If all goes to plan, one day Corpus Christi will be the home of the largest cross in the Western Hemisphere. Yes, the south Texas city that gave the world Eva Longoria, Selena, and Whataburger might have another tourist attraction on its hands. The Corpus Christi Cross Project has been working for three years to make the cross a reality. On Sunday afternoon the project broke ground on a site off Interstate 37 in Northwest Corpus Christi, on the Abundant Life Fellowship campus. Various Corpus dignitaries were at the groundbreaking ceremony. A message from Governor Greg Abbott in support of the cross was read by Representative Todd Hunter. Eventually there will be a 210 feet tall (about 19 stories) cross on that plot of land for all to see. It will be visible to planes flying into Corpus Christi International Airport and be able to seen five miles away by land and double that by air.
When Jesus taught that faith without works is worthless, I can’t imagine that spending $1 million to building America’s largest cross wasn’t what He had in mind. Then again, if the purpose is to prove the piety, godliness, and the worthiness of those behind the project gaining entry to the Kingdom of Heaven…well, mission accomplished, eh?
Of course, Texas is littered with Christians who believe that showy, outsized displays of hyper-Christianity prove the depth of their faith and their commitment to The One, True, and ONLY Faith ©. I’m guessing they must have slept through the lesson that covered Matthew 6:5-6, which implores Christians not to be showy about their faith, not to engage in “LOOKIT ME!! LOOKIT ME!!” behaviors that make it clear their faith is largely for show:
And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
How, then, do these True Believers © go about honoring this teaching handed down to them by the very same Lord and Savior they claim to revere? By blowing right past it and deciding to prove their faith for all to see by seeking $1 million to build America’s largest cross.
Yeah, I’m thinking something about graven images…but it would be lost on those good Christians who believe that works are unnecessary to demonstrate the strength of their faith when all they have to do is donate a few bucks towards building the Corpus Christi Cross.
Cynic that I am, I can’t help but wonder how many homeless shelters could have been built, how many sick people could have been treated, how many hungry people could have been fed, and/or how many job training programs could have been created with that $1 million. Ah, but those things, while all well and good, wouldn’t have proven to God and everyone that their Christian faith is as unshakeable and powerful…as it is misguided and corrupted.
According to Pastor Rick Milby of Abundant Life Fellowship the idea for Corpus’ cross came to him after seeing the sizable cross near Houston’s own Sagemont Church near I-45 and the south side of the Beltway.
That cross, erected in Feb. 2009, is 170 feet tall.
Soon after seeing that cross in June 2013 and entering into talks with Sagemont Church, Pastor Milby began work on his own cross. The project is being bankrolled by supporters who would like to contribute funds to make it a reality. Those who donate large sums will have their contributions noted on pave stones at the foot of the cross.
Of course, I suppose those who disagree with me and support the idea of a 210-ft. cross as the perfect expression of collective faith could easily ignore me. After all, I don’t believe in God, which in the minds of so many Texas Christians, automatically makes me suspect (Atheists- Constitution be damned- are forbidden from holding elective office in Texas). Why would (or should) they listen to anyone who lacks the moral fiber needed to accept Jesus Christ as his personal Lord and Savior, right??
Except that there’s the question about Matthew 6:5-6 raised earlier. As long as we’re asking questions, how is it that people who thump their chests (and Bibles) about being such good and committed Christians manage to completely ignore their Savior’s teaching that faith without works is worthless? When He was referring to “works,” I hardly think He had a 210-ft. cross in mind. Call it a hunch, but I have a feeling that “works” refers to actions that will actually contribute to making this world a better place- things like feeding the hungry, healing the sick, clothing the poor, housing the homeless, etc. There’s no doubt but that $1 million could fill many hungry bellies. A lot of good could be done with that kind of money; instead, the True Believers © behind the project are acting more like Pharisees than Christians.
After living in Texas for 10+ years, I came to accept this sort of hypocrisy as the norm. Not that there weren’t good, committed, compassionate Christians who actually endeavored to lead Christ-like lives, of course. Sadly, this sort of showy “LOOKIT ME!! LOOKIT ME!!” Christianity could be found from El Paso to Beaumont and from Galveston to Grapevine. It helps explain why the Texas GOP controls politics in the Lone Star State and is committed to the creation of a theocracy based on (their interpretation of) Biblical law.
My Sunday School days maybe long behind me, but even I can see that the Corpus Christi Cross is far more pharisaical than Christian. It’s as much about honoring the teachings of Jesus Christ as Rick Perry and Greg Abbott are about religious tolerance and respecting the separation of Church and State. Gandhi was right- these “Christians” as so unlike their Christ.
People wonder what I have against Christianity…but as Gandhi once said, it’s not Christianity that frightens me. It’s Christians who scare the Hell out of me.
