The notion of religious architecture, in particular the notion of church architecture has not been truly been explored within our post-modern, post-religious society. Typically the 'Church' has reduced it's architecture in an unceremonious reproduction of 'traditional' styles without even considering the implications of these actions on the 'modern believer' or general society. The other option is that the notion of church architecture is reduced to a 'shell', in which the 'body of Christ' meet. Little consideration is given to the metaphysical nature of the space, the architecture is simply reduced to a functional arrangement of spaces that allow for the particular 'service' expression of the given Church. This can be seen in the use of 'tin sheds' for church buildings. Is this wrong, I don't know.
Ultimately the 'works' of Christ removed three things from the notion of 'typical' religion, the need for a temple (John 2:19 - 1 Corinthians 6:19), the need for sacrifice (Hebrews 10:10), and the need for a dedicated priesthood (1 Peter 2:5). So the Church no longer needs to fit a the rigid structure of religion, the 'interaction' with God is no longer controlled by a rigid structure that is inherent within the 'temple'.
So the ultimate question: What is the future of Church architecture???
Watch this S P A C E: as I explore and try to answer this question...
It is a very interesting question Reggie and one I'm sure you'll shed some light on between now and the end of the year! It prompted me to conduct some very brief research in my lunch break to allow me to provide a comment with some substance... still you can be the judge of that.
ReplyDelete‘Picking up on your second last paragraph and those themes that once determined the 'typical' religion, I wander if these notions have not been absent in the church for some time... ‘The Protestant Reformation that followed the invention of the Gutenberg press in the 16th century ushered in an architectural revolution. To move the church into a print culture, in which people could read instead of simply absorbing what others told them, required massive changes in spaces that would be used for worship and teaching.’
People we’re allowed to practice religion outside the physical confines of the church, so perhaps the demise of the ‘temple’ begun some time ago and as you suggest, has been reduced to a purely pragmatic response to church functions. If this is the case, what we have witnessed in church architecture for some time now is really a notional response to the temple that may well have little to do with the practice of religion today. To that end, are these two items (service and practice) independent entities? And then, if we view this in the context of post-modernist society and the age of information, do they really need to be linked? If worship is something now that is far more accessible and individual, how can architecture facilitate this? Perhaps the real question is do you need a building at all... and if you don’t, how is religion evident without a physical presence? Can it simply live virtually? What I think will be interesting Reggie is how you define the values of religion and the actual need for a physical space to assist it.
The notions of church architecture being absent from the fundamentals of Christianity was the foundation of the religion, as you have suggested. With the invention of the printing press (and the translation of the bible into common languages) this saw the notion of "church" being the only source of 'Godly knowledge' undermined. In addition the reformation resulted in the foundations of the religion being returned to 'logical and rational' interruptions of the bible.
ReplyDeleteLogically and rational "Church" is not a building, but a community. Does that resolve church architecture to merely being a shell for the religious service to occur within, or beyond that does the religious service need to occur physically? I'm suggesting that it is fundamental to the Christian religion that the 'church' as a community congregates, hence the term congregation... this is emphasised in Hebrew 10:25, the community is told not to forsake gathering together. In addition whilst the notion of worship is an individuals response to God, it is also emphasised as a corporate act in Psalm 42, 1 Corinthians 14:26-40...
It is from this foundation of gathering for both community, and for worship, that the need for church architecture exists. Whilst a believer can receive knowledge and teaching from external sources (particular virtually) the need for physical gathering is apparent. However the articulation of church architecture is not start forward... I will discuss this notion through a series of blogs...