St Andrews Encyclopaedia of Theology (Jul 2023)
Architecture and Christian Theology
Abstract
There is an obvious convergence, in the spaces used for Christian worship, between the practice of architecture and the concerns of Christian theology. Even the most utilitarian of spaces – an old warehouse, a community hall, a converted office building – when adapted for use in Christian worship, require decisions that involve theological judgement. What prominence is given to the worship band, the preacher’s lectern, a communion table? How are the seats arranged? Does the arrangement suit an audience of spectators or a gathered community entering into fellowship with one another and with God? Are any symbols of the faith to be included – a cross, a font, a decorative banner? The way spaces are configured for worship reveal theological judgements, often made unwittingly. At the other extreme from the converted warehouse, almost every detail of the Gothic cathedral – the cruciform plan, the use of light, the statuary, the representation of the Trinity in trifoils and of the four evangelists in quatrafoils, and so on – reveals design decisions that are explicitly theological. However elaborate or simple the architecture, whether purpose-built for Christian use or not, the spaces used for Christian worship speak of theological meanings and values. The convergence between architecture and theology extends well beyond buildings used for worship, however. Everything that we humans build is a response, whether acknowledged or not, to God’s cultural mandate to fill the Earth and subdue it. Everything we build prompts the question: how are we to inhabit wisely the world that God has made? This article examines first the biblical mandate to inhabit the Earth and considers the role of architecture in responding to that mandate. It then explores the architecture of the temple, followed by a consideration of how architecture dedicated to worship has evolved within the Christian tradition. The biblical injunction to seek the welfare of the city is then considered, alongside the role that architecture and urban design play in the wellbeing of a city’s inhabitants. Finally it examines the ways in which architecture might prompt fresh reflection and offer new insight into the subject matter of Christian theology.
