We all have an image of our head of what a church looks like.

But how has this sacred architecture and space developed historically?

Well, it goes way back to the very beginning and you see immediately the first churches in Christianity

are Basilicas and Basilicas were never sacred spaces they were law courts

and that already tips you off to a couple things and that's this

the silicon form is I think still dominant and with us today and for a very good

reason so these first silicon form churches were a protest against the temple culture of ancient Greece and Rome,

in fact everywhere.

These idols being worshipped in public forums, in buildings that resembled Greek temples but were up high for divination and things like that.

These were what was being left behind.

And the law court was perfect because this is about the word and the Reformation to the modern church. This is Whitehorse Sin,

a weekly roundtable discussion about theology and culture. This month we are exploring the theme of Christianity and the arts and in this

episode we'll be discussing how architecture and space has been used in the church.

I'm Justin Holcomb and I serve as the Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Central Florida and I'm telling you that not because it's a title you need to know but because in our diocese we have a cathedral in an overwhelming number of churches the majority of our churches meet in historic church

buildings that look like churches. That's just the reality in which I worship and

lead in and serve. I am joined on this episode with Dr. Lloyd DeWitt. He is the chief

curator and Irene Leach curator of European art at the Chrysler Museum of

Art in Norfolk, Virginia.

Though Dr. DeWitt is best known as a respected curator and scholar of 17th century Dutch art,

his interest ranged broadly from African art to the 20th century Canadian art to nonprofit

management.

Dr. DeWitt is recognized not only for his exhibitions, but for his scholarship, publications,

...