what is creative fidelity?

Answer 1

“Creative Fidelity” is a way to address the tension between inevitable change over time on the one hand, and the making of promises or commitments on the other. I think the term was coined by Gabriel Marcel (a French Catholic existentialist philosopher)…in any case he wrote a book by that name.

A classic example would be making wedding vows. After 20 years of marriage you are, in many ways, not the same person as you were when you made your vows. You are more experienced, more knowledgeable, you have different interests, etc. Should this older, wiser person always be bound by promises made many years earlier? We face similar problems when we interpret the American Constitution. Times have changed radically. We want to be faithful to the spirit of the constitution, but in the light of radical social and technological changes, “being faithful” is probably not the same as interpreting every sentence literally. And of course the same issue arises when interpreting ancient religious texts like the Bible. The idea of creative fidelity is that we need to find creative ways to be faithful to our commitments in a way that really matters, while still acknowledging that radical changes in ourselves, society, etc. make simplistic literal interpretation unworkable. Personally, I have often argued that, for Christians, sticking to a literal interpretation of the Bible as text is actually contrary to the spirit of Jesus. I don’t think that Jesus, if he came back for a visit, would be very happy with modern fundamentalists who want to stick to literal interpretation of the Bible. To be truly faithful to the spirit of Jesus, modern Christians would need to find creative ways to stay in tune with the spirit of Christ because, in many ways, this spirit is a moving target – in fact it HAS to be a moving target because life is change, so if the spirit is alive, then the spirit is changing. So creative fidelity is a recognition of the need keep moving, growing, learning, and evolving in order to stay in step with all of the things that really matter most in life.

I would also add that polyamory (and other forms of non-monogamy) might be considered a form of creative fidelity in the context of loving/sexual relationships. Rather than forcing yourself to stay within strict marital boundaries over time as our needs, desires, and other feelings change (or rather than getting divorced and re-married multiple times in an effort to keep pseudo-monogamous) it makes more sense to me if we are able to stay committed to our spouses while still exploring other loving and/or sexual relationships. This exemplifies being faithful to the spirit of a union (a life-long loving relationship) while still acknowledging the long-term changes in our selves and our relationships as we grow and change over time. I have not actually heard the term ‘creative fidelity’ used in this context, but I think it certainly fits.

Answer 2

Ask Bill Clinton

Answer 3

Or Picasso

Answer 4

Swinging this way your not cheating on your partner, your being open and hones about it.