Kramer Chapel June 4, 2008 Text: Matthew 7:15-29 Probably most of you know about a structure called the leaning tower of Pisa. In the year 1174, Bonnano Pisano, an Italian engineer, began to work on a bell tower for the cathedral in Pisa, Italy. The tower was to be 185 feet high. Construction started and three stories were completed when it was noticed that the tower had begun to lean. Pisano tried to compensate for this problem, but his efforts only caused the tower to lean still further. Construction stopped and started again over the centuries. The tower was finally finished in the 14th century, but each year it leans another 1.25 millimeters further. In 1934, fascist dictator, Benito Mussolini ordered that the tower be returned to a vertical position, so concrete was poured into its foundation. However, the result was that the tower actually sank further into the soil. What was the problem? Poor design? No. Poor workmanship? Certainly not. An inferior grade of marble? No, only the best. The problem was below the surface. The tower was built on weak soil, not stable enough to support a structure this size. There was no firm foundation. A beautiful tower, ...