Announcing the magnificent unity of artistic and theological
excellence in the design of Our Savior Lutheran Church in Houston, Texas has raised
considerable revulsion from laity and clergy of the LCMS.
One LCMS pastor writes: "Who cares what the building style is used to worship in?
Are you honestly trying to tell me that if anyone worships in a building not designed
after the great cathedrals of the past, one is not confessional? If you are, and you truly
want confessional worship, why not go back to Jerusalem and sit on the hillside?"
Another LCMS pastor writes: "Thousands are hearing God's word in those
mega-churches you disdain. You prefer a different means of communication, but does God's
word ever return void? Saved from hell is the work of the Holy Spirit through the word,
not through a set order of service or artwork, as beautiful and message-sending, and
representational as they might be."
A third LCMS pastor writes: "I know that beautiful churches can enhance worship.
Hell Jack, I don't like worshiping in a gym anymore than the next Guy! And I also know why
God wanted the temple designed the way it was. But if you're trying to show Me the Old
Testament ideal of the temple is necessary for worship, that is confessional, then maybe
you better reread the NT, where it states, 'the temple of God is within you.'"
One can visit many LCMS churches built in the 19th Century or by people schooled in the
19th Century. Their goal was to make their church buildings as beautiful and
representational of their theology as possible.
Even small country churches would have ornate carved altars, statutes of Christ, the
apostle's and angels, paintings on the ceiling, and detailed stained glass.
In 1914, Pastor Jacob Kogler encouraged his congregation in Orange, California to build
a magnificent church in the style of the Cathedral at Chartes, France. That building is
now the only structure assembled by Germans on the National Historic Register in the State
of California.
But what do the LCMS clergy think about it? The last pastor, Dr. Norbert Oesch, and now
the Executive Leader of Pastoral Leadership Institute, (www.PLI-Leader.org) wanted to knock it down. With the help of others, a woman, who is now 75 years old, stopped
him.
Oesch's organization has the full support of the Council of District Presidents. Never
in the history of Lutheranism has there been an assembly of church "leaders"
with such bad taste and a love for ugly architecture as the LCMS COP.
They are driven to encourage the construction of the most unappealing, contemporary,
multimillion-dollar barns, warehouses, and auditoriums ever erected in the name of
Lutheran architecture. History may record their architectural style as "Early Jerry
Falwell" or Frank Lloyd Wright wannabies. What will they do with these buildings in
20 to 25 years? They want to teach LCMS lay people to love large, solid, plain,
cinderblock walls, theater seats, and sound stage/chancels.
Now that the tens and tens of millions have been spent on these buildings the lay
people must defend these visionless, expensive, atrocities on the American landscape.
One layman writes: "Your obsession with law and human tradition approaches an
idolatry that is quasi-parallel to that found in Roman Catholicism."
"Your characterization of 20th Germans exudes bigotry."
"I fear that because of your incessant non-Christian behavior and affinity for
spiritual isolationism, churches like yours are not going to make it far into this next
century."
The mega-church style is reminiscent of early American Puritan and Baptist facilities.
Like pre-Revolutionary Old South Church in Boston, there are no works of art, no statues,
and no stained glass. Old South Church became Unitarian in the 19th Century.
The COP's and PLI's love for contemporary worship and music, reminiscent of the
Baptists, Pentecostals, and Assembly of God has now moved them to copy their architecture
as well.
Can God be in a field house, barn, or warehouse? Of course! Wasn't God in the
catacombs? "Wherever two or three are gathered together in My Name there am I in the
midst of them."(Matt. 18:20) God can be in ugly places.
The question is how long will Americans love ugly places if they have the choice of
visiting a beautiful place? Why are these LCMS pastors and laymen now struggling to defend
the purity of plain and ugly buildings as if beautiful church buildings are inherently
prejudice, idolatrous, and bigoted?
Certainly John the Baptist showed that location has nothing to do with theological
excellence. However, when given the opportunity, God designed the most beautiful and
theologically symbolic building of the Old Testament at Jerusalem. Are we now to equate
beauty with the law, as one pastor above implies, and view the God of the New Testament as
an aesthetic dolt? Yes, we could worship on a hillside or in our homes, but doesn't
artistic excellence express visual praise?
The equality of salvation is not threatened by the inequality of God given talents and
gifts. Americans want to know who is Miss America, the Best of Show, the winner of the
Super Bowl, who wrote the best books, which is the best college, and which is the most
beautiful church.
Ugly churches have the right to be ugly but should not expect to be praised for being
ugly.
A hundred years from now Our Savior Lutheran Church will most likely be on the National
Historic Register in Texas for being the most important building by Germans while many
others will be long forgotten and bulldozed.
What is really remarkable about Our Savior is that they reinterpreted a unique 18th
Century German architectural style into a new 21st Century art form. The Rev. Laurence
White may be spending the rest of his life giving tours of his building, explaining the
Gospel and enrolling people into his adult evangelism classes.
Counter to the belief of PLI and the COP, when given the choice, most Americans will
choose beautiful over ugly, just ask the State of California.