Seriously?
Oh how I miss the South.
In Memphis, TN Lady Liberty is born again. But this Lady Liberty holds the Ten Commandments in her hand, a large gold cross in the other and "Jehovah" is inscribed on her crown. There's a single tear falling down her face. It measures 72 feet tall from base to tip.
The statue stands in front of a 12,000 member church. The church has a school, roller rink, bookstore and bowling alley. The statue cost $260,000.
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In Memphis, TN Lady Liberty is born again. But this Lady Liberty holds the Ten Commandments in her hand, a large gold cross in the other and "Jehovah" is inscribed on her crown. There's a single tear falling down her face. It measures 72 feet tall from base to tip.
The statue stands in front of a 12,000 member church. The church has a school, roller rink, bookstore and bowling alley. The statue cost $260,000.
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posted by jch at
6:55 PM
12 Comments:
As if I needed more reasons to feel blessed to be a northerner. Thanks Joe. Yee haw.
Joe,
I just have one question for you. "Why do you hate America?"
Okay, tts, you baited me into commenting on my own blog.
You are right in that the Northeast and other parts of the country don't get *it* either; that churches all over the country and world spend money on things not needed.
But is it unreasonable for me to imply that it's not surprising to find this new rendition of Lady Liberty in the South? It's something I'll ponder today.
Do you think Aaron may have had good reason to erect the golden calf? Hmmmm - maybe he did. $260,000 would go along way toward the poor in Memphis - and there are lots of them there - but what do I know.
Jesus understood the value of symbolic gesture--I'm thinking of the woman who brought the expensive jar of perfume to anoint his feet (of which Judas complained the money could've been better spent on the poor). The significance of this particular symbolic gesture does not lie in how much it cost to erect the statue but in what statement it is making about the values of those who conceived it and wanted it placed in front of their church. The blatant mixture of nationalistic and religious symbolism is a particularly frightening form of syncretism, and that is what ought to disturb us about it, not how much it might have cost. If it had been completely free, it would still be scary.
After seeing the picture of Lady Liberty Redux, I had to go and read the article myself. After doing so, I too have a permanent tear rolling down my cheek. Wow.
I don't think southern and northern has much of anything to do with the cost of this statue. We all make mistakes about how we spend money for God's purposes or for ours. . .no matter where we live. That's a wholly separate issue (a valid concern, but different).
I do think this statue being in a very stereotypical southern city makes a huge statement about our current trend in mixing religion and politics in maybe not the best ways. The south has been known for being hyper-religious in the midst of politics, but the Statue of Liberty was a gift given in the spirit of world friendship and international relations. It didn't have anything to do with any religion. For a church to take that historical icon and change bits of it to make a Christian statement is (while their right) just not very smart. It's mixing apples and oranges with no real benefit other than shock value.
I know Jesus did some pretty outrageous things to benefit the kingdom, and he asks us to do outrageous things everyday. . .but, is building a large-scale controversial statue really the way to go about showing love and unity? Espcially when the spokesperson for the church openly states that the statue's purpose is to force people to think about their relationship with God as Americans when they see it. I don't think God cares if we're American Christians or French or anyone else. I'm kind of annoyed about the whole sentiment, and I hope it doesn't affect too many people badly.
tts, while I agree that "the body of Christ should not be about edifices" there is something MUCH more creepy and inherently wrong with that "statue" than there is with the Cathedral of St. John the Divine.
tts - I agree with the "creepy" comment. You also have to look at this in historical context. The cathdrals in NY weren't meant as a political statement or even to prove to the known world that we are a Christian nation since at the time most of those cathdrals were built, most western nations considered themselves to be Christian - and I believe most of those cathedrals were at least begun in the 19th century. I'd imagine most of the money goes to upkeep (except for those that haven't been completed).
This thing strikes me (the statue, not the roller rink) as more of an in-your-face, "so there," "we're right and you're wrong" message. Plus, I think it's just tacky. I could be wrong, but that was my immediate reaction.
This new "non-denomination" is odd to me. It is now the 2nd church I've seen like this the last few days. The church is called World Overcomers Outreach Ministries Church. The one in Arlington I saw was called "Overcomers of Faith" where they had a large 18wheeler photo of the pastor, and a quote stating "SUCCESS IN LIFE". The Ministry statement says: World Overcomers Outreach Ministries Church is a Spirit-filled non-denominational church with a ministry centered around the principles and truths of God’s Word – teaching the Scriptures with simplicity and understanding – so that the people of God may bear fruit and prosper in every area of their lives.
So if you are not prosperous, you must not have "enough" faith in God. It's no wonder we have such a hard time reaching those in America who do not know Christ. For the Christ they see while sleeping under the overpass is being glorified through an old greenish tinted lady, a giant golden cross and demands none of us can meet.
http://www.worldovercomers.org/statue/home.htm
Mercy.
I'm only adding this statement to make sure my thoughts were not misconstrued. I'm not trying to be sensitive. . .it's just hard to just intent on a computer screen, so I want to be clear.
I agree that we should work so hard to divide "church and state," but we also should not combine then in unneccesary and harmful ways. I believe history teaches us that our original government plan was based on the life application of Christian morals and behaviors. I wish we, as world citizens, did a better job of honoring that history instead of the nit-picky, everyone-should-get-what-they-want version of democracy much of our country practices.
I also believe we should not use non-religious historical symbols to prove a Christian point. It just makes Christians look uneducated to those who view art and political history as just art and history. Why not use religious symbols to make a point? It's less controversial and still meets the desire of this church. It's not my personal brand of reaching out to the community, but if they believe it works. . .they are entitled to try that path.
Do I dare comment?
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