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Library Articles & Resources (20)
Evaluating Visual Art For Worship
Visual art is made for communication and expression, and thus must be evaluated for how it accomplishes these tasks in a liturgical context. The evaluation process must be sensitive to be theological and aesthetic considerations. In particular, arts for liturg…
How Christians Have Appropriated The Arts
Christians have responded to various art forms in many ways over the centuries. Four typical responses are described in this article. These approaches to art in general necessarily influence how the Christian community approaches the visual arts in worship. …
The Visual Arts In Worship
As worship arts, the visual arts include architecture, sculpture, painting, mosaic, and the crafting of artifacts. These arts create durable objects that may be seen and handled. Although of lesser importance in the biblical perspective than some other art for…
Synagogue Architecture
Architecture of the synagogue reflected its function as a place where the Jewish community gathered for prayer, study of the Law, and other activities. The synagogue often borrowed architectural features from the prevailing Greco-Roman culture. Architecture …
Congregational Worship
Congregational worship was influenced by the radical wing of Puritanism, which stressed a worship shaped by biblical teaching alone. Worship was stripped to its New Testament essentials, centering on the exposition of the Word and the observance of the sacrame…
The “public Language” Of Church Architecture
Church buildings should be designed with consideration of how the general public will relate to the space they define. Church architecture is one language by which the witness of the church may be made known. Church buildings may be valuable to a community bot…
Commissioning A Stained Glass Installation
This article gives helpful advice for planning or commissioning a stained glass work, describing the process that might be used and important decisions that need to be made by both the artist and the commissioning congregation. Stained glass, from its origin…
The Church Building As A Home For The Church
The church building is the home for God's people, providing identity and a place in the world. The article illustrates how the change in liturgical understanding since Vatican II has changed the understanding of what a church building wants and needs to be for…
The Organ In Worship
The organ is a very complex instrument both to describe and to play. The following article defines many of the terms used to describe and distinguish organs and identifies important issues in playing them in worship. The organ was an invention of the Eastern…
Why Children Should Worship
Children are uniquely equipped to enter into the mystery of worship. Yet the Christian church has often considered children to be less than essential to the worshiping community. The following article explains why and how children can be included as full parti…
Advice On The Use Of The Table
The visual appearance of the Table or altar is important in communicating its meaning. This article offers advice for how to present the Table so that it will serve as a symbol of Christ's presence with the people at worship. The holy Table is the physical f…
The Church Building As A Setting For Liturgical Action
The following comments discuss the relationship of the design of the worship space to the actions that take place there. The function and significance of these actions provide the needed guidelines for liturigical architecture. The church building and settin…
The Literary Arts
By far the most important of the fine arts in Israel and the early church was the field of literature. The Bible itself is the result of the sensitivity of literary artists to the Spirit of God. Each of the many forms of biblical literature contributes to our …
Space For Worship: A Brethren View
Noting that the New Testament does not advocate retaining the elaborate rites and liturgical spaces of Old Testament Judaism, the Brethren tradition emphasizes simplicity in its design of the worship space. The Table, with its bread and cup, are the only symbo…
The Symbol Of The Cross In Worship
The one symbol used in perhaps every tradition of worship is the cross. This article presents advice on appropriate ways that a cross may be displayed in the worship space. It is desirable that there be only one cross visible in the chancel during the celebr…
Brethren (plymouth) Assemblies
Among the Plymouth Brethren, the congregation's worship life centers on the "breaking of bread" meeting. This meeting exhibits the Brethren's values of spontaneity and simplicity, although it restricts women's participation. Since this meeting is unplanned, th…
Temporary Art In Worship
Many artistic works are created for a specific time or purpose; the artist does not intend for such temporary art to exist beyond the limits of the temporal space. The primary images and symbols of Christian faith are important sources for these works whose pu…
Acoustical Design For Congregational Singing
Congregational singing can be effectively stymied or greatly encouraged by the acoustical properties of the worship space. Recent trends in church architecture have unfortunately led to the use of more acoustically absorbent materials, which is harmful to this…
The Literary Arts
By far the most important of the fine arts in Israel and the early church was the field of literature. The Bible itself is the result of the sensitivity of literary artists to the Spirit of God. Each of the many forms of biblical literature contributes to our …
The Visual Arts In Worship
As worship arts, the visual arts include architecture, sculpture, painting, mosaic, and the crafting of artifacts. These arts create durable objects that may be seen and handled. Although of lesser importance in the biblical perspective than some other art for…