Are cathedrals the arks of today? Some reflections on cathedral mission and spiritual seekers

This paper examines the theological concept of ‘ark’ as a useful metaphor for assessing the potential of cathedrals for effective mission and social action. The popular concept of ark as shelter and means of salvation is but one way of thinking about cathedrals, but the paradoxical and complex natur...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Richards, Anne (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Routledge 2024
In: Journal of beliefs and values
Year: 2024, Volume: 45, Issue: 3, Pages: 244–260
Further subjects:B Theology
B Cathedrals
B Spiritual
B Mission
B Seekers
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Description
Summary:This paper examines the theological concept of ‘ark’ as a useful metaphor for assessing the potential of cathedrals for effective mission and social action. The popular concept of ark as shelter and means of salvation is but one way of thinking about cathedrals, but the paradoxical and complex nature of what it means to be ‘ark’ for others in Scripture and tradition provides other ways of assessing and developing mission potential. These different ways of thinking about the cathedral will be set against stories obtained from talking to people seeking different forms of help from cathedrals, in order to show in what ways the cathedral was ‘ark’ for them and to test what the limits of that perspective might be. The paper concludes with some suggestions for strategic action within cathedrals to maximise this particular mission and social justice lens.
ISSN:1469-9362
Contains:Enthalten in: Journal of beliefs and values
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1080/13617672.2024.2332826