The Rev. Dayton Walker protests the North Henderson High School production of Godspell as he speaks Friday afternoon in front of the school. Photo by Drea Jackson
Posted on 03/09/2002 8:42:50 AM PST by Gritty
High school rock opera stirs controversy
The Rev. Dayton Walker protests the North Henderson High School production of Godspell as he speaks Friday afternoon in front of the school. Photo by Drea Jackson |
FRUITLAND — A high school rock opera that portrays Jesus Christ as a clown and puts a modern spin on the last days of Christ is pitting a minister against the school and Christian against Christian.The Rev. Dayton Walker of Grace Baptist Church in East Flat Rock stood in front of North Henderson High School with a small group of supporters Friday afternoon and denounced the musical Godspell that students intend to present Thursday.
The 1971 Broadway production spawned a movie two years later and helped spur a Jesus movement among younger people. But Walker said it is blasphemous and should not be supported by a public institution.
Other ministers, teachers, school administrators and students disagreed. They said Godspell gave a fair, modern interpretation of the last days of Christ. Also, as a historical figure, Christ’s life could be explored by a public institution like a school, they said.
Outside the school, Walker blasted both the spirit and accuracy of the portrayal.
“In my opinion it is blasphemous,” Walker said, standing behind a podium with a sign declaring the same. “It’s not enough that the son of God is portrayed as a clown, but the musical ends with the crucifixion rather than the resurrection as the Gospel of Matthew clearly teaches.”
This type of ending would prove particularly inappropriate so close to the March 31 Easter Sunday when Christians celebrate Jesus’ resurrection, he said.
Walker also said the student playing Jesus belittled the man Christians regard as the son of God by referring to him as a “one of the coolest characters.”
Joe Kieffer, 18, who will play Jesus, made the comment in a March 7 Times-News article previewing the production, in which he said he did not want to offend anyone with the portrayal.
“I feel it is important to present the character in a way that is both theatrical and spiritually accurate. Regardless of the challenge, Jesus is one of the coolest characters, because the musical is well-written and fun,” he said.
On Friday, Kieffer said the play would indeed be blasphemous if it claimed to be a literal interpretation of the Bible.
“But people watching it will understand that it is not (a literal interpretation),” he said.
Drama teacher Debbie Byorick said screenplay writer John-Michael Tebelak drew from the biblical verse I Corinthians 3:18 in his decision to show Jesus as a clown.
That verse urges those who think they are wise in the world to become fools. “For the wisdom of this world is folly with God.”
Some local ministers also disagreed with Walker’s protest.
The Rev. Wes Craven of Balfour United Methodist Church compared the musical to a similar Broadway hit Jesus Christ Superstar and said the two helped convert many hippies to Christianity by giving them a version of the scriptures they could relate to.
A production of Jesus Christ Superstar will take place from March 22-24 at Blue Ridge Community College.
“It presented the Gospel in a format that spoke to the people at the time,” Craven said.
Craven said some might take offense at modern interpretations of the biblical stories, but that Christ himself broke with tradition.
“Jesus, himself, was radically different. He honored tradition, but not for the sake of tradition,” he said.
Walker, in turn, questioned whether these musicals were really drawing people toward Christianity and criticized ministers for supporting them.
“The level of spiritual discernment in Henderson County is very low. I’m appalled that anyone who is a preacher of the Gospel would stand up and say he has no problem with it,” he said.
In his second point of the protest, Walker said the legal separation of church and state prohibits such a religious play from being put on in a public school.
“While I personally feel that the efforts to get the Bible and prayer out of the public schools is misguided and detrimental to the future of the nation, at the same time, the law is the law,” he said.
School officials countered that as a historical figure Christ could be discussed in school and that it was difficult to separate the study of the arts, that often uses religious themes, from religion.
Henderson County Schools Superintendent Dr. Tom Burnham questioned the timing of Walker’s protest and said plans to put on the play, which will run from Thursday to Saturday, have been known since before Christmas.
The play went through proper channels for approval, he said.
“We’re in a situation where a lot of time and effort has gone into this and there is certainly no intention to do anything that would be contrary to the values of this community,” Burnham said.
My thought exactly.
The Rev. Dayton Walker
protests the North Henderson High School
production of Godspell as he speaks
Friday afternoon in front of the school.
Photo by Drea Jackson
Someday, liberals might get it... but it's doubtful.
Of course, to roughly paraphrase a sentiment in the Planet of the Apes, "The only good musical is a dead musical..."
Regards,
Repogirl
Jesus was not a clown. The kids all just dressed colorgul because it was a 70's musical. The kids looked like flower children.
At my high school, it was a very popular musical. They even extended the showing to another weekend, and brought it back the following summer.
I still like the music. I love Day by Day.
A nice example of hypocrisy on Walker's part. Historically it might be argued that all theatre would be barred from public schools, because all modern drama arose from the medeival mystery plays and passion plays, which themselves grew out of the liturgy of the Roman Catholic Church, in which the actions of the passion are presented in a form of dramatic readings as part of the Mass.
Then plays became secular, and took on many themes, including religion and history. We have seen many plays with religious themes, including 'Ben Hur', and 'Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat' (based on the Bible's Book of Exodus'). Is it supposed to be illegal to present these plays? If the Old testament book of Exodus is fair game, then why not the New testament Gospel of St. Matthew (which is I think the main source of Godspell)?
I don't know how many the play brings to Christ, but I agree with the sentiment of your post. I applaud the school for having the gonies to put on a play depicting Jesus as a hero and sympathetic character. As another poster pointed out, the costumes are reflective of the 60's and 70's era, not an insult.
Alas, alas, for you
Lawyers and pharisees
Hypocrites that you are
Sure that the kingdom of Heaven awaits you
You will not venture half so far
Other men that might enter the gates you
Keep from passing through!
Drag them down with you!
You snakes, you viper's brood
You cannot escape being Devil's food!
I send you prophets, and I send you preachers
Sages in rages and ages of teachers
Nothing can mar your mood
Alas, alas for you
Lawyers and pharisees
Hypocrites to a man
Sons of the dogs who murdered the prophets
Finishing off what your fathers began
You don't have time to scorn or to scoff
It's getting very late!
Vengeance doesn't wait!
You snakes, you viper's brood
You cannot escape being Devil's food!
I send you prophets, and I send you preachers
Sages in rages and ages of teachers
Nothing can mar your mood
Blind guides, blind fools
The blood you've spilt
On you will fall!
This nation, this generation
Shall bear the guilt of it all!
Alas, alas alas for you!
Blind fools!!
It brought the most important person in my life and my children's lives. Up until my wife did that musical as a teen, she had not heard about Christ in any real way.
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In the original production, Jesus is a clown with a red nose, a heart painted on his forehead and is wearing a Superman shirt. Most follow that costuming, but I've heard of productions where it's done in "street" clothes.
This debate is 30 years old, just like the musical.
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