Tents Before Temples - Chapter Summaries - 35-41
A deep dive into the importance of design in the buildings we use and occupy
These chapters represent an area of great personal discovery. While the topic of architecture is a frequent one in discussions about “what went wrong” in the history of Christianity, I always found the particular critiques to be somewhat superficial. My deep dive uncovered some solid explanations for the reservations I held, and learned a lot about why some buildings resonate with us, while others fall out of fashion.
I also used this opportunity to speculate wildly about what might be possible in the future. In some ways, these chapters are more sci-fi than the ones on myths and stories! Grok’s summary style for this section is a bit more abstract, but it does capture the essence of each chapter fairly well.
Chapter 35: "Architecture - Why Castles Are Greater Than Cathedrals" (pp. 517–538)
Summary: Chapter 35 champions castles over cathedrals as holistic microcosms of life, contrasting their living, communal essence with cathedrals’ static grandeur. Castles, intuitive to children (p. 517), integrate chapel, hall, and work, sanctifying all within fractal walls (p. 518), unlike cathedrals’ rigid sacred-secular divide (p. 519). Cathedrals, though beautiful, lack breath without worshippers (p. 519); their pattern language, tied to medieval context, fades in modernity (p. 520). Alexander’s A Pattern Language inspires a new, organic architecture—wood over stone, body-like homes (p. 521–522)—reflecting Christ’s humble dwellings (p. 522). Unity across tribes (p. 523) emerges not online but in physical spaces (p. 524). Alexander’s “timeless way” (p. 526) envisions 1,000 autonomous regions (p. 527), scalable from balconies (p. 528) to books (p. 530), rooted in kenotic, egoless building (p. 534). The author’s surrender of ego-driven marriage images (p. 535) mirrors this, yielding a fruitful life (p. 538).
Key Themes: Castle as cosmos, living architecture, pattern language, kenosis, communal unity.
Chapter 36: "Wedding Tents - Architecture: Part 2" (pp. 539–570)
Summary: Chapter 36 ties architecture to marriage, the “telos” of enduring structures (p. 539). The tabernacle mirrors a bridal tent (p. 540), uniting God and Israel, with dirt, seed, and blood as elemental forces sanitized in modernity (p. 541). The chuppah symbolizes this (p. 542), mocked in Absalom’s betrayal (p. 544), while the tabernacle blends sacred and mundane (p. 545). Solomon’s temple expands this with Edenic imagery (p. 546), reflecting marital unity across tribes (p. 547). Civilization grows from wells and altars (p. 547), but excess—pyramids, ziggurats, malls (p. 549)—signals collapse when family falters (p. 550). Modern temples (e.g., Akshardham, p. 550) and sprawl (p. 551) prioritize spectacle over purpose, yet centered-set communities (p. 552) offer hope, reviving towns through organic bonds.
Key Themes: Marriage as architectural root, tent-temple continuum, elemental vitality, civilizational collapse, centered-set renewal.
Chapter 37: "Practical Housing - Architecture: Part 3" (pp. 553–570)
Summary: Chapter 37 addresses housing’s role in family amid wealth-driven fertility decline (p. 553). The author’s multi-generational living (p. 554) counters cultural norms, urging priority on marriage and kids over homeownership (p. 555). Inflationary real estate cycles (Bob and Donna, p. 556–559) favor profit over purpose, gentrifying starter homes (p. 560). Alternatives include larger plots with smaller, expandable homes (p. 561), campsite-inspired clusters (p. 562–565), and Alexander’s “family” pattern (p. 566–568), balancing privacy and community. Huxley’s Island (p. 569) misfires, but local experimentation—church projects, front-yard tables (p. 570)—fosters organic ties, countering isolation and collapse fears (p. 566).
Key Themes: Family-first housing, real estate critique, practical innovation, communal balance, grassroots action.
Chapter 38: "The Tectonic Temple - Architecture: Part 4 - A New Kind of Cathedral" (pp. 571–579)
Summary: Inspired by Rookmaaker’s Art Needs No Justification (p. 571), Chapter 38 envisions a “tectonic temple”—a church reflecting Christ’s body, not a cross (p. 574). It merges cathedral anthropomorphism, modern technology (e.g., Zip sheathing, p. 574), and craftsmen’s humble joy (p. 573). Unlike cathedrals’ hidden labor or pyramids’ mysteries (p. 577), this temple exposes plumbing, HVAC, and beams (p. 575–576), celebrating work “as unto the Lord” (p. 574). Diverse pews and visible joints (p. 576) reveal human stories, fostering community across generations (p. 579). Building it requires raising faithful craftsmen through families and villages (p. 579), not nostalgia.
Key Themes: Craft as worship, anthropomorphic design, transparency, communal legacy, future-oriented faith.
Chapter 39: "Home of the Future - Architecture: Part 5" (pp. 580–587)
Summary: Chapter 39 explores bioengineered architecture via science fiction (e.g., Herbert’s chairdogs, p. 580) and Reade’s utopian vision (p. 581). It proposes living tents with organic layers (e.g., tabernacle skins, p. 582) mimicking animal shelters (p. 583). Future homes might use lab-grown scales or bones (p. 585), becoming sentient, self-regulating organisms (p. 585–586) that enrich soil (p. 586). This raises ethical questions—agency vs. arena, trust vs. control (p. 586)—mirroring human-microbiome relations (p. 587). True permanence requires surrendering to God’s will (p. 587), not dead structures.
Key Themes: Bioengineering, living architecture, ethical symbiosis, dependence, divine harmony.
Chapter 40: "Movers of Mountains - Architecture: Part 6" (pp. 589–605)
Summary: Chapter 40 ties architecture to faith, starting with Noah’s vineyard tent (p. 589). Castles fit landscapes (p. 590), unlike Herod’s ego-driven Herodium (p. 590–592), mocked by Jesus’ mustard-seed faith (p. 592). Jesus, the arkbitektōn (p. 592), contrasts Herod’s fear with trust (p. 594). Seeds (e.g., Coco De Mer, p. 595–596) embody faith’s potential, growing diversely (p. 598) from Christ’s resurrection (p. 599). Micah’s peaceable mountain (p. 602) calls believers to plant literal seeds (p. 603), preparing for the harvest feast (p. 604) amid exile (p. 605).
Key Themes: Faith-driven building, seed telos, landscape harmony, resurrection’s fruit, active trust.
Chapter 41: "Treehouses - Architecture: Part 7" (pp. 606–615)
Summary: Chapter 41 concludes “Architecture” by marrying urban and rural via Alexander’s “City Country Fingers” (p. 606–609), interlocking city and farmland (p. 609). Trees offer solutions: Sweden’s oaks (p. 611) and Johnny Appleseed’s nurseries (p. 611–612) show planning’s limits and potential. Imaginative speculation considers if genetic engineering could be used to grow treehouses (p. 613–614), like Tolkien’s Lothlórien (p. 613), from single seeds (p. 614). This seeds future cities (p. 614), balancing nature and culture for the New Jerusalem (p. 606).
Key Themes: Urban-rural synthesis, tree architecture, long-term vision, organic growth, divine wedding.
The most helpful resource in writing these chapters was the work of Christopher Alexander. I was introduced to his work through a discussion between Job and Paul VanderKlay, which I will include below. It’s well worth your time.