In the shift away from pews to solo chairs, contemporary churches lost something we didn’t realize was forming us.
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Red-padded pews. It’s one of my most vivid memories from growing up in church. Their smell resembled my grandparents’ closet. They weren’t comfortable. They were impossible to nap on during sermons. (Believe me, I tried so hard.)
Today, I don’t miss the rigidity of the wood or the smell. But I miss what they made us do: sit together.
