In A Christian Theology of Place, author John Inge (2003) shares with the reader some deep and theological thoughts from his discovery of the value of place. Set to answer the question whether a particular place can be considered ‘holy’, Inge uncovers additional questions related to incarnation, eucharist, sacramental encounters, the holy land, pilgrimage, shrines, eschatology, and our modern view of place. The West has lost its sense of place, especially in our globalized worldview. Understanding the significance of place would help restore an important aspect of our humanity. To this end, Inge hopes to make a small contribution with his work.
“God, people, and place cannot be separated,” states Inge. Emerging from study of Scriptures, this relational view became Inge’s key insight. When God created man and gave him a physical body, God needed a place to put him. When Christ came to dwell with man, he entered space and time into our place. As Jesus assured His disciples before His crucifixion, He would go to the Father’s house and prepare a place for them and all those who believed. God, the Creator of time and space, has chosen to interact with mankind in a material place. This encounter with God gives place personal, historical, and even sacramental value. Perhaps sacred enough to be considered as ‘holy’?
Inge’s book was a challenging read. Many times I nodded away after even a few pages! Speaking of Eucharist and sacrament in relation to place started to stretch it for me. When Inge started to discuss pilgrimage and shrines, he totally lost me there. My interest really piqued though when relating theology of place to modern city architecture. Despite it being a tough and user-unfriendly read, numerous times Inge’s thoughts and references to other theologians struck a chord with me. Here are a few favorite quotes:
- “The problem is that places are turning from ‘places’ into dehumanizing ‘spaces’.”
- Winston Churchill: “First we shape our buildings and then our buildings shape us.”
- Susan White: “So the problem is that up to now Christian theology of sacred space has not been very theological; and the second problem is that the Christian theology of sacred space has not been very Christian.”
- Brueggemann: “Place is space which has historical meanings.”
- Brian Horne: “It may safely be said that one ground for the hope of Christianity that it may make good its claim to be true faith lies in the fact that it is the most avowedly materialist of all the great religions. … Its own most central saying is: ‘The Word was made flesh’.”
- “These [sacremental] experiences could be characterized as ‘rents in the opacity of history where God’s concrete engagement to change the world becomes visible,’ to use Gorringe’s phrase.”
- Balthasar: “The Sacrifice of the Son is God’s first thought of the world.”
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Place has personality, which can be discerned through a concentrated time of attentive waiting, according to Edward Relph. Although my eyes closed often plowing through the verbiage of theological and academic debate, Inge’s work also opened my eyes and stimulated my thinking in regards to place. As a Pentecostal, it would have been a lot simpler to simply describe a Holy Spirit encounter rather than makings arguments for “sacramental experiences.” Yet I understand more clearly how also Pentecostals would think of places as ‘holy’ because of the God encounters that took place there. As a born and raised Dutch Reformed Christian, I still struggle considering any material thing in particular holy, let alone places, churches, or shrines. As an evangelical, communion is a symbolic act without God’s presence in the elements.
Could I perhaps add a bit of Anglican and Catholic perspective to my understanding of place? I think there is, theologically, room for that. Inge did achieve his end goal by contributing to my understanding and appreciation of the significance of place. I intend to not lose sight of this as I continue to pursue my study in city transformation.
