Unchurched Prefer Cathedrals Over Contemporary Church Buildings

yuckabuck »

Mon Apr 07, 2008 11:23 pm Agree: 1   Disagree: 0

Uh...Sorry, but you shouldn't really get too excited over this story because it doesn't confirm some yearning of the unchurched to return to "tradition and truth."

The definition of an "unchurched" person used for the survey did not ask if the person was actually looking for a church now, or had any intention of joining a church. These are mostly people who are quite content to only attend church for Christmas and Easter, and would really like it to be in a "churchy" atmosphere. If asked further, they would probably express a preference for the sermon to not include anything about certain sins they hold dear, or any reference to eternal judgment. To pay attention to this survey is to let the inmates run the asylum.

Also, the reporter fails to include any opinion from someone in favor of modern buildings. Couchenour is wrong that modern buildings are built the way they are because they are trying to attract the unchurched. Some are, but for others it involves a theological decision that the "church" is the people, and that the building is just where the people meet and should not be any different from other buildings. "Slickness" and marketing have nothing to do with it, and we really should stop judging the motivations of our brothers and sisters who prefer contemporary churches in this way.