Mike Smith:
My guest this week is Christian architect Daniel Lee, who has used his training in classical architecture to serve the Christian community, most recently helping us design the Barbara Hodel Student Life Center here at Patrick Henry College. Daniel, thanks for joining us this week.

Daniel Lee:
Mike, it’s a pleasure. Thank you for inviting me.

Mike:
Daniel, why do you believe that architecture should be an important issue for Christians?

Daniel:
Architecture is a really important issue, Mike, because it’s all around us in our cities, it shapes our homes, and even our churches. Architecture is a powerful medium of artistic expression that influences how we think about the world and our place in it. Its messages can build up or corrupt our souls and those of our children.

If you don’t like a picture on your wall, you know, Mike, you can take it down and store it in a closet. But architecture is not so easily disposed of. The building that expresses things which are deeply good, true, and beautiful, can edify and draw us to God for many generations and be a powerful witness. But a degrading, cheap, and false building can scar our souls and divert us from the grace of God, as well. We need to take architecture seriously!

Winston Churchill once said, “We shape our buildings, and thereafter, they shape us”—and I’m here to testify that this is true.

Mike:
Well, that’s fascinating, Daniel! Thanks for sharing with us today. Next time, we’ll talk about how architecture impacts our homes and families. And until then, I’m Mike Smith.