In the lively conversation that followed on the heals of a blog post on a friend's blog, Perry Robinson made an observation which struck me as particularly insightful, not least after my earlier comments on Gnosticism in the church. "Architecture" he said, "is theology and mystagogy. I can walk into a given church and tell you what they believe usually without knowing the tradition 9 times out of ten. With modern evangelicals the lesson is simple-God is everywhere in general and no where in particular - ecclesial docetism as it were."
3 comments:
I agree that architecture is theology, just as I agree that liturgy is theology. But it doesn't necessarily follow that someone "can walk into a given church and tell you what they believe usually without knowing the tradition 9 times out of ten."
In my time as an Episcopal priest, I can confidently say that many of the people I serve - some of whom have worshiped faithfully week after week (and in some cases for 20-40+ years) - are no more formed and shaped by theology of the Eucharistic liturgies from The Book of Common Prayer (or, quite frankly, from anything in the Prayer Book), than a newcomer totally clueless about what we Episcopalians are doing and why. And where I currently serve, the theology of transcendence conveyed by the architecture is deeply at odds with the theology of immanence I often hear from the people I serve.
In other words, there can be a gap - or even a chasm - between the theology conveyed by architecture and/or the liturgy a church uses, and what the people who actually show up week after week actually believe.
Here's what I posted on Robin's Facebook post: ""ecclesial docetism" based on the architecture? I think he may have a point. I walked into a "church" here in my neck of the Texas woods recently. There was a cross outside, inside was a daycare, an indoor playground, a movie theater, & the worship area looked like a convention hall. No...I say,absolutely No sacramental accoutrements evident (no table, baptistry), no Bibles, no hymn books, no pulpit, nothing to tell you that worship of Almighty God goes on there. But it looked like entertainment. Architecture is theology...how about, architecture is embodied theology."
Now another comment: It's not that the liturgy or architecture "form" the people, it's that they declare a theology, and that an embodied, spoken theology. If there is a disconnect, it has more to do with something Fr. Richard John Neuhaus once said, we proclaim the sovereignty of Jesus (a fact), but it is a "disputed sovereignty"! I think that applies to our liturgy & architecture. If done right, it declares a fact (Jesus is Lord!), no matter how many folks overtly or covertly dispute it (by what they have done, or by what they have left undone!).
Mike the Meagre
Simply, Yes.
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