Towards an African Ecclesiology in Stones

Is it appropriate to do theology through architecture? Can sacred architecture reveal God by speaking well of God (theology in art), as opposed to speaking correctly of divine matters (discursive theology)? What are the main issues in the relationship between liturgy and architecture? How can architecture enhance liturgy, and how can liturgy advance architecture? How does a church (made of inert stones) build the community called Church (as living stones)? All these broad interrogations are deepened in this work and merged into a single project: contributing in words, drawings, and, hopefully, in stones, to the question of how churches and worship places should be built in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, in the near future. The book explores two California cathedrals to show that architecture may be a revelatory locus where God and humankind interact. In a well-built church, devotions and architecture connect. Inspired by the Oakland and the LA cathedrals, the work states that an African theology of architecture can provide the right tool to discern a life-transforming space, indeed a life-tasting place, on which a vital Christian community can build its life-giving home.

Autorentext

Richard TAMBWE Mutibula is a Jesuit priest and an architect from the Democratic Republic of Congo (Maniema Province). He holds two MA in Architecture (IBTP, Kinshasa, 2004) & in Theology (SCU, Berkeley, CA, 2010) and a BA in Philosophy (1995). His current area of interest and research is the junction between architecture and theological aesthetics.