Worship Without Words: The Symbol of the Cross

Although I am passionate about visual arts, I come from a visually illiterate background. My church is comprised of mostly Mennonites who do not use aesthetics within architecture, decoration of church buildings, or corporate worship. In fact, more conservative Mennonites believe that the use of visuals is very ‘worldly.’ Therefore, it surprised me that there is such depth beneath the symbols used in traditional and ancient churches. The discussion of the different designs of the cross especially revealed to me the importance of attention to detail in symbols. I thought the variations of the cross meant the same thing; they always point to Jesus’ redemption of the world. However, not only does each alteration indicate a different aspect of salvation and faith, but the cross is most definitely not simply an Easter symbol. As Klein points out, the cross is meant to be a shocking, sorrowful icon comparable to a noose or electric chair. Instead, it is now an image that carries very little meaning apart from being a nice charm on a necklace. Perhaps a way to revive the full impact of the cross is to incorporate a variety of designs of crosses in liturgical art and to explain their meaning.