ABSTRACT
This paper is a theological reflection utilizing the Killen and de Beer method, on an ‘art installation’ at King’s College London Chaplaincy in which a jar of Marmite, labelled ‘Lord Jesus’ was placed in a manger, causing some controversy. Instead of the usual progression in this method, beginning with experience and the feelings it provokes, to lead to an image, I begin with the image itself and explore it as a feeling-producing experience, which leads to a further image, to insight and action. Themes in this exploration include the nature of art in a Christian context (is this art?), and its missional role; the doctrine of the Incarnation, including the extent to which it is/was shocking and how anthropological ideas of sacred and profane can assist us in understanding this; how we present and understand doctrine in Higher Education Chaplaincy and in our postmodern context.
