Today, we welcome back our friend and teammate Trent Emmack—fresh off a three-week journey across Europe and the UK. From climbing a Swiss Alp to visiting Churchill’s estate to wandering through one-thousand-year-old churches, Trent brings a fresh set of reflections on architecture, beauty, and what past generations believed about building for the glory of God.

We explore why historic churches were built to last for centuries, what these massive undertakings reveal about generational vision, and how their beauty shapes our understanding of God. We also wrestle with a modern dilemma: why so many breathtaking cathedrals today house dwindling congregations, and why many American churches have swung to the opposite extreme—valuing utility over beauty.

This wide-ranging conversation touches on art, theology, craftsmanship, emotional experience, and the ways our physical spaces influence our spiritual lives. Whether you’ve stood in the shadow of a European cathedral or have only ever worshiped in a gym-turned-sanctuary, this episode helps you think more deeply about what our buildings say about our beliefs.

Highlights & Topics

• Trent’s first trip outside the U.S. and the biggest surprises along the way
• Climbing the Stockhorn in Switzerland and standing where Germany, France, and Switzerland meet
• A Churchill pilgrimage: Chartwell, gravesite, statues, and more
• The shock of stepping into churches nearly 1,000 years old
• Generational vision: why cathedrals were designed by people who knew they would never see them completed
• How beauty in architecture points us toward God
• The contrast between European cathedrals and American utilitarian church design
• Why many beautiful buildings now house spiritually empty congregations
• The inverse question: Can ugly or neglected church buildings reflect theological problems?
• The role of emotional experience in worship and whether beauty can be misused
• Examples from David’s current church and its intentional cultivation of beauty
• A conversation on craftsmanship, liturgy, and how physical spaces form the soul

03:00 The Significance of Religious Architecture

08:55 Comparing Church Experiences

13:37 The Role of Beauty in Worship Spaces

21:23 Theological Reflections on Church Buildings

Learn more about Unbound: https://beunbound.us/

Hosts: Jonathan Brush, David Rethemeyer

Producer: Kyle Hill