When people build a beautiful cathedral, who is more honored: God, or the builders? That can be a difficult question, with the answer most often being “It depends.”

Pro

There are features common to the great cathedrals of the world that are intended to showcase God’s glory. High arches and domed ceilings draw the eye upward; the long, solemn approach down the nave to the altar emphasizes God’s holiness; the common transept hallway turns the entire building into a cross motif.

The TV series “The Chosen” has a scene that gives a fictional backstory to the disciple Nathanael as an architect whose building has just collapsed. In the scene, he is describing himself in the third person to a sympathetic bartender:

“He was an architect. That’s what he wanted to be his whole life. He came from nothing, worked his way up, loved God. He wanted to build synagogues eventually…ones with colonnades that sing, parapets that practically pray, vaulted halls that draw the soul upward to God. That’s what God made him for…”

I’m sure that Nathanael speaks for the architects and builders of St. Peter’s Basilica, Notre Dame, Basilica Sagrada Família, and so many others. How could anyone not be overwhelmed with wonder at the awesomeness of God in a places like this:

Con

At least, I fervently hope so. But, on the other hand, do we only see gorgeous buildings without looking beyond to the God who inspired them? Were the architects’ goals to point to God, or only to make a name for themselves? In looking at the links above, they are disappointingly secular. For instance,

• When I used the site search on St. Peter’s for the words “God” or “Jesus”, most of the hits returned are Scripture quotes or formal prayers. I found one article that that seemed remotely evangelistic.
• A news article describing Notre Dame’s history said “Notre Dame Cathedral was commissioned by King Louis VII who wanted it to be a symbol of Paris’s political, economic, intellectual and cultural power at home and abroad. The city had emerged as the centre of power in France and needed a religious monument to match its new status.”
• Immediately after (or even still during) the massive fire that destroyed much of Notre Dame in April 2019, French president Emmanuel Macron said “Notre-Dame is our history, our literature, part of our psyche, the place of all our great events, our epidemics, our wars, our liberations, the epicenter of our lives.” Where is Jesus among that list?
• The Sagrada Família history says that the architect was “transforming it into an ambitious proposal for the church of the future.”
• Its site has a “Social Action Fund” page with the goals:
  • Community: For everyone who is part of the community, without excluding anyone.
  • Equity: So we will all have the same opportunities.
  • Solidarity: The human value that drives us to build a better society.

I certainly hope that I am being overly sensitive. These cathedrals, like their sisters around the world, hold Mass and other worship celebrations regularly. But their websites, at least, are not doing much (in my humble opinion) to “draw the soul upward to God.” 😔

Pro and Con…Again

On a more local level, my home church has just spent quite a bit of money refurbishing our buildings and doing some remodeling in the sanctuary. Much of the work was required, fixing structural issues that threatened to become a real problem. Some was cosmetic but important, such as painting, cleaning, and basic landscaping. Some was to enhance our facilities: Better stage area for worship services, technology for sound/lights/cameras (including livestreaming the services), making the gym more usable for community-outreach events. I don’t see any of this as excessive; all of it is intended to help us better share the Gospel with our world.

In fact, much of the work was done by volunteers. That community of believers working together was, in itself, an offering of praise and worship to God for giving us the resources and abilities that He has.

But where do we draw the line? After all, I’ve heard of a church in a remote area of Africa that is happy to meet under a specific large tree! How much church building do we really need in order to share God’s word? On one hand, no building is required at all. On the other, having a place to gather is important, and it is very helpful to have a roof, air conditioning and heat, and indoor plumbing. 😁

Pro and Con, One More Time

To bring it down to personal, this same concept is true in our individual human lives. If we spend our resources on stuff that looks godly — dressing nice for church, giving to charity, participating in church activities — that can be either a good thing … or a sham. If our heart is to share Jesus with others, that’s wonderful. If our true heart is simply to look good, but with no impact on the inside, then we’re just putting on a pretty show. Externally, the two don’t look much different. But internally, they are polar opposites.

When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

Matthew 6:5-6

Bottom Line

As I said at the start, it depends. If God’s Spirit is welcomed, a tree will become a cathedral. If not, the most magnificent of cathedrals might as well be a dead tree. That is true of buildings…and of our lives.