| dc.description.abstract | This study examines the history of Christian architecture and art, and how Wisconsin
Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS) churches shape worship space in the 21st century. When
believers come together in corporate worship they gather as a community to receive God’s
blessings through the proclamation of the gospel in Word and sacrament. Therefore, a church
building will be designed in Christian good taste and discretion to allow for this clear
proclamation. First, the paper investigates how church architecture has accomplished this in the
past. There is an emphasis on how Lutheran architecture developed in post-Reformation Europe.
Then there is an examination of the Second Vatican Council’s impact on modern theory of
worship space, and the response from critics. Finally, the paper concludes with four case studies
of 21st century WELS worship space that reveals certain trends. In conclusion, Lutheran
churches today continue to keep the proclamation of the gospel as the priority in worship.
However, their expressions of traditional architecture (and style in general) will differ according
to circumstance, setting, and Christian judgment. | en_US |
