Biolans awoke this morning to an unexpected campus development: the landmark Jesus mural is gone. All that remains is a black veil with a single question: “What if you never heard?”
The Jesus Mural, a 40-foot tall depiction of Jesus Christ by American mural painter Kent Twitchell entitled “THE WORD,” has been around since the 1990s. Throughout this time, the mural has been the subject of multiple controversies from students and speakers alike, specifically for its choice to present Christ with a lighter skin tone.
However, this development is not the result of these controversies, nor is it the work of any single party or outside organization. The development is actually the work of Biola’s own Mission Conference staff, as a performance piece to spark buzz for Missions Conference, which is set to begin this Wednesday.
Biola Interactions Coordinator Mandy Fischer provided context for the development in a written statement.
“The intention of this message “What if you had never heard?” encourages students to reflect on the testimony of God’s faithfulness and inspires them to share that truth with others,” said Fischer. “It challenges Biola students to reflect on how their lives would be if they had never heard the gospel.”
This year’s Missions Conference theme, “Called,” invites students to reflect on their foundational statement of faith in Christ and their reasoning for spreading the gospel to others. With Missions Conference only being a few days away, Fischer hopes that the striking change to Biola’s campus aesthetic will introduce the concept to students and plant the seed for further conversation.
“While it may seem controversial to cover the Jesus Mural, the point is to draw attention to how significant the gospel is,” said Fischer. “Jesus is a gift and in Missions Conference, the goal is to remind students of the call to the Great Commission, sharing the good news of Jesus to all nations.”
The choice to cover Christ is bold, but clear: Christ has been re-veiled, in order to reveal.
No plans for removing the veil have been announced to students, and it’s unclear whether Christ will remain covered for the rest of Conference week.
