Sacred Power, Sacred Space: An Introduction to Christian Architecture and Worship

by Jeanne Halgren Kilde

Jeanne Halgren Kilde's survey of church architecture is unlike any other. Her main concern is not the buildings themselves, but rather the dynamic character of Christianity and how church buildings shape and influence the religion. Kilde argues that a primary function of church buildings is to represent and reify three different types of divine power, or ideas about God; personal empowerment as manifested in the individual's perceived relationship to the divine; and social power, meaning the relationships between groups such as clergy and laity. Each type intersects with notions of Christian creed, cult, and code, and is represented spatially and materially in church buildings.

Kilde explores these categories chronologically, from the early church to the twentieth century. She considers the form, organization, and use of worship rooms; the location of churches; and the interaction between churches and the wider culture.

Church buildings have been integral to Christianity, and Kilde's important study sheds new light on the way they impact all aspects of the religion. Neither mere witnesses to transformations of religious thought or nor simple backgrounds for religious practice, church buildings are, in Kilde's view, dynamic participants in religious change and goldmines of information on Christianity itself.

Genres: Christian, Religion, Architecture, Theology, History

248 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[Mackenzie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this for a class that I took last January and finally got around to finishing it. I appreciated the church history I learned from this book, I just wasn't nearly as interested in the architecture. I did like learning how the architecture effects power dynamics that way when I am clergy I can give everyone as much power as possible.

[Stephen Hicks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was slow moving through this book, but I did enjoy its vast array of insights into Christian architecture starting with the Temple itself and the house churches of early Christianity all the way to the enormous auditorium churches of today. The author is not a Christian, and that can be seen in her understanding of orthordox theology at times, but overall I believe she does a very deatiled and fair job in assessing Christian buildings throughout history. I was afraid that this book would center around the oppression of the clergy and victimization of the laity, but she deftly wrote in ways to not insinuate such dynamics. She writes, "As a student of religious space, part of our challenge will be to neogtiate between these perspectives, retaining the analytical character of situational view while remaining cognizant of the power of the substantive view." I appreciated her evenhandedness when discussing the reasoning behind Christian architecture throughout the ages. I would definitely recommend this book to those interested in historical Christianity and the spaces that we occupy to worship. Just take many theological statements with a grain of salt.

[Jeremiah Gumm · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd probably give this book more of a 3.5 than a 4, but that's not an option.

I enjoyed the book's review of the history of church architecture and the many factors - theological, social, political, and personal - that played into the changes in church architecture over the years.

I would recommend the book if one is researching the history of church architecture in the worship space, but I do offer one caveat: Do not read this book with the presupposition that the author is a Bible-believing Christian. She writes from a secular point of view on the subject of church architecture and one should, therefore, expect that viewpoint when it comes to subjects theological and otherwise in this book.

Once I came to that realization early on, however, I did enjoy the rest of the book and appreciated the author's explanation of how a variety of factors have played important roles in the ever-changing world of church architecture. It's worth the read, but deserving of a healthy dose of discernment when reading it.

[Denise Kettering · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book provides a helpful introduction to church architecture and traces the connections between a variety of factors that influenced different ways churches have been constructed. Kilde uses the paradigm of power as a way to understand the various elements of sacred space, both within the congregation and in connection with the divine. In doing so, she helps to define some of the theological motifs that gave shape to space. This book is not a theological text, rather it historically traces the evolution of sacred space over the course of church life in helpful ways, highlighting some of the architectural elements.