Recently, John Schmalzbauer, posted a picture of a replica of the Statue of Liberty outside Brookline Baptist Church in Brookline, Missouri.

It reminded me of a sign outside First Church of the Nazarene of Clarksburg, West Virginia. According to a 2019 article in the Clarksburg Exponent Telegram by Jonathan Weaver the church is lead by a grandfather-grandson team and is described by the grandson D.J. Hoff as “a traditional church compared to other Nazarene churches. We’re more conservative.”

Since 1995 the church has been located in the neighboring town of Stonewood. I’ve passed it many times visiting relatives in the area. Its colorful signs have often drawn my attention. One side of a sign depicts the Statue of Liberty holding a cross and a Bible. The other side depicts Jesus holding a man. Both sides proclaim “Jesus is Still the Answer” and say that the town “salutes our soldiers and veterans.” Doubtless, the image of Lady Liberty lifting high the cross can be read as an expression of what many scholars call Christian nationalism.

Below is a gallery of photos I took of the church and its signs on July 10, 2016. You can click on each photo to enlarge it.