Fresh Start
Based upon the comments from peers on this particular question, it is a bit busy. My two interests are religious architecture and baseball. This inquiry proposition is definitely my least favorite because it would be hard to connect baseball to the architecture world, especially to architects themselves. It would be a niche topic, one that I could dive in with analytics and maybe some physical case studies by actually visiting different ballparks. There is potential here, however I think I may hit a wall at some point, hence why I am less interested in this question.
This question could be seen as a simplified version of the one above. I could start to rope in certain aspects about materiality and organizational structure into the development of an urban spectacle. Again, it is a question about who I want my audience to be. Already there is a question about what transformation, but the comment underneath understands what is being said. So, if I stick with this option there would have to be a decision about how much background knowledge to include. Case study options would be the same here. I am wondering if it would be attainable to be able to get into certain ballparks as a student who is studying them? Something worth considering and makes me excited about this option.
This question came up from a couple weeks ago during the snowstorm on Sunday. Because of that, the church I attend went full remote and hosted the service remotely through a live video. This got me thinking about how easy it is nowadays to switch to that option. And people can choose the online option instead of going being physically present in church even when there is service as normal. Because of the declining numbers in faith across the U.S. I am wondering if there will reach a point where congregations could be completely remote? Something worth considering.
After synthesizing this information and gathering my thoughts about how I feel about the two topics - religion or baseball - I am leaning toward how the digital world could/is affecting the physical church and the drive and desire for an actual church is today. Through school we are always taught in history that towns often erected churches or places of worship first when establishing a new territory. So just some forward thinking, we are not establishing "new land" but rather we have been redefining spaces through design. In that thought process, how have we been including, or rather excluding, the necessity of a physical church?
I think this will be the route I choose, I feel there are endless possibilities and rabbit holes to explore which also excites me. Baseball will always be exciting, because how can you not be romantic about baseball? And as a strong Christian, I always find value in actually going to church. But the accessibility of the synchronous service is very nice especially when life happens and I cannot attend the congregation. Final decision will be to pursue the question about the church, which can also give me the same case study idea which will probably be easier to accomplish.
Hey Ryan!
ReplyDeleteI'm actually so invested in this last question here. The role of the physical church is interesting, since you have arguments from so many different angles. With technology, you never have to find a physical church home. Like you said, it is so easy to switch to remote church, and most churches have remote options now. But how does this fit into a biblical framework? That's great, because anyone with internet can watch church and hear the gospel. However, Hebrews says not to neglect to meet together, and I've heard so many sermons about church not being a "place" but "the people." There's also a lot to consider in the world of missions, though, especially in restricted access countries where church is illegal. In these places, church may not be remote, but it also isn't a designated church building: what about house churches? I also like how you mention churches historically being the center of town (I'm thinking of the artwork of Jon Flaming, a Texan artist who often features churches in his very regional works). Has another building replaced churches in societies increasingly hostile to Christianity? And one more thought (like I said, I'm invested), what about churches that livestream IN the PHYSICAL church? Like satellites of megachurches that stream the pastor from the screen in front of the physical audience? If you have live music and live small groups, does it matter if the pastor is live?
Hope some of this is a jumping off point for your research! I'm excited to see where you take it.