The Cyber Kazbá

I live in a part of the world that never ceases to amaze me. When I lived back in the USA I never really got to taste and experience history. In fact one could argue that the US really has no history. We are a country that is just barely older than 230 years. I live near a structure was constructed when Christopher Columbus was wearing diapers! I got the opportunity to visit one of the vast amounts of cities that litter the countryside of CZ that is rich in history. We were in a town called Klatovy. It has a large square with a tall clock tower that is also next to a Jesuit church. Very near the square is an Archeacon church. This church was built in the 1200's! (pictured above)

I was standing and just observing this church and I got to thinking about Churches and religious art. The detail that was both on the inside and outside of this church was astounding. Almost glamourous. Before you walk in you are captivated at the details of the statues and the stories they tell. Inside is like a throne room as things are covered in gold and masterpiece paintings are placed all around. There is in fact, in the center of the chapel a painting of Mary that has been said to perform miracles.

I put this in contrast to the churches that are very common within American evangelicalism. Our churches resemble shopping malls. Which may or may not be a commentary on the influence of culture.... Sure our buildings are state of the art...but that is sometimes exactly what is missing...art!

So what am I getting at? First of all on a theological side of things I completely understand that a "church" is nothing more than a building. It's very inaccurate, in fact, to call it a church when, in fact, the people are the church and the "church" just so happens to be the place where they meet. However, since we go through so much to construct these multi-million dollar "churches" do we at all stop to think about how they should look?

Let me take a break for a second and talk about religious art. I know that many evangelical warning flags are already flapping in the wind at the mere mention of the idea. Often times we associate religious art with some sort of idolatry. People travel for miles to see a statue of Mary that is bleeding, tortillas with the likeness of the Virgin sell on e-bay for thousands of dollars etc. We see people weeping and clutching relics and it seems that the emphasis is on the object rather than the Creator. So religious art often gets a bad rep.

Let me try to re-define religious art a bit. In some cases, yes, it's true idol worship is happening. Yet in others, the iconic image is nothing but a window into the divine. The God of the Bible is a God who wants his people to search him out with all of their being; he has implored us to holistic worship. There are sights and sounds even smells and tastes that are outlined in the OT law. Even the first century church followed suit with things like the Lord's Supper, singing songs, and baptism. All forms of worship that bring together all the senses.

So now it all comes full circle. Are the structures that we find ourselves in on Sunday mornings designed to bring about this holistic form of worship. Is what we see, smell, taste and even feel create a window to the divine?

I know that some people will be creeped out, even offended, at pictures of Jesus or Mary or some other "image" in our sanctuary; but are there any depictions that might strike a cord with you? A thirteenth century chapel will do me just fine. :)