King of Kings (statue)
King of Kings was a 62-foot (19 m)-tall statue of Jesus on the east side of Interstate 75 at the Solid Rock Church, a 4000+ member Christian megachurch near Monroe, Ohio, in the United States. It was destroyed by a lightning strike and subsequent fire on June 15, 2010.
Located on the Interstate-facing side of the church's outdoor amphitheater, the statue was set on an island at the head of the church's baptismal pool, flanked by fountains and lit by colored spotlights.[1] It depicted Jesus from the chest up, with his arms and head raised to the sky. The statue had a 42-foot (13 m) span between its upraised hands and a 40-foot (12 m) Christian cross at its base.[2] The completed statue weighed 16,000 pounds (7,000 kg).[1]
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[edit] Construction
It was designed by Brad Coriell,[3] sculpted by James Lynch, and assembled by Mark Mitten.
Constructed on a metal frame or armature manufactured in nearby Lebanon, Ohio, the sculpted figure itself was created in Jacksonville, Florida, then trucked north.[1] The main body of the statue was made from a core of Styrofoam covered by a thin skin of fiberglass.[1][2]
The sculpted statue was completed in September 2004 at a cost of approximately $250,000.[1] Money for its construction came from earmarked donations and not from the general funds of the church,[4] and Coriell donated some of his time to the project.[3]
[edit] Popularity and nicknames
Since its construction, the statue has been given many nicknames, both affectionate and derisive, by local residents and I-75 travelers. Among them are:
- Big Butter Jesus[1]
- Big J[1]
- Touchdown Jesus (The statue's most popular nickname, American football referees signal a touchdown with a similar gesture)[1]
- Super Jesus[1]
- MC 62-Foot Jesus (like musician MC 900 Ft. Jesus)[1]
- Terminator Jesus (since it burnt down and is left with just the wire framework)[5]
The statue is also credited with inspiring two musical works:
- Comedian Heywood Banks wrote and performed his novelty song "Big Butter Jesus" about the statue.[1]
- Singer-songwriter Robbie Schaefer of the band Eddie from Ohio wrote the song "Monroe, OH" after driving past the statue.[6]
[edit] Destruction
On June 15, 2010 the statue was struck by lightning and consumed in the resulting blaze.[7] The statue was sculpted using a thin skin of fiberglass over a flammable styrofoam interior stabilized by a metal frame,[2] and the fire left only its internal metal structure.
Following the fire, the pastor of the church stated that they plan to have the statue rebuilt,[8] but now using fireproof material.[9] In the days after the destruction, the church's digital sign had the message "He'll be back" running.[10] Although the statue cost about $250,000 to construct, it was insured for $500,000 because the artist, Brad Coriell, had donated his time to the creation.[3] The damage to the statue and amphitheater was estimated at $700,000 with $300,000 being for the statue and $400,000 for the amphitheater.[10][11] PETA has offered funding through an 'anonymous Christian donor' to help rebuild the statue if they are allowed to promote veganism at the church.[12]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Maag, Chris (2005-11-18). "Giant Jesus statue keeps watch over Ohio interstate". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/17/national/17statue.html?_r=1&emc=eta1. Retrieved 2010-05-07.
- ^ a b c "Lightning Razes 'King Of Kings' Statue". Cincinnati, Ohio: WLWT. 2010-06-15. http://www.wlwt.com/news/23900484/detail.html. Retrieved 2010-06-15.
- ^ a b c Morse, Janice (2010-06-16). "'Touchdown Jesus' statue's destruction brings flood of donations". Cincinnati.com. http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20100616/NEWS01/6170324/Donations-roll-in-for-new-Jesus-statue. Retrieved 2010-06-17.
- ^ "62-Foot Jesus Along I-75 Gaining Giant Attention". WLWT News 5. 2004-11-24. http://www.wlwt.com/news/3950572/detail.html.
- ^ "Destroyed Jesus statue is coming back – CNN Belief Blog". CNN. http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2010/06/17/destroyed-jesus-statue-is-coming-back/.
- ^ Robbie Schaefer, Strange and Lovely World
- ^ "King of Kings statue destroyed by fire". kypost.com. http://www.kypost.com/dpp/news/region_north_cincinnati/monroe/king-of-kings-statue-destroyed-by-fire1276594072148.
- ^ "Statue of Jesus destroyed by lightning strike". WXIX-TV "Fox 19". 2010-06-15. http://www.fox19.com/Global/story.asp?S=12649244. Retrieved 2010-06-15.
- ^ "Lightning strike destroys Touchdown Jesus statue". The Guardian. Associated Press (London). 2010-06-16. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jun/16/touchdown-jesus-statue-burns-down.
- ^ a b "Lightning Razes 'King Of Kings' Statue; 'He'll Be Back'". WLWT Cincinnati (Hearst Television, Inc). 5 June 2010. http://www.wlwt.com/news/23900484/detail.html. Retrieved 14 July 2010.
- ^ Baker, Jennifer (2010-06-16). "'Touchdown Jesus' fire leads to few gawking tickets". Cincinnati.com. http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20100616/NEWS01/306170005. Retrieved 2010-06-17.
- ^ Grossman, Cathy Lynn (22 June 2010). "PETA offers to rebuild, brand Jesus statue: Next offer, NRA?". USA Today (Gannett Company). http://content.usatoday.com/communities/Religion/post/2010/06/peta-nra-touchdown-jesus-/1. Retrieved 14 July 2010.
[edit] External links
- "Solid Rock Church website". http://www.solidrockchurch.org/.
- "Pictures of the statue". http://www.roadsideamerica.com/attract/OHMONjesus.html.
- "Video of Heywood Banks performing "Big Butter Jesus"". http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-ksuOaI61g&mode=related&search=/.
Coordinates: 39°27′14″N 84°19′35″W / 39.453857°N 84.32642°W
