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New Church Statue: "Jesus the Homeless"

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  • New Church Statue: "Jesus the Homeless"

    http://www.npr.org/2014/04/13/302019...ntent=04132014

    A new religious statue in the town of Davidson, N.C., is unlike anything you might see in church.

    The statue depicts Jesus as a vagrant sleeping on a park bench. St. Alban's Episcopal Church installed the homeless Jesus statue on its property in the middle of an upscale neighborhood filled with well-kept townhomes.

    Jesus is huddled under a blanket with his face and hands obscured; only the crucifixion wounds on his uncovered feet give him away.

    ...

    The bronze statue was purchased for $22,000 as a memorial for a parishioner, Kate McIntyre, who had loved public art. The rector of this liberal, inclusive church is Rev. David Buck, a 65-year-old Baptist-turned-Episcopalian who seems not at all averse to the controversy, the double-takes and the discussion the statue has provoked.

    "It gives authenticity to our church," he says. "This is a relatively affluent church, to be honest, and we need to be reminded ourselves that our faith expresses itself in active concern for the marginalized of society."

    The sculpture is intended as a visual translation of the passage in the Book of Matthew, in which Jesus tells his disciples, "as you did it to one of the least of my brothers, you did it to me." Moreover, Buck says, it's a good Bible lesson for those used to seeing Jesus depicted in traditional religious art as the Christ of glory, enthroned in finery.

    "We believe that that's the kind of life Jesus had," Buck says. "He was, in essence, a homeless person."
    I like this move. When society discusses religion, we're inundated with sermons and devotionals about Jesus' words on love and compassion and justice, but I've often felt that those sermons are too abstract in explaining exactly what those qualities entail. This statue, on the other hand, helps illuminate those teachings by hinting at their depth and scope. It calls to attention the humanness of Jesus, and makes him and his words seem more tangible and real. He isn't presented exclusively as an all-powerful deity and king, nor as a broken, beaten figure to be appropriated on crucifix necklaces and violent Mel Gibson movies, but rather as a genuine person who truly suffered and sympathized with humanity.

    Thoughts, comments?
    Last edited by fm93; 04-13-2014, 12:59 PM.
    Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.--Isaiah 1:17

    I don't think that all forms o[f] slavery are inherently immoral.--seer

  • #2


    Good art.

    Comment


    • #3
      There is a very direct connection to Matthew 25 that should be pondered by those whose immediate reaction is one of a defensive negativity. If the statue at least gets some to ponder that, it will have done its job.
      "I am not angered that the Moral Majority boys campaign against abortion. I am angry when the same men who say, "Save OUR children" bellow "Build more and bigger bombers." That's right! Blast the children in other nations into eternity, or limbless misery as they lay crippled from "OUR" bombers! This does not jell." - Leonard Ravenhill

      Comment


      • #4
        *smack forehead*

        No, the deep seated sense of hospitality among his countrymen (especially his disciples, and wealthy patrons like Joanna - not to mention Jesus' skill as a tekton) would ensure that Jesus' wasn't living as a vagabond. It's a good thing that you want to take care of the poor, but Jesus Himself wasn't "essentially homeless".

        Comment


        • #5
          *smack forehead*

          No, the deep seated sense of hospitality among his countrymen (especially his disciples, and wealthy patrons like Joanna - not to mention Jesus' skill as a tekton) would ensure that Jesus' wasn't living as a vagabond. It's a good thing that you want to take care of the poor, but Jesus Himself wasn't "essentially homeless".
          The quotation itself is inaccurate, but Jesus makes such a strong identification between service for poor disciples and service to himself that I would maintain the basic point behind the status is sound.
          "I am not angered that the Moral Majority boys campaign against abortion. I am angry when the same men who say, "Save OUR children" bellow "Build more and bigger bombers." That's right! Blast the children in other nations into eternity, or limbless misery as they lay crippled from "OUR" bombers! This does not jell." - Leonard Ravenhill

          Comment


          • #6
            But not to this sentiment, which I was addressing:

            "We believe that that's the kind of life Jesus had," Buck says. "He was, in essence, a homeless person."

            Comment


            • #7
              Most homeless people in this country are not in that position because of their great love for God.

              Comment


              • #8
                Nor for their hatred of God. I like the statue.
                The State. Ideas so good they have to be mandatory.

                sigpic

                Comment


                • #9
                  But not to this sentiment, which I was addressing:
                  Right, I acknowledged that the quotation was inaccurate but that the statue itself can still portray spiritual truth despite it not being quite what was intended.
                  "I am not angered that the Moral Majority boys campaign against abortion. I am angry when the same men who say, "Save OUR children" bellow "Build more and bigger bombers." That's right! Blast the children in other nations into eternity, or limbless misery as they lay crippled from "OUR" bombers! This does not jell." - Leonard Ravenhill

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Why would he need a blanket if he has Crucifixion wounds? Wouldn't the scars imply a post resurrection body? Meaning He wouldn't need a home...
                    If it weren't for the Resurrection of Jesus, we'd all be in DEEP TROUBLE!

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Originally posted by Christianbookworm View Post
                      Why would he need a blanket if he has Crucifixion wounds? Wouldn't the scars imply a post resurrection body? Meaning He wouldn't need a home...
                      With art, very often, if you press the details too literally, you're missing the point.
                      "I am not angered that the Moral Majority boys campaign against abortion. I am angry when the same men who say, "Save OUR children" bellow "Build more and bigger bombers." That's right! Blast the children in other nations into eternity, or limbless misery as they lay crippled from "OUR" bombers! This does not jell." - Leonard Ravenhill

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        It still don't make much sense!
                        If it weren't for the Resurrection of Jesus, we'd all be in DEEP TROUBLE!

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          *smack forehead*

                          No, the deep seated sense of hospitality among his countrymen (especially his disciples, and wealthy patrons like Joanna - not to mention Jesus' skill as a tekton) would ensure that Jesus' wasn't living as a vagabond. It's a good thing that you want to take care of the poor, but Jesus Himself wasn't "essentially homeless".
                          Well, what's the essence of being homeless? Doesn't it involve abandonment and rejection? I'd say Jesus' life and mission, according to the gospels, certainly encapsulated those states. It may not be what Rev. Buck had in mind, but in a way he's correct.
                          Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.--Isaiah 1:17

                          I don't think that all forms o[f] slavery are inherently immoral.--seer

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Originally posted by Christianbookworm View Post
                            It still don't make much sense!

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Originally posted by square_peg View Post
                              Well, what's the essence of being homeless? Doesn't it involve abandonment and rejection? I'd say Jesus' life and mission, according to the gospels, certainly encapsulated those states.
                              Not really, not until Calvary. He made enemies but had many friends as well, as I've said. I don't have a problem with serving the homeless in the name of Christ (it's our command to do so), but trying to cast the earthly Jesus as "one of them" in the literal sense simply isn't historically accurate.

                              Comment

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