Sunday, March 04, 2007

New Ignatius Press book forthcoming on modern church architecture

Via The Cafeteria Is Closed I've learnt that there is a new Ignatius Press book on modern church architecture: No Place For God

Gerald over at The Cafeteria is in part responsible for the cover design of this book. Congrats to him!

Amazon.com has this book available for pre-order.

Book Description

Once modern science declared the emptiness and meaninglessness of a strictly material universe, it was only a matter of time before architects would adopt the new understanding of space, that is to say that no space is special because none is any different or better than any other.

In their quest to adapt to and speak to the present age, Catholics over the last forty years have unquestioningly allowed the trends in modern architecture to fashion their churches, and the outcome has been the construction of the ugliest and emptiest churches in history, according to author Moyra Doorly, an architect from England.

In No Place for God, Doorly traces the principles of modern architecture to the ideas of space that spread rapidly during the twentieth century. She sees a parallel between the desacralization of the heavens, and consequently of our churches, and the mass inward search for a god of one's own. This double movement -- away from the transcendent God, who reveals himself to man through Scripture and tradition, and toward an inner truth relevant only to oneself -- has emptied our churches, and the worship that takes place within them, of the majesty and beauty that once inspired reverence in both believers and unbelievers alike.

In non-technical language accompanied by photographs, Doorly explains what has gone wrong with our churches and suggests a simple way to begin rectifying it.

Paperback: 150 pages
Publisher: Ignatius Press (April 30, 2007)

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