Banners In Worship

Banners are found in sanctuaries of large cathedrals and small rural churches. This article offers some means for evaluating the purpose and qualities of banner art. Improving Liturgical Banners The Song of Solomon sings,"His banner over me is love," and other scriptural allusions remind us that flags, standards, and banners were an ancient art. (See for example Exod. 17:15, 16; Ps. 20:5; 60:4; Song of Sol. 2:4; 6:4, 6:10; Jer. 50:2. ) Indeed, Constantine's substitution of the cross for the Roman eagle on his army's banners is legendary. But what of the contemporary use of banners in the church? A recent survey of church art in our county revealed that the visual art most often being produced by both Protestant and Catholic churches is the banner. Many small rural parishes, county seat churches, and the congregations adjacent to college and university campuses are enthusiastically reviving interest in liturgical textile art. It is also apparent, however, that there is a wide rang…