Devoted to the Propagation and Defense of New Testament Christianity
VOLUME 1
August 25, 1949
NUMBER 16, PAGE 2

Emphasizing The Spiritual

Editorial

It is no accident that the most magnificent church architecture in the world arose out of periods of spiritual depression and degradation. Gothic cathedral architecture found its first tentative expression in the abbey church of St. Denis, near Paris, which was completed in 1140 A. D. The development that followed during the next half a century is unique in architectural history. Experiments in vaulting, stained glass traceries, buttressing and planning laid the foundation for the worlds famous structures which were to follow, Rheims, Milan, St. Paul's at London, and many others.

London's most majestic church structure, St. Paul's, was designed by Sir Christopher Wren, and was built between the years 1675 and 1710. This was a period in English history that is recognized as one of the lowest and most depraved morally in all her annals. It was the fore runner of the cold formalism and spiritual lethargy which gave John and Charles Wesley such a rebellious spirit against the church of their day. The effeminate and dissolute Charles II set the moral tone for the whole nation.

We repeat, it was no accident that the world's most impressive church architecture arose out of such black and shameful backgrounds.

The Jewel And The Setting

Jewelers have long recognized the principle of "the less worthy the jewel, the more ornate and decorative the setting." A truly precious stone, worthy in its own right, is given the plainest and simplest of settings. An inferior stone, faulty and poor quality, is dressed up in a setting with numerous embellishments and adornments.

This is exactly what happened in church architecture. When there was spiritual life and warmth and character, the buildings in which the congregations met were always secondary or of relative unimportance. When spiritual life declined, first emphasis began to be given to the building of costly and ornate edifices. The less worthy and the less spiritual the congregation, the more likely she was to desire a magnificent and embellished church building.

It is certainly true that in the most glorious period of her history (the first centuries) the congregations had no buildings of their own at all. Somehow, it seemed never to occur to them that they were (to use a modern expression) "woefully handicapped by lack of a building." They had an intensity of zeal, a compelling urgency in their message to their fellow men, a fervor that within one generation took the gospel "in all creation under heaven" (Col 1:23) When, however, the churches grew numerous and popular, when many rich and worldly men began to exert their influence, emphasis began to be put on the building of houses. The primitive passion for souls was watered down — not lost entirely, but certainly weakened.

When Christianity lost her beauty and her purity, when she became "earthy" rather than spiritual, her interests and her desires turned to magnificent and costly buildings rather than to clean lives and pure characters. A lovely cathedral was prized more highly than a lovely life. As Christendom became less and less attractive in the lives of her followers, the houses in which her people met became more and more costly and ornamented and attractive. As the jewel declined in value, the setting became more impressive.

The Church Today

We are not even beginning to argue that church buildings today are unnecessary. We are not even saying there is a limit in dollars and cents in what is proper to invest in the erection of meetinghouses. Our point is rather in the matter of emphasis. When a church puts chief emphasis on a building (be it little or big) that church has lost its intrinsic attractiveness to a sinful world. She is (perhaps unconsciously) seeking to win people through her building rather than through her life and message.

Churches of the Lord can never hope to compete with sectarians in the matter of costly and ornate buildings. We shouldn't even try. There was not a church in all the earth during those first centuries that could compare with the heathen Temple of Diana at Ephesus or with the Parthenon at Athens. Heathen religions, having nothing else to offer a sin sick world, sought to impress men by their magnificent shrines.

Christians should emphasize the quality and character of life, rather than the material building. We are not at all certain that the cause of Christ would not have fared far better through the centuries if there had never been a church building — if congregations had always been confined to ten, fifteen, or maybe fifty people, meeting in their own homes There could have been then no appeal to pride or prestige.

But since we do have buildings (and are getting more and bigger and costlier ones every day), let every elder, deacon, and other church member who has anything at all to do with it determine that no congregation shall he permitted ever to make the erection of, or payment for, a church building become its primary and chief objective. Let us emphasize the spiritual rather than the material,

—F. Y. T.

—O—

The moron always took the nickel when he was given the choice of it and a dime. A friend offered bins different advice, but the moron said they would quit playing if he took the dime.

—O—