I recently had a chance to visit a Protestant mega-church in the local metropolis of Charlotte, NC during an evening "service." (What exactly do these people serve, or whom? What is meant by "service"?) I was struck by the visual difference between what is displayed in the Protestant "sanctuary" and what is front and center in the sanctuary of a Catholic (or Eastern Orthodox) Church. See the difference in the photos below? Which one displays Jesus and which one displays man? One has no Cross displayed, just the name of the church. Not even the windows are stained glass with images of the saints. The other depicts Christ's Crucifixion, beneath which is the Tabernacle in which the consecrated elements - Jesus Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity - rest. And on the windows are displayed the great Saints who as Hebrews 12:1 states are the great cloud of witnesses who have gone on before us. I think the answer as to who is revered in each church is obvious: one is man centered, serving man (hence the term "service") and the other Christ centered, serving Christ in the Most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
PS, the "service" on Friday night was about depression and how to combat it - man centered.
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| Protestant Sanctuary - Man Centered |
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| Catholic Sanctuary - Christ Centered |
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