Hundreds of people are expected to gather in New Orleans this Sunday to watch "The Passion Live," a two-hour Fox TV special that recounts the last hours of the life of Jesus Christ.
Actor Shane Harper, best known for his role in the faith-based film "God's Not Dead," will play one of Jesus' disciples in "The Passion Live," and he is excited for it to ignite people's passion for God.
"My relationship with the Lord drives everything in my life," Harper told Charisma News. "This is a really powerful way to communicate this story, communicate the love of Christ, but at the same time, it is a daring, much more modern-day, modern pop music telling [of the resurrection story]. I'm so incredibly passionate to bring this story to people who might not go to church or might not be as familiar with this story, to meet people right where they're at."
Faith-based films have gained a steady upward momentum over the past year, but Harper thinks that Hollywood does not need to label films as "faith-based" for it to change the lives of its viewers.
"I think faith-based [projects] can have a huge impact on culture, even without it being specifically faith-narrative driven," Harper said. "Obviously 'Passion' is straight out of Scripture, but Christians in media in general can be just as much as a light and just as much of a presence and have really big impact [on culture] even in projects that aren't specifically faith-driven."
Aside from Harper, other notable names from Hollywood who will take part in "The Passion Live" include Tyler Perry, Michael W. Smith, Seal, and Trisha Yearwood.
Because they have tied up with the Fox network, Harper is optimistic that their retelling of the greatest love story ever told will reach millions of viewers who still don't know God.
