Church fight more than brick and mortar

Earlier this week in Christ Church in Savannah et al. v. Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Georgia the Georgia Supreme Court ruled decisively in favor of the Episcopal Church USA, perhaps bringing a long legal battle over the ownership of an historic Savannah church property to an imminent conclusion. I have no interest in replaying the arguments advanced by both sides or drawing speculative conclusions about how God was involved in this protracted and multi-faceted struggle.

It will be tempting for outsiders to dismiss this four-year legal dispute as a fight over bricks and mortar and those who are pre-disposed to sneer at religion may adopt just such an approach. To do so would be to naively miss the mark.

In the Judeo-Christian tradition beautiful, consecrated worship space has always been very important. The Jews moved from a portable wilderness tent (itself elaborate and dazzlingly beautiful) into a Jerusalem temple that conveyed the majesty and otherness of God. With the destruction of the temple the synagogue became a place of beauty and holiness. The early Christians worshiped alongside streams and in private houses but soon moved into buildings of varying degree of humility or grandeur. Sacred space gives powerful testimony to God.

I once served a church that embarked on a comprehensive renovation that included converting a dark and seldom used parlor into a modern, attractive nursery. To my surprise that part of the plan was met with an impassioned outcry from church members who remembered significant and sacred moments in that space: weddings, funeral receptions, etc. They couldn