--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The Church cannot be content to live in…" description: "\"The Church cannot be content to live in its stained-glass house and throw stones through the picture window of modern culture.\" — Robert McAfee Brown" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc1/robert-mcafee-brown-45278_church_the-church-cannot-be-content-to-live-in_118462.jpg" --- # The Church cannot be content to live in its stained-glass… ![“The Church cannot be content to live in its stained-glass house and throw stones through the picture window of modern culture.” quote by Robert McAfee Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc1/robert-mcafee-brown-45278_church_the-church-cannot-be-content-to-live-in_118462.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc1/robert-mcafee-brown-45278_church_the-church-cannot-be-content-to-live-in_118462.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc1/robert-mcafee-brown-45278_church_the-church-cannot-be-content-to-live-in_118462.jpg) > “The Church cannot be content to live in its stained-glass house and throw stones through the picture window of modern culture.” [Robert McAfee Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mcafee-brown/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The Church must engage with contemporary culture rather than isolate itself behind tradition, otherwise it risks irrelevance. **In simple terms:** Church should interact with modern culture. Key Takeaway Isolation limits influence. Themes religion culture engagement Mood thoughtful inspirational Type call to action When to use this quote - faith community outreach - interfaith dialogues Key Concepts institutional adaptation Practical Applications - bridge traditional values with modern media Questions to Reflect On - What are effective ways for religious institutions to stay culturally relevant? - Can tradition and modernity coexist without compromise? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/church/) [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [Glass houses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/glass-houses/) [Modern culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modern-culture/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Stained glass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stained-glass/) ## Related quotes > [People who live in glass houses must reeeeeallly trust their neighbors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/people-who-live-in-glass-houses-must-reeeeeallly-trust-their-neighbors/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There's a saying that goes, 'People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.' OK. How about, 'Nobody should throw stones'? That's crappy behavior.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetri-martin/there-s-a-saying-that-goes-people-who-live-in-glass-houses-shouldn-t/) [Demetri Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demetri-martin/) > [What is Paris? ... Where nobody throws stones, for all live in glass houses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-irene-loeb/what-is-paris-where-nobody-throws-stones-for-all-live-in-glass-houses/) [Sophie Irene Loeb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-irene-loeb/) > [We must shine with hope, stained glass windows that shape light into icons, glow like lanterns borne before a procession. Who can bear hope…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marge-piercy/we-must-shine-with-hope-stained-glass-windows-that-shape-light-into/) [Marge Piercy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marge-piercy/) > [So Mo began filling the silence with words. He lured them out of the pages as if they had only been waiting for his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/so-mo-began-filling-the-silence-with-words-he-lured-them-out-of-the/) [Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/) > [The easiest thing to do is throw a rock. It's a lot harder to create a stained glass window. I used to get upset…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-foreman/the-easiest-thing-to-do-is-throw-a-rock-it-s-a-lot-harder-to-create-a/) [Jon Foreman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-foreman/) > [Stained glass, engraved glass, frosted glass; give me plain glass.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fowles/stained-glass-engraved-glass-frosted-glass-give-me-plain-glass/) [John Fowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fowles/) > [In a church of my own we're perfect together I recognize you in the stained glass.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-nova/in-a-church-of-my-own-we-re-perfect-together-i-recognize-you-in-the/) [Heather Nova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-nova/) > [It was a blonde. 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You're only relevant 'til you get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-gaskarth/we-throw-stones-though-we-live-in-glass-houses-we-talk-shit-like-its/) [Alex Gaskarth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-gaskarth/) > [Those in glass houses shouldn't throw stones; or masturbate during the daytime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bo/those-in-glass-houses-shouldn-t-throw-stones-or-masturbate-during-the/) Bo > [People that live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gazz-hall/people-that-live-in-glass-houses-shouldn-t-throw-stones/) [Gazz Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gazz-hall/) > [People in glass houses shouldnt throw stones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author-name/people-in-glass-houses-shouldnt-throw-stones/) Author Name > [There's nobody for me to attack in this matter even with soft and gentle ridicule-and I shouldn't ever think of using a grown up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/there-s-nobody-for-me-to-attack-in-this-matter-even-with-soft-and/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) ## More by Robert McAfee Brown > [“True patriotism is not worship of our nation but rather, in the light of our worship of the God of justice, to conform our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mcafee-brown/true-patriotism-is-not-worship-of-our-nation-but-rather-in-the-light/) [Robert McAfee Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mcafee-brown/) > [“How does one keep from “growing old inside”? Surely only in community. The only way to make friends with time is to stay friends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mcafee-brown/how-does-one-keep-from-growing-old-inside-surely-only-in-community/) [Robert McAfee Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mcafee-brown/) > [Who we listen to determines what we hear. Where we stand determines what we see. What we do determines who we are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mcafee-brown/who-we-listen-to-determines-what-we-hear-where-we-stand-determines/) [Robert McAfee Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mcafee-brown/) > [“One important aspect of justice, Jose Miranda reminds us, involves the restoration of what has been stolen. Giving food to the hungry or clothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mcafee-brown/one-important-aspect-of-justice-jose-miranda-reminds-us-involves-the/) [Robert McAfee Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mcafee-brown/) > [Prayer for many is like a foreign land. 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It's not a building. It's not a preaching point. It's not a spiritual service provider. It's a people… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/t-he-church-is-not-a-place-it-s-not-a-building-it-s-not-a-preaching/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [There could be no more powerful argument against mixing religion and government than the success of independent African American churches in placing racial segregation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-jacoby/there-could-be-no-more-powerful-argument-against-mixing-religion-and/) [Susan Jacoby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-jacoby/) > [Worship is not about personality, temperament, personal limitations, church background, or comfort. It is about God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wimber/worship-is-not-about-personality-temperament-personal-limitations/) [John Wimber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wimber/) > [A beggarly people, A church and no steeple.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-b-macaulay/a-beggarly-people-a-church-and-no-steeple/) [Thomas B. Macaulay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-b-macaulay/) > [Pound St. Paul's Church into atoms, and consider any single atom; it is to be sure, good for nothing; but put all these atoms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/pound-st-paul-s-church-into-atoms-and-consider-any-single-atom-it-is/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [The religion of art, like the religion of politics, was born from the ruins of Christianity. Art inherited from the old religion the power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/the-religion-of-art-like-the-religion-of-politics-was-born-from-the/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [The minute you walk outside of your church on Sunday you're in mission territory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-barron/the-minute-you-walk-outside-of-your-church-on-sunday-you-re-in/) [Robert Barron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-barron/) > [I'm not ashamed of the things I believe and why I believe them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-huckabee/i-m-not-ashamed-of-the-things-i-believe-and-why-i-believe-them/) [Mike Huckabee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-huckabee/) [Browse all 9,430 Church quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/church/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The Church cannot be content to live in its stained-glass house and throw stones through the picture window of modern culture.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Robert McAfee Brown" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mcafee-brown/the-church-cannot-be-content-to-live-in-its-stained-glass-house-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Church" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mcafee-brown/the-church-cannot-be-content-to-live-in-its-stained-glass-house-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc1/robert-mcafee-brown-45278_church_the-church-cannot-be-content-to-live-in_118462.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc1/robert-mcafee-brown-45278_church_the-church-cannot-be-content-to-live-in_118462.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc1/robert-mcafee-brown-45278_church_the-church-cannot-be-content-to-live-in_118462.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The Church cannot be content to live in its stained-glass house and throw stones through the picture window…” — Robert McAfee Brown", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Robert McAfee Brown", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mcafee-brown/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The Church cannot be content to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mcafee-brown/the-church-cannot-be-content-to-live-in-its-stained-glass-house-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mcafee-brown/the-church-cannot-be-content-to-live-in-its-stained-glass-house-and/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```