe

“To believe in God demands a commitment to not reducing the complexity of the data points before us… such commitment rests on a trust that Beyond any order that we can impose on the world imaginatively, it is and will be held together by God.” — Judith Wolfe