Kharisma
Date
2019
Authors
Labrou, Charalabos
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Abstract
Traditionally we have been taught that there are two ways of growing
spirituality and this has been through either the teaching of holy
men who would mediate our ritual practice, the expansion and glory
of the church building, and our own sense of connection to God;
or through a sacred space that could facilitate the ritual practice,
house the holy men, and increase our awareness and inspiration
of a higher power. The arrival of Jesus marked the beginning of
something new; a breaking away from the temple model. No more
sacred people and sacred spaces. 613 laws reduced to one single
verb—love. This love was to be expressed in our relational living
with God and each other.
I propose to re-frame the view of the church. I want to show how
the word church has been branded by negative connotations
associated with organised religion. The building can seek to inspire
and encourage a spiritual connection, but the building is not an
answer, it is simply a placeholder. The success of our connection
with God (our vertical relationship) would now be measured by
the sincerity of our connection with each other (our horizontal
relationships). The present-day church can no longer be defined by
the constraints of a building, but rather as an assembly of people
gathered together in unity for the purposes of teaching, fellowship,
communion, and prayer. This foundation of the Charismatic Christian
church has stagnated in its spatial interrogation as the ritual practice
of gathering became the priority.
My proposal will seek to interrogate the Charismatic church
typology and allow it to take the form most appropriate to facilitating
relational living. Removing the object in favour of the person. This
new typology will embody the teachings of Jesus Christ focusing on
the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, and how these aspects
have translated into current-day practice. These truths would reflect
a desire to inspire ourselves and, more importantly, each other as
we continue our spiritual walk with God.
Description
This document is submitted in partial fulfillment for the degree:
Master of Architecture (Professional) at the University of the
Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa, in the year 2018