Art Expresses Meaning:

Over at Tim Challies site he posted an article about the architecture of churches (full story here).  I'm a big fan of cool architecture.  Undoubtedly, architecture can be art and that it can carry meaning.  That's why some buildings tend to skew similarly.  I took a class on set-design in college and learned that colors and shapes carry meaning, what those meanings are and how to manipulate those meanings.  Just like a set in a play you can share the meaning of a scene, some deeper truth about characters, or simply create an emotional response.  And, it can all be done with shapes and colors.

Architecture, like other art forms, expresses meaning. Do you know why older churches built steeples? Why they had bells? What does it mean that today’s churches tend to use cheap materials? Why are they being made to look “more like a mall”? What does it mean when the sanctuary has a stage with studio lights, big speakers, and a drum set? What do these design features tell us about contemporary Christianity?

Does this tell the same story...

Here's a clip from the parent article that USA Today posted.

Likens says, "everyone in town knows this is the church with the bell tower." 

"But everyone also knows the Episcopal church and congregations as a whole aren't growing," he says. "In fact, they are sliding and they are aging like St. Mark's. That adds to our decision dilemma: Where do you want to put your money as a congregation? Are we better off doing outreach programs? You want to keep your history, but you want to have a future, too."Why are churches being made to look "more like a mall"? Where do you put your money as a congregation?

as this?

Those two questions seem most pertinent. What's the story we're trying to tell with our architecture? But, ultimately, the building doesn't preach the Gospel. While it may help create a sense of awe, respect, or grandeur it's The CHURCH that really matters. So, for some people keeping a crumbling piece of architecture well tells the story when the community is falling apart around it. Read the whole article. Tell me what you think.