..... an appreciation of beauty is not optional for the Christian. Pursuing beauty is as mandatory as the pursuit of truth and goodness, which is why aesthetics has historically been considered a branch of moral theology.



St. Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, and C. S. Lewis all wrote that beauty, like truth and goodness, has its origin in who God is, in His very nature. Aquinas said that beauty "participates in the divine brightness." Beauty gives us a glimpse of God’s integrity, perfection, and majesty. Beauty points to the order and intelligence that sustains the universe.



Charles Colson, in his essay Slothfully Tacky: The Scandal of Christian Merchandise