Pintlala Church sculpture gives theology a concrete message

In the courtyard of Pintlala Baptist Church in Hope Hull, Montgomery Association, one man struggles to hold up another.
   
The strain of his task is etched into the lines of his stone-still face. Hands calloused and feet cracked, the larger man is clearly a fisherman; the smaller, a teacher or scholar perhaps.  His knees are bent in weakness. He would surely fall if it were not for the stronger man.
   
The intertwined men have caused a lot of talk in the Hope Hull community where they stand. Who are they? Why are they there? Will their struggle ever end?
   
They are “The Strength of One” — a 14-foot sculpture commissioned by the church and the Bass Anglers Sportsmen Society of America (B.A.S.S.), also known as Bassmaster.
   
The journey of “The Strength of One” from a lifeless chunk of bronze in the studio of Colorado sculptor Lincoln Fox to the courtyard of an Alabama Baptist church began in the summer of 1992.
   
Pintlala, a crossroads church located at the intersection of U.S. Highway 31 and Federal Road just outside Montgomery, was bursting at the seams.  It was drawing members from five surrounding counties and was in desperate need of a larger sanctuary.
   
Ray Scott, a deacon at Pintlala and the founder of B.A.S.S., came up with a plan to pay for the proposed $2.5 million building project.
   
He would hold four professional fishing tournaments on his property and all the proceeds would go to the building project. The tournaments drew professional anglers from across the United States, including then-President George Bush Sr. and his son, current President George W. Bush.
   
Beverly Williams, the coordinator of ministries at Pintlala, remembers the tournaments fondly.
   
“Practically the whole town came to the weigh-ins (in the church parking lot) to see the fishermen and the president,” she said. “It was an amazing time.”
   
The summer before the final tournament of 1993, Scott came to Gary Burton, Pintlala’s senior pastor, with yet another extraordinary idea.
   
He proposed a sculpture that would capture the spirit of the tournaments. “Ray remembered seeing one of Fox’s sculptures at an airport in Albuquerque and wanted him to do it,” said Burton. “I was all for it.”
   
Beyond providing the title and background information for the edifice, Scott gave Fox, a world-renowned sculptor, complete creative license.
   
The result: two men engaged in an ongoing struggle to grow and live in a constantly changing environment, with the stronger reaching out to help the weaker brother.
   
On the other side, an eagle flies overhead representing the highest aspirations of man and his ability to subdue his environment, the bass caught in his talons represents itself as a source of food and recreation.
   
“To identify the tension, I gave the stronger man the personality and physical attributes of the biblical Peter, and formed the weaker reminiscent of the young Timothy,” said Fox.
   
Former President Bush unveiled the imposing monument March 7, 1993, after the final B.A.S.S. tournament. “He was overwhelmed by it, complimenting it over and over,” said Williams.
   
Burton wasn’t quite as sure, but the more he reflected on its symbolism the more he appreciated it. “Now I preach a sermon series on the sculpture every fall when I use Scripture and sculpture to highlight the difference one person can make,” said Burton.
   
Today the sculpture — one of the largest religious pieces in the country — stands as a monument to the sacrifice the Bassmasters made for Pintlala in its time of need. It draws visitors from across North America.
   
“The sculpture appeals to the senses and preaches something abstract in a very concrete way,” said Burton. “No one can walk away from it without having to think about their faith.”
   
Despite the apparent effectiveness of sculpture, “The Strength of One” is basically one of a kind among Baptists in Alabama.
   
The absence of this particular medium in Baptist churches may be due in part to the position taken by church leaders during the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century, according to Ted Wisenhunt, associate professor of art at Judson College.
   
“I think their resistance to sculpture and what they perceived as the potential for idol worship carried over to Southern Baptists,” he said. “They wanted to keep it simple so  they could focus on God and not art.
   
“Baptists have expressed their creativity in other ways such as pillars, stained glass windows and music,” he explained.
   
Keith Hibbs, an associate in the office of worship leadership/church music for the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions, doesn’t see sculptures such as “The Strength of One” becoming iconoclastic. “There is a fine line there, and I don’t think sculpture will be an every-Sunday way of sharing the gospel, but I do see its potential,” he said.