The Free Press, Mankato, MN

Your View

March 25, 2008

Your View — Portrait reveals more about artist, college than Jesus, Mankato

Edwin Frydendall, Mankato

Regarding the story published Friday, “A place of honor” — apparently, we’ve been wrong all these 2,000-plus years. Jesus was not of Middle Eastern heritage. Jesus was of Northern European heritage, avoided direct sunlight, used lots of skin cream, had a hair stylist and owned an electric hair dryer and a beard trimmer.

Or so you would surmise from a study of the artist-ethno-centric painting that just went up in the Bethany Lutheran College Trinity Chapel.

Jesus is a figure of faith and, as such, it can be justifiably argued that he is of any race, and of all races. However, Jesus was also a man and, as such, He deserves to be physically depicted as he was — a Middle Eastern, possibly even black — man.

Jesus should not be viewed through the whites of our eyes. The creation and adoration of this painting by the artist and Bethany Lutheran College reveals much, much more about the artist and the college than it does about Jesus.

Text Only | Photo Reprints
Your View