Church's Jesus Monument Destroyed by Lightning

Talk about irony! I often speculate on this blog as to what Christ would think of some of his unloving, self-style followers who seem to model their behavior more on the conduct of the Biblical Pharisees than the message of Christ as related in the Gospels. As the Dayton Daily News is reporting, the huge (62 feet high) Jesus statute at Solid Rock Church in Monroe, Ohio, near Dayton was hit by lighting and totally destroyed yesterday. A video of the fire can be seen here. The image below shows the pre-fire statute. Here are some story highlights:
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In the late evening and early morning hours, social media sites such as Facebook fueled interest and onlookers: the curious, the incredulous and still others who just wanted to poke a little fun at the situation.
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“God struck God, I like the irony. Jesus struck Jesus,” said Dawn Smith, 25, of Hamilton, who was among those standing outside the vehicles along Union Road. “I had to see it. What else are you going to do on a Monday night?”
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Since its completion in 2004, the statue, which appeared to come out of a pond in front of the nondenominational megachurch, was known by multiple nicknames, including “Touchdown Jesus” because the arms and hands were raised upward. It also was known as “Big Butter Jesus” after comedian Heywood Banks referred to it as such and created a song about the statue, which he performed on radio’s popular “The Bob and Tom Show.”
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The statue was constructed of wood and styrofoam over a steel framework that was anchored in concrete and covered with a fiberglass mat and resin exterior, according to the church. It was slated to undergo renovations this summer.
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“I can’t believe Jesus was struck,” said his brother, who noted the giant Hustler Holl*ywood sign for the adult store across the street was untouched. “It’s the last thing I expected to happen.”
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From my earlier perusal of Solid Rock Church's website, which is currently down, the church appears to be of the inerrant Bible mindset and, while I could not find any express any direct endorsement of "ex-gay" ministries, I suspect would not be classified as exactly "gay friendly."