Teach the faith.

“Churches – How to Read Them” is a BBC DVD on how to teach the Christian faith using the architecture of a church.

The layout of a church building including its furnishings, windows and special areas, are not there by accident; they have been deliberately built. What story does each aspect tell?

Our Diocesan Director of Ministry: “I saw the series a couple of years ago. It was excellent.” 

This is a fascinating series of six, half-hour BBC programmes which examine the imagery, symbols and architecture of English parish churches. The presenter, Richard Taylor, talks with genuine enthusiasm in a chatty way, as he visits dozens of beautiful, ancient and interesting religious buildings from across the UK. Each episode uncovers dozens of little gems, as well as explaining an awful lot about how Christianity is intertwined with traditional British culture.
At first, churches were originally simple buildings of mediaeval times, intended to protect the altar and carried over many symbols and carvings from the pagan era. Then humorous wall paintings and intricate carvings were used to teach moral lessons, while stunning architectural angels and similar devices gave the impression of what we might find in heaven. The series reveals why fonts have such elaborate covers, rediscovers the ritual of `churching’ women, and explains why so many village pubs have very close links to their local church. It also investigates the obsession with death and suffering which some churches went through; looks at why crucifixes became popular, and uncovers the truth behind the cult of the Virgin Mary and the Reformation, and all the turbulent times that went with that upheaval.
It was also very interesting to learn of the different opinions when it comes to restoring old churches (repair? rebuild? replace?), and to see how different beliefs have shaped the buildings where people gather to worship.

This series was first mentioned to me by the Revd Michael Palmer who has developed a Thanksgiving – The Building Speaks which is a series of descriptions and responses acknowledging the different aspects of the parish church’s architecture.  

How might the architecture of your church building be used to teach the Christian faith that men and women and boys and girls might become disciples of Jesus Christ?

There is a pocket guide to the DVD, here,  and also the book, here.