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He was so proud and admiring of them when they wanted to know what each thing meant and refused to adopt anything that symbolized something they did not believe in no matter how pretty it was or how much they really wanted it.

Now I go to  a Lutheran church.  They dismiss everything as adiaphora.  Which is fine.  It is.  But that way anyone misses out on the pedagogical value of the things that are around.   And I think the Church misses a golden opportunity to tie its customs to its faith.

Take for example the two candles on the Altar.  They probably did start out as a necessary item  fur the priest to read the missile..   But this is the 21th century and we have electricity    But we  still have the candles.   Why?  Because they are pretty? And "churchy"?  Or because they are supposed to remind us of the Incarnation and the two natures of Christ?

Or the church colors.

Church customs. Mere adiaphora?Adiaphora most are. But mere?  I think not.

Back in my Episcopalian days, our rector was asked to advise the Baptists up  the street when they wanted to "upgrade" their church and  make it a bit more liturgical and traditional