So what does all this art history have to do with us? Our church building is not that fancy or spacious.

Many of the architectural elements of these structures are still being used in many church buildings today. Many church buildings have huge wooden beams arching up the auditorium. In some cases they are not functional for support but are used as a design element. The apse was carried over to be a raised area in the front of the auditorium. The altar is now a communion table.

The baptisteries are no longer a separate building. We didn't install our baptistry until about a year after the building was built. During that time, visitors would ask where our baptistry was. After all, you can't have a church building without a baptistry.

The chapels around the perimeter of the building are now classrooms. And many denominational buildings have a choir area in the same place.

One thing I found odd was the idea of having crypts within the building. But we are not too far from that. How many times do you see small country church buildings with a cemetery in the side yard? We even have a stone outside that acts as a memorial.

The beginning of constructing church buildings shares the same beginning as Catholicism. If you study the Reformation and Restoration movement, from Martin Luther to Campbell and Stone, you might assume the New Testament church has been restored. You may think we have removed all the influences and traditions of early Catholicism. But have we?

So what is wrong with having a church building? In our first lesson, we learned a church building should not have top priority. During Constantine's time, great time, money, and sacrifice were put into the basilicas and cathedrals. In our last lesson we learned it is not wrong in glorify God with material gifts like a building. But where do we draw the line? When "church" no longer indicates the people, but refers to the building. When the real church is neglected because of the building.