When I walked into a pastor-friend's office yesterday, I noticed his "credentials" on the wall. There was the ordination certificate. It looked very much like mine. But his diploma certifiying his Master of Divinity was quite different than mine. It had a picture above the name of the school. A picture of a building right there on the piece of paper. Not just any building either. It was a picture of a church building. It had that typical 1950's Baptist look to it: red brick, big concrete stairs, huge columns, and large white doors. I looked at my pastor-friend and said, "That's interesting. I wonder why they put a church building on there." He said that it was the chapel on the campus of the school. He added that it was the centerpoint of the campus. I gave some sort of grunt that indicated I understood. I had, after all, never visited his alma mater's campus, and the church building looked pretty generic to me...at least in the 1950's Baptist tradition of architecture. I personally didn't think it was anything worth putting at the top of a diploma, but then again, I can't really say anything about what choices schools make on these types of things. My alma mater has a camel for a mascot!
It was my pastor-friend's next remark that really got me thinking though: "There are a lot of schools that put their most important building on their diplomas." I hadn't thought of it before, but I guess it's true. I looked at his diploma one more time, looked over at him, and said, "We sure are a building-centered faith, aren't we?"
When people find out I lead a church, the first question they ask is, "Where is it?"
When a church enters a building project, they are "building a church."
When people wake up on Sunday mornings, they announce to the kids, "Get up. We're going to church."
Reminders for meetings come in the mail and announce, "We're meeting at the church."
And people like me (called church-planters) who start churches haven't really arrived until we have some sort of building.
Church bulletins often feature pictures of the building. Church directories often present an image of the building on the cover. And monuments are placed on the walls of church buildings celebrating who gave the money to erect portions of the building. It is no wonder that the life of my friend's school centered around the chapel. Much of the faith of Christ-followers is centered around church buildings. His school boasts that by centering their campus' life around the chapel, they are centering their school on worship. Funny. I thought Christian worship was centered on Jesus.
The tyranny of the church building in the Christian faith is, I think, related to the institutionalizing of our faith. We have moved from a decentralized narrative faith to a centralized faith of "place." The uncontainable, wild story of God has been tamed and controlled by erecting buildings. It has moved from organism to organization. We have traded the Kingdom of God for a building. I don't know if the buildings are at the root of the problem or if the buildings are the symptoms of an even larger problem. All I know is the two - institution and building - are closely related. As for how incestuous they are (i.e. kissing cousins, brother and sister, or worse) I don't know. But something is definitely wrong.
2 comments:
"Sir," the woman said, "I can see that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem."
Jesus declared, "Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth." (John 4:19-24)
Its easier to worship a building, than a golden calf. (yrs of Architecture schooling and growing up as the son of a principle architect taught me that)
Building are important! They are actually one of the few main needs of humanity. Dwellings for shade, sleep, protection of elements, and civic space are key to surviving as a culture. Just like abundant food source, and water.
However there does seem to be a difference in how people tend to view these basic needs.
I feel a need is either met or not met. Take water, You either have clean drinking water, or you do not. Yet at the Grocery store count how many types of water there are. There is Spring, Filtered, Flavored, Enhanced, Drinking, and many more.
Clothing is the same way.
So is Food for that matter.
Everyone knows we can survive off rice and fish... yet look at how many diverse things we put into our body.
Building are no different.
and whats worse, is that because of our own ego, we must have the best house, or church.... IT CAN BE BIGGER.
how often do you hear that... or "Next time were going to Add this"
we are a Consumer Culture...
...and to consume is to idol and worship.
However take notice of this: To have a ID card or Drivers Lic. you must have a home address.
This means... homeless people can not have any IDs.
so what?
Did you know it is Illegal to not have an ID card.
So is it Illegal to be homeless?
The state of Florida outlawed being homeless (and outlawed the feeding and helping of homeless people too)
Since I have been building relationships with my new friends (who are homeless) I have seen this first hand.
It is because they do not have a "building" that they are outcasted and viewed as lower class, and even criminals.
Buildings are important. I am very greatful for my own dwelling. I think the problem is when people let their ego consume their life's and soon their basic needs become luxurys.
p.s. not having a basic need is not criminal... thats like arresting every thirsty person!
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