147 Sacred Space

Space and the Sacred: Cathedrals and Cities

Philip Sheldrake

Abstract: The article explores the historic and contemporary meaning of cathedrals as sacred spaces. It suggests that cathedrals should be understood as 'spiritual texts' and offers a theory of interpretation. The first part of the article also briefly discusses the original role of cathedrals in cities as expressions of an understanding of the world and of human existence. The second part of the article explores the theological problem of conceiving cathedrals as emblems of the sacred in the city and the practical problem of how to handle such emblematic places in our late-modern or postmodern culture.


The Local Church: Developments in Congregational Studies

Matthew Guest

Abstract: For many Christians the most familiar sacred space is their local church, and yet the relationships people have with this locus of identity are many and varied. However, one persistent feature relates to the communal nature of the congregation, i.e. the fact that the sacred space of the local church is shaped by a sense of collective identity and shared experience. This article addresses this observation via a consideration of literature emerging within the field of congregational studies. Drawing from existing research on churches in the UK and USA, various models for understanding the local congregation are described and set within a broad disciplinary framework. Attention is then paid to two particular volumes, both recently published, which signal the internal variety and vitality of the UK field of congregational studies.


Understanding the Parochial Church Council: Dynamics of Psychological Type and Gender

Leslie J Francis, Angela Butler and Charlotte L Craig


Abstract: A sample of 74 female and 40 male members from six Parochial Church Councils completed Form G (Anglicized) of the MBTI. The data demonstrated that both men and women preferred introversion over extraversion and judging over perceiving. The women also demonstrated clear preference for sensing over intuition, and for feeling over thinking, while the men demonstrated clear preferences for intuition over sensing, and for thinking over feeling. Attention is drawn to possible areas of conflict.


The Risen Lord and the Liberation of Place

Christopher Lewis

Abstract: How should space and place be understood in the Christian faith? Jesus’ own treatment of place is examined, as is the developing idea of sacredness in the Christian tradition. Sacredness is to be found in people and in the sacraments of baptism and the Eucharist more than it is in places. The guardians of places to which people are drawn can be tempted to inflate their claims, aided by the promotion of a theology of Incarnation above that of Resurrection. Examples are taken from many areas of life, but there is a particular focus on cathedrals. Can there be inclusive and sacred space?