I thought I knew the answer to this question when it caught my attention today.
Could it be pews?
Or hymnals?
Or grand pipe organs?
What about marble floors and pillars?
Or stained glass windows?
Could it be narthex entrances rather than commons areas?
Could it be the cross displayed prominently?
Nope. It’s the loss of graveyards.
Older churches were designed to remember the death of friends. We find headstones in churchyards, crypts in sanctuaries and plaques cemented on walls and embedded in floors. It was believed that graves give us grit, or determination.
This is why cathedrals evoke a feeling of solemnity and sobriety. No gum chomping or sauntering in on Sunday after the third song.
Remembering death rivets faith.
This happened in Joshua’s day. We’ve forgotten today why family graves matter because the Enlightenment and entertainment removed them to remote cemeteries and the silver screen…
Mike Metzger has more to say about this topic in his great post called "Graves & Grit"