Transcript Slide 1

Churches
and Church
Decoration
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what the following are:
Greek Orthodox
*Font *Stoop *Lectern
Anglican/ Roman Catholic
Iconography
In Greek Orthodox Churches, Iconography was,
and still is, seen as very important because it
helps the believer reflect upon God and
visualise God in a real and relevant way. Other
denominations frown upon Iconography as they
believe that it can be understood as
‘worshipping false idols’ (Exodus 20).
Greek Orthodox also feel that the use of Icons
in worship help them to appreciate God as
being personal and knowable
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Some Churches also place a lot of emphasis
and importance upon what is known as ‘The
Community of Saints’. These are Christians
who have died and are awaiting God’s
resurrection on Judgement Day (Armageddon) some of these Christians represented in
paintings or statues, and these are used to
remind believers what rewards await them as
payment for worshipping God.
The Cross
The Cross is a key feature of any
church, as it reminds followers/believers
of the sacrifice that Jesus Christ made
by dying and coming to new life for
them in order that their sins be forgiven.
The cross without the body of Christ
focuses on the resurrected Christ, as
opposed to the sacrificial Christ (which
would be called a crucifix, not a cross
and generally remembers the
sacrificial/Paschal Christ).
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Lanterns and Candles
Some Christian churches take inspiration from the Ner Tamid in Judaism,
otherwise known as the ‘ever-burning lamp’. This lamp reflects the idea
that God is always there and never leaves the place of worship.
Light is also important because it represents Jesus Christ who said ‘I am
the Light of the World’. This means that He leads people out of darkness
and sin, through the light and righteous living.
Some Christians also believe that burning expensive wax is also making a
sacrifice to God that He ‘will delight in’.
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Tithing
In Malachi chapter three (the last book
of the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible),
Christians and Jews are encouraged to
give 10% of their earnings to the
worship community (the Church) in
order that the community aid people in
other countries and help others come
to faith in Jesus Christ.
Tithing is considered by many
Christians to be an integral part of
worship and it is very important that
Christians Tithe in worship and do not
show off about how much they can give
to the church.
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Inspirational Art
Not only are various pictures of people
found in Churches in order to inspire for
worship, people are also portrayed on
the walls, frescos and stained-glasswindows in order to remind worshippers
of the sacrifice that others made for
their faith and as examples of good Holy
living.
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It is people like St. Stephen, who is
thought to have been hung upside down
by the Romans, who gives believers
perspective and guidance as to what
has been given for the Christian faith in
the past.
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Church Architecture
A lot of churches are designed in the shape of a cross with the Altar area (the ‘top’ end of
the church) facing towards the east. This is so that the main central stained glass window
(often depicting a Bible story or the story of Christ’s life) is illuminated by the early Sunday
morning sun to welcome worshippers (that is, when it is sunny obviously).
Many Christians believe that the Church is the centre of the community and that is why it is
so big. It is often undecorated because some people believe that otherwise it would take
the focus away from God. Other denominations say that it has to be decorated beautifully
in order to reflect the beauty of God.
Finally, many church’s have tall spires that point upwards – this is in line with the
stereotypical viewpoint that heaven is upwards in the sky (and the worship that takes place
inside the church is for God and the aspire therefore directs it there).
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Stained-Glass Windows
In most non-conformist churches you will not
find any stained-glass windows as they believe
that this is unnecessary and a distraction.
However, you would find stained-glass
windows in most Protestant and Catholic
Churches.
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The point of Stained-Glass Windows is in order
to provide a narrative (in various forms) for the
believer. If the Stained-Glass Window depicts a
story about Christ it may remind them of his life
and example; if the window reminds them of
the suffering of the apostles it might provide
the believer with inspiration and confidence.
They also often depict fresco-scenes from the
time of the passion of Christ to His ascension
to heaven (post-resurrection)
The Pulpit
Many non-conformist churches have pulpits and
no altar, because of their firm belief that the
Word of God is what should guide the believer
and occupy their heart’s and mind’s, not the
memory or recollection of the death of Christ.
Pulpit are conservatively ornate and are where
the minister or lay-person would stand at the
time of the service when the Bible is being
explained to the congregation.
In Medieval times you would have found a
circular piece of wood to aid projection of the
preacher, but these have mostly been eradicated
nowadays as they are unnecessary with the
advent of electronic amplification systems.
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If the altar is at the centre of the church, that
generally guides their theology. If the pulpit is at
the centre, that takes priority instead.
The Altar
In the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible, the
way that the Jewish people sought
atonement (forgiveness) was offering
burnt and animal sacrifices to YHWH,
this being performed on an altar in the
synagogue/temple.
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Some Christians feel that it is helpful to
have an altar at the centre of their
Church in order to focus on the
redemptive power of the death and
blood of Jesus Christ. It reminds them
of the ultimate and final sacrifice He
made for them, and thus it became an
appropriate place for a minister to give
out the Holy Communion. The Holy
Communion is the most powerful
symbol with regards to reminding
Christians of Christ’s sacrifice.