The Church Deserves Better Than Ugly Decorations

1987 called. It wants its tissue box cover back. You know the one, made by hand in colonial blue and dusty rose calico.

Author David Murrow appears to have found the final resting place of this artifact in the churches he’s visited. He excerpted a section from his book, How Women Help Men Find God, in a blog post entitled “Does Your Church Look Like A Beauty Parlor?”, describing the country-folksy décor in some small and mid-sized church buildings:

As I speak in churches, I notice the beauty salon motif everywhere. Quilted banners and silk flower arrangements adorn church lobbies. More quilts, banners, and ribbons cover the sanctuary walls, complemented with fresh flowers on the altar, a lace doily on the Communion table, and boxes of Kleenex under every pew.

I’ve never been inside a beauty salon like that, but I have seen enough churches adorned with the discards from fading home decorating trends to picture the dated décor in women’s bathrooms, lobbies, and sanctuary spaces of various older churches.

Murrow contends that girly décor in a church building is off-putting to men. Well, it’s off-putting to many women, too. [Read more]