04 October 2004

The sloping roof and the person of Christ

Not far down the street from where we live there is a Kingdom Hall of the Jehovah's Witnesses. The building resembles nearly every other Kingdom Hall I've seen elsewhere in North America. It looks much like a small ranch-style house with a shallow roof. Here is an example of one such building in Springhill, Nova Scotia:



Now contrast this to Chartres Cathedral, shown below, with its soaring spires and steep roof line:


Ken Steiglitz, Princeton University


This raises an interesting question: does ecclesiastical architecture reflect the theology of the builders and worshippers? Might there be a connection between shallow roof lines and a low view of the person of Christ? Might there be a corresponding relationship between steep roof lines and a high view of the person and work of Christ? Just a thought.

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