Freedom Tower Is Now Tallest Building in NYC

Freedom Tower Is Now Tallest Building in NYC

The Wired Word for May 6, 2012

In the News

One year after the killing of Osama bin Laden and more than 10 years after the terrorist attacks that brought down the twin towers of the World Trade Center, the site that became known as "Ground Zero" again boasts a skyscraper that is the tallest in New York City. When completed, the building, officially called One World Trade Center but often referred to by its former name, the Freedom Tower, will be the tallest in the country and one of the tallest in the world.

One World Trade Center is still under construction, but this week, the work in progress surpassed the height of the Empire State building, which is 1,250 feet, not counting its antenna. The Empire State building was the tallest skyscraper in the world when it was built in 1931, but lost that status when the North Tower of the World Trade Center was completed in 1972. After the 9/11 disaster, the Empire State building again was the tallest in the city.

The rising Freedom Tower will eventually top out at 1,776 feet, a height chosen by designers to commemorate the founding year of the United States. There's symbolism in another number as well: The roof will be at 1,368 feet, the same height as the original World Trade Center towers, with the final 408 feet in the form of a giant needle pointing skyward from the roof.

While there were no ceremonies to mark the milestone of surpassing the height of the existing tallest building in the city, some officials and commentators remarked on the symbolism of the rising structure. New York State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, who represents Manhattan, commented that the new tower "serves as a beacon signaling our courage, our determination and our incredible resilience."

Writing for CNN, John Avlon, senior political columnist for Newsweek and The Daily Beast, noted that Lower Manhattan, where Ground Zero is located, is the fastest-growing residential neighborhood in the city. He said, "The Freedom Tower and the neighborhood springing up around it are testimonials to our continued commitment to an idea embodied by the firefighters who died there on 9/11: We have met the worst of humanity with the best of humanity. Where others have destroyed, we will build. And we will endure."

While the new tower will be the tallest in the Western Hemisphere, it won't be the tallest in the world. That title is held by the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, at 2,717 feet, followed by the Mecca Royal Hotel Clock Tower in Saudi Arabia at 1,972 feet.

Begun in 2006, One World Trade Center is scheduled for completion next year, at a projected cost of $3 billion. The skyscraper will have 104 floors, 71 of them for office space. There will also be levels for retail, dining, observation, mechanical services for the building and other uses. The building has been designed to be significantly less vulnerable to possible future attacks.

More on this story can be found at these links:

The Freedom Tower, Rising From Ashes. CNN 
It's Official: 1 World Trade Center Is Now New York's Tallest Skyscraper. New York Daily News
One World Trade Center. SkyscraperPage.com
World Trade Center official website (includes video of the construction in progress)
 
The Big Questions

1. Is erecting a new "super tall" tower an appropriate use for the Ground Zero site? Is it "inviting" new attacks? Why or why not? (Bear in mind that the area also includes other new -- though shorter -- towers, as well as a 9/11 museum and memorial reflecting pools.) What spiritual lessons may be drawn from the rebuilding?

2. Where can national pride and Christianity walk hand in hand? Where must Christianity take a different path from national pride?

3. Some people, after tragedies strike, become advocates regarding the issue that was prominent in the tragedy -- alcohol, guns, disease, safety issues, terrorism, etc. What advocacies did the 9/11 tragedy engender? How do those advocates help others today?

4. As a human race, we seem "wired" to somehow rebound after tragedy -- to heal, to let the scar tissue make us stronger. But as individuals, many respond differently. Some seem stuck in the loss. What role does faith play in recovery? How do we tap into faith's recovery resources? What is the connection between faith and resilience? To what degree is resilience a spiritual value?

5. What role do buildings and other physical structures play in religious life? How might Christianity be different if we had no houses of worship? What impact do our church buildings have on living a holy life? On witnessing about our faith? On being a center of mission?

Confronting the News with Scripture
Here are some Bible verses to guide your discussion:

Haggai 1:3-4
"Then the word of the LORD came by the prophet Haggai, saying: Is it a time for you yourselves to live in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins?" (For context, read 1:1-12.)

The people of God had been back from the disaster of the Babylonian exile about 16 years. Early on, they had begun work on the Lord's temple, but stopped long before the task was finished (see Ezra 4:24). The prophets Haggai and Zechariah both encouraged the people to return to the task (see Ezra 5:1-2). The people did, and the new temple rose from the ruins.  

Questions: How necessary is it to rebuild what has been destroyed? There was a great deal of delay, argument and indecision prior to the beginning of the restoration of the Ground Zero site. What, in your opinion, delayed rebuilding? What sorts of restorations have you hesitated to undertake? Why?

Genesis 11:4
"Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves; otherwise we shall be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth." (For context, read 11:1-9.)
Ezra 3:11
"And all the people responded with a great shout when they praised the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid." (For context, read 3:10-13.)

We are quoting these verses from Genesis and Ezra together because they provide a balance when talking about how God views human construction projects. In the case of the Genesis text, God disapproves of the tower of Babel, apparently because the building of it was a rebellion against his command to spread out over the land. The people wanted to "make a name" for themselves in one city, where the tower would be an emblem of their greatness. God halted the construction by "confusing" their language so that the builders could not understand each other.

The Ezra verse tells of the great shout of praise from the Jewish returnees from Babylonian exile when the foundation was laid to rebuild the Jerusalem temple, the one that the  Babylonians had destroyed years earlier. Here, God's point of view is not expressly mentioned, but it's clear from the context and the whole story that this construction project has God's blessing.

Questions: What differences in these two biblical construction projects account for the different responses from God? What might be God's view of the Freedom Tower project? Would it be more like that toward the tower of Babel or that toward the temple rebuilding? Why? Is the business likely to be conducted in the new Freedom Tower emblematic of American values in a way similar to how the sacrifices made in the temple were emblematic of ancient Israel's values?

Isaiah 9:2
"The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness -- on them light has shined." (For context, read 9:1-7.)

In its original context, this is a verse about national recovery. Isaiah was probably talking about the coronation of Hezekiah as king of Judah. Hezekiah was a good king who served the Lord, unlike his immediate predecessor, Ahaz. From the early days of the church, however, Christians have understood a greater meaning in this text, seeing it as a prophecy about the coming of the Messiah, Jesus.

Thus, while Isaiah's original audience heard his words as announcing a king who would bring about national recovery, Christians hear them as announcing a king who brings spiritual recovery and the kingdom of God.

But we can also read Isaiah's words in the context of what's happening in our personal or national life. On 9/11, we became a people walking in deep darkness. Can we now view the rising tower as emblematic of shining light, national recovery?

Question: Why do you think "recovery" is a dominant biblical theme? Name a restoration that has occurred in your life or in the life of your church. What restoration is waiting for a spark in order for renewal to begin? How long have you been waiting?

Ezekiel 36:35
"This land that was desolate has become like the garden of Eden; and the waste and desolate and ruined towns are now inhabited and fortified." (For context, read 36:33-36.)

Ezekiel was a priest in Judah who was forced into exile in Babylonia along with many of his fellow Jews during one of the early deportations after the Babylonians invaded Judah. In Babylonia, Ezekiel became God's spokesperson to the exiles. He foresaw the destruction of Jerusalem at the hands of the Babylonians, and much grief for the people as a result. But Ezekiel also saw a vision of God’s restoration of the nation, and this verse about the desolate land becoming like the garden of Eden is part of his prophecy about the renewal of Judah and the people of Israel.

To any who saw the destruction on 9/11 -- or photos of it -- such words as "waste and desolate and ruined" clearly fit. The area is now inhabited and the new building is fortified in ways that the former towers were not.

Questions: This verse from Ezekiel was written for another time and place, and behind it was the understanding that no matter what recovery the nation experienced, God was the prime mover of that recovery. Is it appropriate to understand God as the prime mover in our national recovery? Why or why not?

1 Corinthians 13:13
"And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three ..." (For context, read 13:1-13.)

The New Testament in Modern English (by J.B. Phillips) words this verse, "In this life, we have three great lasting qualities -- faith, hope and love." Those three qualities are what, if one is anchored in God, can remain after the agony and pain of tragedy have burned away. At the end of Ernest Hemingway's book, A Farewell to Arms, is this: "The world breaks everyone, then some become strong at the broken places."

Questions: How do Christian faith, hope and love help us to become "strong at the broken places"? What part does each of the three -- faith, hope and love -- play in recovery from tragedy and despair? In what order have you experienced these?

For Further Discussion
 

1. Respond from a Christian faith perspective to John Avlon's comment: "The Freedom Tower and the neighborhood springing up around it are testimonials to our continued commitment to an idea embodied by the firefighters who died there on 9/11: We have met the worst of humanity with the best of humanity. Where others have destroyed, we will build. And we will endure."

2. Respond to this, from a TWW team member: "The Freedom Tower has had a history of conflict, of competing interests all vying for their piece of the action, as has much of the nation. But in the end, it speaks to the unity that comes from the conflict of diversity. E pluribus unum, 'Out of many, one.' Many opinions, expressed in one symbol, speaking for all. No dictator ordering the design, but out of many voices, one symbol."

3. Sometimes, after a church burns down, whether by accident or as the result of malice, a congregation uses the loss to reevaluate its needs -- the way it can serve its community --  and reprioritizes its ministries. For example, we know of a case in Indiana where the building of a Church of the Brethren congregation burned to the ground one night. The next morning the pastor received a call from a neighboring pastor who told her that this could turn out to be the best thing that happened to her congregation. The congregation discussed whether to rebuild on the old site, or to move. The first vote was even, so they went back to a time of self-study. After a second vote, the congregation bought land, built a large, single-story building that was handicap accessible, able to accommodate modern technology and opened up new avenues for ministry. Should it take a disaster to cause us to reevaluate and redirect our energies? Under what "normal" circumstances could we examine our call from Christ and allow ourselves to be free from the constraints of our historical situation? What do you make of this statement: "First you build a building, then the building builds you"?

3. One team member said that certain Bruce Springsteen songs, including "My City In Ruins,"  "Wrecking Ball" and "We Take Care of Our Own," speak from a secular standpoint to this story of resilience and recovery. (For copyright reasons, we cannot quote the lyrics, but they are available at the links provided.) What church songs or hymns speak about spiritual recovery?

4. What does the new tower symbolize to you? How important is symbolism for national recovery from the 9/11 attacks? Why? How important is it in the face of current national circumstances, including the state of the economy? Does this mean America is "rising" again? How might the new tower affect the national mood?

Responding to the News
 
This is a good time to remind ourselves that national pride and a commitment to follow Jesus are not the same thing. Our faith is a lens through which to examine other parts of our lives.

Closing Prayer
 
Thank you, O Lord, for the ability to recover, both as a people and as individuals. Bless our nation, we pray. Help us not to let national pride blind us to where we need to change how we interact with other nations. In Jesus' name. Amen.
  

Copyright 2012 Communication Resources