The auditorium in the Administration Building is surrounded by stained glass.
When the sun streams through, books and papers and pens glow green, red and blue.
It looks old and important.
Danny Bugingo
Argonaut
Some of that comes from brick and ivy, but there”s also an element of Christian imagery. The stained glass windows in the Administration Building, the pious dome on top of the north Art and Architecture Building and the monastery-like courtyard next to Brink Hall all say this school is old and important.
But should Christians be offended by these design choices? Should the replacement of religion with academia be seen as another shot fired in the war on Christianity?
If someone were to complain that a stained glass image of a book diminished their Christian faith, I would feel sorry for them, but not that sorry.
The difference between harmful cultural appropriation and fruitful cultural exchange is the power dynamic between the two cultures in question. Religious institutions and academic institutions have pretty equal footing in America. Both churches and schools receive tax exemptions and are generally seen as good things for society.
More than that, certain Christian images have acquired a meaning beyond the faith. A dove means peace. A four leaf clover means luck. Saint Valentine”s Day means buying flowers for someone.
The word “escalator” used to be trademarked by the Otis Elevator Company. Once people began calling all moving staircases “escalators,” even when they weren”t built by Otis, the company lost the trademark. The patent office decided it was a generic term, and other escalator companies could call their escalators by the name.
Plenty of other trademarked words have become genericized, like trampoline, app or thermos. Kleenex is headed in the same direction.
Many Christian images have been genericized. Stained glass represents anything old and important, not just the age and significance of Christianity.
There is no inherent value in culture – what matters is culture”s effect on people. When a language dies, nobody mourns the actual language, the grammar and the vocabulary. It”s the fact that somebody”s writing will never be read again, that their voice will never be understood.
The Christian voice will be heard for the foreseeable future. We have a Campus Christian Center, numerous faith groups and a number of opportunities for students to express their Christian identities.
Going to a school that feels old and important matters. Walking through the creaky hardwood floors of the Administration Building, hearing the sound of trumpets playing out of vine-covered Ridenbaugh Hall, looking up at the impressive oak trees on the Hello Walk – these things feel nice and they make students care about campus.
School needs to feel meaningful. If borrowing old, important Christian images helps, it”s worth it.
Danny Bugingo can be reached at [email protected]