Saturday, September 27, 2008
Churches with gyms
have been around for a long time too. I tend to think of churches with sports centers to be a new-fangled worldly thing, but in Art History class this week I learned that the new-fangled part of my assumption was incorrect. Our study of archaic Greek architecture brought us to the Temple of Apollo at Delphi, which is now mostly ruins:
This place of worship came complete with a theater and a stadium to glorify Apollo, the god of the arts (also the god of the sun, medicine and healing, truth and prophecy, archery, and more). As we looked at slides of these ruins in class, I couldn't help but think of how many mega-churches are copying this ancient heathen church in the building of new Christian churches. Does it really glorify God to bring worldly things into his house? Shouldn't we be building our churches in the manner of early Christian churches, not early heathen temples?
This place of worship came complete with a theater and a stadium to glorify Apollo, the god of the arts (also the god of the sun, medicine and healing, truth and prophecy, archery, and more). As we looked at slides of these ruins in class, I couldn't help but think of how many mega-churches are copying this ancient heathen church in the building of new Christian churches. Does it really glorify God to bring worldly things into his house? Shouldn't we be building our churches in the manner of early Christian churches, not early heathen temples?
Jessica 11:34 AM
1 Comments:
I think that a good supplement to your consideration of church's including gymnasiums, theaters, and whatever else in their campuses would be to watch the film "Chariot's of Fire." The movie follows the life of a Scottish runner named Eric Liddel who winds up competing in the Olympics. The most memorable quote in that movie was when Eric said "I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure." My challenge to you is to think of what we do in gyms an act of worship instead of a worldly activity. Then it will make sense to you that a house of worship (church) would have a gym.
