Holly Ordway, a professor at Houston Baptist University, recently blogged about the significance of church architecture. Since most Americans live and work in spaces Ordway labels “aesthetically displeasing,” she believes it is more important than ever that churches are places of beauty. She writes:
Beautiful churches and cathedrals are egalitarian. They make beauty available to all — even the poorest and most culturally deprived.
So What?
Ordway argues for building more beautiful churches at a time when many are adopting a very different approach to the development of sacred spaces (for more on what I understand to be happening read about the future church or, more specifically, how it is likely to be more scalable).
When creating new sacred spaces or renovating existing sanctuaries, should beauty or cost be primary? How important is beauty in sacred spaces? How important is the flexibility of the space being used for multiple purposes rather than only for worship?