Articles - From the Vicar

I recently received a newsletter from the Yorkshire Historic Churches Trust, a worthy body that seeks to give help to the many church buildings of historic note in our county. Although most of the newsletter (as you might expect) was relatively uncontentious, one article did give me some pause for thought. The article in question was an uncritical review of a book - widely acclaimed at the time of its publication - called England's Thousand Best Churches by Simon Jenkins. The book itself, lavishly illustrated, would make a fine addition to any coffee table. The problem for a Christian (and this is why the uncritical review gave me pause for thought) is that Jenkins does not come at his subject from the perspective of faith - indeed he states explicitly that, for him, churches lie at the heart of the "Museum of England...as the memory of faith present in an old building." In other words, Jenkins' book would be better entitled England's Thousand Best Church Buildings.

The aesthetics of our church buildings often have an important part to play in the development of lively faith: architecture and music, colour and smell all help to shape the various ways in which we experience the presence of God. Take away God, however, and no amount of beauty can compensate for the sterility of what remains, for we cannot encounter the living God in a museum or in a building where only the 'memory of faith' is present. We can only encounter God in pilgrimage with other Christians who, at various times, share our journey of faith - a journey that might at different times lead us to worship equally in a medieval building or a church hall, around a kitchen table or in an open field.