It’s not uncommon to see a cross dangling from women's necks, more often than not a statement of their Christian heritage and faith. But Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby is worried that the cross has become trivialized, reports Charisma News.
In the forward to a new book about Christianity, Welby reminds readers that the symbol of Roman torture was actually “a badge of shame” for early Christians. “Today, it is more commonly seen as a symbol of beauty to hang around your neck,” he writes. “As a friend of mine used to say, you might as well hang a tiny golden gallows or an electric chair around your neck.”
Welby made no reference to specific celebrities, but several British papers set his comments alongside pictures of Madonna and other cross-wearing icons, who also decorate their stage costumes with glitzy religious symbols. Charisma News also notes that high-end designers such as Dolce & Gabbana, and Versace use crosses in their fashion lines.
Welby’s comments come in the forward of the new book, “Looking through the Cross,” written by Graham Tomlin, dean of St. Mellitus College in London. In his forward, Welby asks, “Are we now living with a symbol emptied of power by time and fashion? Christianity with a powerless cross is Christianity without a throne for Christ or an aspiration for Christians.”
Publication Date: December 3, 2013
