The Edifice Complex

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The Edifice Complexby Dan Trotter

The New Reformation ReviewThere are three reasons why a Christian should never do churchin a church building: scriptural reasons, psychological reasons,and functional reasons.The first reason you should not worship in a churchbuilding...First, the scriptural reasons. Let me ask you a preliminaryquestion: how many Christian church buildings do you find in the

inerrant, infallible, and inspired Scriptures, which are profitable foredification and rebuke? The answer is simple: ZERO!! NONE!!NADA!! Don't you find it passing strange that the book that hasall of the doctrine to tell us how to live out our lives in church notonce announces that doctrine in the context of a building?(Yes, yes, I know that the Bible says nothing AGAINST buildings,either, (or does it?check out Acts 7:48-49) but the Bible doesn'tsay anything against the union of church and state, either,probably because the Biblical authors couldn't contemplateanything that stupid.)

How many Christian church buildingsdo you find in the inerrant, infallible,and inspired Scriptures, which are

profitable for edification and rebuke?The answer is simple: ZERO!! NONE!!

NADA!!


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If the early Christians, our exemplars, didn't worship in brick-and-mortar temples, why not? Institutional church apologists like tofind pragmatic reasons, rather than philosophical or theologicalreasons, that kept the early church out of buildings, in order that

they, institutional church supporters, can say that those pragmaticreasons don't apply any more, and that therefore their glass-and-stainless-steel ecclesiastical warehouses can be justified inmodern times, which are different than early church times.

For example, it is often said that there was no money in the earlychurch age for Christians to buy church buildings. But: how didthat ancient society afford to build all those pagan temples that

existed, some of which were so massive that the ruins still standtoday? And how were all those Jewish synagogues built? No,the reason that the early church didn't build church-buildings isdeeper than that. Another example: the early Christian churchwas persecuted, and thus, was not able to build buildings. Theproblem with this solution is that these persecutions, whilehorrible enough for those having to undergo them, were scatteredgeographically through the Roman Empire, and sporadic withregard to time, during the period before the establishment of the

Constantinian institutional church. This means that the earlyChristians could have easily built churches, if they had wanted to.They didn't want to. Why not?

Surgeon General'sWarning!!

Church buildings have beendetermined by the U.S. SurgeonGeneral's Office to contain toxic levels

of constantinion, a chemical substanceknown to suck the very last bit of

warmth and intimacy from Christianmeetings. Enter church buildings only


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at the peril of your church life!!!!!!!

The second reason you should not worship in a churchbuilding...The second reason that Christians should never worship in areligious building is a psychological reason: the religious churchbuilding fosters idolatrous "temple-worship," which may bedefined as "worship OF the temple and IN the temple, as opposed

to worship BY the temple." (Think about it.) This accusation ofidolatry might seem somewhat obstreperous to you, but pleaseconsider the five following proofs.First. People walk into the "sanctuary" and immediately becomehushed. Why? Because God is in his Holy of Holies, that's why.And the Holy Sanctuary is not where Christian brothers andsisters assemble together to talk about their problems and sharetheir lives together, by golly, not while God is there. Note the termthat is often used: "sanctuary." Unger's Bible Dictionary defines"sanctuary" as "a sacred place of resort and worship." So how dowe get off having the right to create a "sacred place of worship"that is distinct from the living stones of us believers? We havecreated a sacred and holy PLACE for God to live in, whereas inthe New Testament, it is the CHRISTIAN who is the holy entityGod lives in. I submit to you that we have substituted the deadstones of the church building for the living stones of Jesus's true

church (us) faster than pagans substitute Santa Claus for Jesusat Christmas time. And folks, this is nothing less than idolatry.

Second.Churches hate to put Christian schools in the "holysanctuary."Why? Because doing something so profane as


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educating kids for Christ is not holy enough for where God is. Isputting brick-and-mortar ahead of training kids for Christ idolatry?I think so.

Third. People hate to have a fellowship meal in the "holysanctuary."Why is this? Because doing something so profane aseating in intimate fellowship with our brothers and sistersshouldn't be done there. Eating is fleshly, carnal, but the"sanctuary" is holy. Is putting pews and carpet ahead of fellowshipwith our brothers and sisters idolatry? I think so.

Fourth. The frequency of church splits because of the building.Have you ever noticed how people become professional"defenders of the faith" when they are defending their particularvision of the way the building ought to be? The color of thecarpet, whether to build a new building or keep the old one, howto finance a new one, etc., becomes a life and death issue. Whyis this? Because the building is God's building, and the otherfaction is attacking God's building, and thus, they are attackingGod, and God has to be defended. This might sound extreme toyou, but unfortunately, it is precisely true, as any one who hasspent any time in the institutional church knows.

Fifth. You can't play blues in the "holy sanctuary. "This is theclincher. I was in a Baptist "sanctuary" once with a deacon of thechurch, who before becoming saved, had learned to play somepretty good blues on the piano. This was on a weekday, nobody

was there but us, and he started playing for me. I was thoroughlyenjoying his performance, when he suddenly quit, shut the piano,and said he shouldn't be doing this "in the church". I, in my wide-eyed innocence, asked myself, "why not?" I'm not so innocentnow. I know what this man was feeling: he had profaned the"holy sanctuary."


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Question: How many NT writersworshipped in a religious building

BEFORE they were saved, but did NOTworship in a religious building AFTER

they were saved? Answer: all butLuke.

The above five proofs were offered to convince you that

contemporary Christian attitudes about church buildings are oftenidolatrous. Now, please don't get me wrong, I'm not saying thatall Christians that go to church buildings eat their young. In fact,most of them are wonderful people. But it was wonderful peoplethat John was writing to when he told them to "guard themselvesfrom idols." And I am convinced that it is an easy thing for any ofus, including house church Christians, to have idolatrous attitudesabout the building. And why is that? Because all of us have an

inborn religious need to build a house for God, where we can govisit him. The Jews have it, with their temple. Islam has itsmosques. Hinduism has its temples, as does Buddhism. But weneed to fight this "temple psychology" and acknowledge with ourlives as well as our lips the principle that God doesn't need abuilding to live in, because he lives in us. We are "God'sbuilding," as Paul puts it, and God doesn't need any phonysubstitutes.

The third reason you should not worship in a churchbuilding...


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The third reason that you should not worship God in a churchbuilding is that the FORMof the church building prevents theproper FUNCTIONINGof the church. I will list below fivescriptural NT church functions that are impossible, or at least very

difficult, to carry out in a church building.First. Small and intimate meetings. They just aren't possible in abuilding where people are lined up in pews so they can fellowshipwith the back of their brothers' and sisters' heads. Also, typicalchurch-building architecture militates against intimacy. There aretwo typical kinds of church architecture styles, and they are bothequally cold and formal. The first is the low-church American

Protestant style, which may be described as cold, sterile,institutional, and functional. These churches are heavy withfluorescent lights, linoleum floors, acoustic tile ceilings, and metalchairs. When one steps into the midst of this, one's soul shrivels.The second type of anti-intimacy American church architecture isthe high-church kind. These churches are loaded with religious-looking stain glass, dark and gloomy interiors, high vaultedceilings, and thick carpets which produce a holy, hushedatmosphere. This church architecture is designed to produce a

phony sense of numinous awe, but does nothing to facilitate themain purpose of a church meeting, the mutual edification of thesaints.

The low-church style is cold, sterile,institutional, and functional... heavy

with fluorescent lights, linoleumfloors, acoustic tile ceilings, and metalchairs. When one steps into the midst

of this, one's soul shrivels.


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Second. Open meetings. It's real difficult to have open, mutuallyparticipatory meetings in a cathedral, or an evangelical

warehouse. Shy Sister Susie isn't likely to bare her soul in suchan environment.

It is ironic how many get-out-of-debtsermons are delivered in buildings

that have half-million dollarmortgages on them.

Third. Financing of ministry. Church buildings worldwidevoraciously consume the wealth of Christians that could be usedfor good things, like feeding the poor, supporting itinerantministers such as apostles, prophets, and evangelists, orfinancing Christian art, music, and scholarship. How many guilt-trip sermons have been preached to encourage Christians to feed

their church's hungry banker? I have always felt it to be ironichow many get-out-of-debt sermons are delivered in buildings thathave half-million dollar mortgages on them.

Fourth. The Agape meal and the Lord's Supper. It is verydifficult to do the Lord's Supper as a full meal in a church buildingthe carpet of which is sacred. Screams of anguish will split the airthe second someone's communion wine splashes the carpet. It isalso very hard to eat face-to-face in a pew.

What is the point of pews, pulpits,altar rails, and those throne-like


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chairs at the front, except to keepyou, the lowly, second-class, workingstiff Christian apart from those firstclass, full-time big shots up front?

Fifth. The priesthood of all believers. The furniture in our church-houses is all designed to reinforce that which we say we don'tbelieve in: the clergy-laity distinction. What is the point of pews,pulpits, altar rails, and those throne-like chairs at the front, except

to keep you, the lowly, second-class, working-stiff Christian apartfrom those first-class, full-time big shots up front? All this furniturehelps us to violate James' command to not honor one brotherover another.

Why Do Christians so Tenaciously Insist onBuildings?If buildings are so bodaciously awful, why do Christians pant forthem? I believe it is because the temple-building gives theinstitutional Christian a false sense of purpose, a false sense ofpermanence, and a false sense of place.A false sense of purpose. Have you ever noticed how a churchbuilding program creates unity? Everyone is committed to thesame goal, the same purpose. They don't have time to fight anymore, because they are too busy mixing mortar, or poring over

blueprints, to get bored and angry with one another. Why?Because the institutional church Christians involved in the buildingprogram have a goal, a purpose, a ministry, a mission: BUILDTHE BUILDING! Unfortunately, this sense of common purposeevaporates once the building is erected.


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A false sense of permanence. Which is easier to maintain for acentury: a church building, or human relationships? A churchbuilding is. And when one worships in a one-hundred-year-oldbuilding, one is in communion with one's spiritual ancestors

whose spirits still encompass you. When you feel like you aren'tgoing to make it into the next week, the ghosts and memories ofyour church, embodied in the building, are there to comfort you,whispering in your ear, "You're a part of something that's beenaround a long, long, time, and so, yes, you will be here next week,and many years to come." Contrast that with fragile humanrelationships that fail at the advent of the first misunderstanding.It's no wonder Christians spend nine-tenths of their time trying to

build buildings, instead of relationships with their Christianbrothers and sisters.

A false sense of place. Stories of churches struggling to have thetallest steeple in town abound in our culture. The bigger and morebeautiful that building is, the more important are the people thatare in it. You are somebody, you are identified with something bigand important. I don't think Jesus wants you to feel big and

important. I don't think he wants you messing around with churchbuildings.

Let me finish this issue by quoting the Bible. Do you rememberthe Bible? That sacred book given to us for edification, doctrine,reproof, training in righteousness that has not one scintilla, notone jot, not one tittle of evidence that the first Biblical Christianseven once thought about going into a church building? Here'sActs 7:48-50: "The Most High does not live in houses made bymen. As the prophet says, 'Heaven is my throne, and the earth ismy footstool. What kind of house will you build for me?"Indeed.


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Now that we have shown beyond cavil that the New Testamenthas absolutely nothing to do with church buildings, let's close bymerely reciting many of the New Testament verses that showwhere the Christian church did meet:

Acts 2:46. And they, continuing daily with one accord in thetemple [please note, that's the JEWISH temple], and breakingbread from HOUSE to HOUSE...Acts 5:42....in every HOUSE they ceased not to teach andpreach Jesus Christ.

Acts 8:3. As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering intoevery HOUSE...Acts 16:40. And they went out of the prison, and entered into theHOUSE of Lydia: and when they had seen the brethren, theycomforted them, and departed.Rom 16:5a. Likewise greet the church that is in their HOUSE.

I Cor 16:19. The churches of Asia salute you. Aquila and Priscillasalute you much in the Lord, with the church that is in theirHOUSE.Philemon 2. And to our beloved Apphia, and Aarchippus ourfellowsoldier, and to the church in your HOUSE:...Acts 20:20. And how I kept back nothing that was profitable untoyou, but have shewed you, and have taught you publicly, and

from HOUSE to HOUSE... "What more can I say?

-By Dan Trotter

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The Edifice Complex