[PAmedic]

read this in the Liberty Journal the other day and found it quite interesting- file it under "I did not know that"

Examining Liberty University’s Seal

ELMER TOWNS
Co-founder, Liberty University

As Thomas Road Baptist Church (TRBC) prepares to depart from its present sanctuary in favor of its expansive new facility on Liberty Mountain, I thought this would be a good opportunity to explain why there is an eight-sided octagon in the seal of Liberty University. The seal largely relates to Liberty’s affiliation with TRBC.

I doubt that many Liberty alumni or those associated with Liberty through the years recall why an octagon was utilized for Liberty’s official seal. It is because Thomas Road Baptist Church’s present sanctuary is an octagon (having eight sides).

Liberty’s founder and chancellor Dr. Jerry Falwell chose the eight sides because it was Jeffersonian in design. Remember, Jefferson’s homes — the mountaintop plantation Monticello in Charlottesville, Va., and Poplar Forest, his summer residence in Lynchburg — are octagons. Dr. Falwell had access to a blueprint drawn by Thomas Jefferson of an eight-sided sanctuary that was never built. There was one big difference in Dr. Falwell’s design — it was much bigger than Jefferson’s design.

As co-founder of the university, I helped establish many of the traditions Liberty follows today. Just after our opening day — September 8, 1971 — I sketched a rough drawing of what I thought should be in our seal. Dr. Falwell and I had just released a best-selling book, Church Aflame, which bore a picture of a flame of evangelism coming out of Thomas Road Baptist Church.

“That’s it!” I thought. Liberty is founded on a genuine church revival. Also, the Scriptures were imperative for the church and university. So, the seal depicts TRBC sitting on an open Bible with the flame of revival coming forth.

After I drew a rough sketch, Bud Fisher an artist who worked for the ministry, illustrated the seal to its present shape, surrounding it with a ribbon marking the founding date of 1971.
The seal of the university has three symbolic elements. First, there is the flame that stands for the Light of the Gospel.

The second symbol of Liberty’s seal is the open Bible, designating the principles and truths of God. The open Bible represents the availability of Scripture to our students, who are encouraged to examine every page in order to discover God’s will for their lives and their futures.

The third part of the symbol, Thomas Road Baptist Church, characterizes the unique bond that exists between the church and the university.

Liberty University’s seal points back to the heritage of this university. It reminds all of us — those in that first class of Liberty and the students and faculty here today — of what transpired in the heart of Dr. Falwell and at TRBC in order for this university to be born.

May the Liberty students never forget that the university was founded on the flame of evangelism and the open Word of God, and that the foundations of the university rest in church-centered ministry.
That octagon surrounding the university’s official seal should always remind us of the original Thomas Road Baptist Church — birthplace of Liberty University.

[Libertine]

Also as a tribute to LU's TRBC heritage, all available parking is at least a half-mile from your destination.

[Sly Fox]

Bada bing!