While to some extent all church buildings reflect the architectural styles of the eras in which they are built, Christian architects of the Middle Ages actually set the tone for their period. They brought Christian theology and spirituality to bear on their work, and as a result the architecture of medieval Europe was strongly influenced by the Christian worldview. We can only imagine what postmodern American society might look like if Christian architects and designers launched a comparable revolution in Christian architecture. After worshipping in Westminster Abbey, my church's simple sanctuary feels somehow ordinary, too common to bear the worship of a transcendent, holy God. And yet I suspect that I would find more spiritual vitality in my modest suburban church than in most great European cathedrals.
Many cathedrals now stand as little more than historical relics of an earlier age.
N. T. Wright, canon theologian of Westminster Abbey, said it's a challenge to preach sermons to a congregation that consists of about 20 actual members and 200 tourists. Medieval Christendom, which for centuries maintained a dynamic synthesis of church and society, has given way to a largely secular Europe. This should be a warning to American Christians, lest we leave our church buildings behind as empty husks where life no longer exists. But the buildings are of little spiritual value without active congregations that worship in them. Otherwise they become nothing more than monuments, curiosities to passersby who might admire the architecture but lack the eyes of faith to see their deeper beauty.