Enduring Truths

“Our church is 132 years old
but our thinking isn’t.”

These words are boldly proclaimed on a reader board outside a local historic church. It is located in a city where according to the website “some of the oldest and grandest churches face an uncertain future as attendance declines and demand to develop land increases.”

My husband and I were researching historic churches as part of a photography project he is pursuing. It was enriching to travel to these structures and enjoy their physical and symbolic beauty. We even had opportunity to talk with a few people from the congregations who love the buildings and, I think, value their faith.

But my heart sank as I read the statistics. Some of the sanctuaries of various denominations have a capacity of 500 to 1,000 people; yet the number attending each church is between 30 and 100.

People in the late 19th and early 20th century must have been deeply committed to their faith in order to invest so much love and creativity and so many resources to build these majestic places of worship. They were built to last. But now they are endangered. One of them is already gone--replaced with a clinic. I felt sad as I admired the beauty and symmetry of these Protestant and Catholic edifices and feared that in the name of progress, more of them may soon disappear, replaced by offices, apartments, and health centers.

I read again: Our church is 132 years old but our thinking isn’t. I believe I grasp the intent of the words. The church leadership wants the community to know that although their building is old, their people are alive and have a message of relevance to this generation. That is a good goal. However, as I felt those words, a question rose in my heart: Why would it be necessary to make such a disclaimer?

They have a beautiful traditional church building. Their congregation has history of 132 years. I hope they value these roots and have not been intimidated by our society’s fixation on being always relevant and always new. I hope they have not veered away from their historic faith because it is old.

If it is anything, shouldn’t the Christian faith be rooted in the old? Our Christian faith begins with an old truth: In the beginning, God created. Our Lord gave us a new covenant; but it was rooted in two “old” commandments which He called “the greatest”: love God, love man. Those commandments lay the foundation for the building of houses of worship.

Of course each generation must speak to its generation in language and manner that is new. But while we are working hard to convey truths in the language of today, we must keep our thinking firmly rooted in the enduring truths of the Christian faith.