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'Touchdown Jesus' is resurrected

Lisa Reymann, Community Editor

Solid Rock Church, home to the former "Touchdown Jesus" statue in Monroe, Ohio is nearly finished constructing a new figurehead for the church.

According to Ron Carter, administrator of Solid Rock, the figurehead will be completed in mid-July.

After the iconic 50-foot statue of Jesus burned down in summer 2010, the project to rebuild another statue has been in the works since January of last year, Carter said. Cincinnati resident and sculptor Tom Tsuchiya has been in charge of the design plans for the replacement, but according to Carter, the new statue will be a lot different than the old one and complete with a new water feature.

"The new statue will feature a full body portrayal of Christ," Carter said. "There are rocks at his feet and water will flow from the base of the rocks into the pond below. Jesus' hands will also be stretched in front of him towards the highway instead of gesturing up to the sky."

Carter said the new water feature is just for the aesthetics and is sure to be very appealing.

Miami University junior Sami Doupnik knew about the "Touchdown Jesus" statue and was sad to hear something else was taking its place.

"I don't think anything will live up to the old statue just because it was so iconic," Doupnik said. "The new statue is also going to need a new name considering it's going to look very different."

Carter said from the aspect of the church, the statue was built to remind people of the gift God gave mankind in his son.

"There are thousands of cars that go by on [Interstate 75] everyday who would see the old statue reaching out," Carter said. "It's a reminder that God loves them, and people were used to seeing it and it became quite popular."

Miami Comparative Religion Professor John Charles Duffy said the design of the statue was conventional.

"It's very common to see a portrayal of Jesus gesturing out to the world or motioning downward," Duffy said. "Whereas one of Jesus with arms up to God is more striking and unusual."

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Duffy also said when dealing with public sculptures, anyone who passes by can attribute their own meaning to the work of art. He said he was not familiar with the motive behind the new project, but that building a statue of a different design could evoke a new kind of message for the community.

"The presence of such a popular statue is an interesting example of how public art works in terms of what Solid Rock Church wants to convey and how the public perceives it," Duffy said.

According to Carter, the new statue will reach a height of about 51 feet, the same measurements of "Touchdown Jesus."