Beauty & The Embassy
Beauty is more than aesthetic preference—it shapes belief. A 2017 study commissioned by the Church of England found that 13% of young people (ages 11–18) who identified as Christian said a cathedral visit played a key role in their faith decision, and 21% of those surveyed identified as practicing Christians. Sacred space still moves the next generation. Research in environmental psychology further shows that exposure to beauty increases feelings of meaning and moral elevation. When churches embody beauty, they act as embassies—forming identity, inspiring hope, and compelling people to ask deeper questions about God.
Beauty is one of God’s most generous gifts—an expression of His nature that stirs gratitude, awe, and worship.
In her talk from THINQ Summit 2025, Roberta Ahmanson invites us to find our way back to Beauty—not as something to consume, but as something to give. Throughout history, the Church has used beauty to reflect its devotion, creating spaces and art that embodied generosity toward God and neighbor.
Roberta reminds us that “Empires come and go, but our citizenship is in the New Jerusalem.” When we create, restore, and give generously, we participate in that eternal story—one that points beyond ourselves to the Creator.
Drawing from Ezekiel’s words, she calls us to design lives and spaces that move others toward worship: “Look at the beauty of the temple and be convicted of your sin.”
This talk is a powerful reminder that beauty itself is an act of generosity—a way to mirror God’s abundance to the world.