Asbestoswear by Dillard: Chique Spectacles
Chique Spectacles
The higher Christian Churches--where, if anywhere, I
belong--come to God with an unwarranted air of
professionalism, with authority and pomp, as though
people in themselves were an appropriate set of
creatures to have dealings with God. I often think of
the set pieces of the liturgy as certain words which
people have successfully addressed to God without
their getting killed. In the high churches they saunter
through the liturgy like Mohawks along a strand of
scaffolding who have long since forgotten their danger.
If God were to blast such a service to bits, the
congregation would be, I believe, genuinely shocked.
But in the low churches you expect it any minute. This
is the beginning of wisdom.
Annie Dillard, Holy the Firm