Christians are up in arms against a blasphemous play depicting Jesus Christ as a transgender woman, which is set to be performed at a gay festival in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
"The Gospel According to Jesus Queen of Heaven" is scheduled for showing on Sunday, Nov. 15, at the Outburst Queer Arts Festival in Belfast. The play was written by Jo Clifford, a man who identifies himself as a woman, according to Christian News.
"The play imagines a transgender Jesus coming back to the world today," Clifford, 65, told BBC News. "She pitches a sermon and tells a few very familiar gospel stories."
Clifford will not be performing the play in Belfast this Sunday. Instead, a recording of a previous performance will be shown and a live question and answer discussion with Clifford will take place afterward.
A promo video for the production shows gays kissing each other. A voice is heard saying: "Our mother who art on Earth, blessed is your name. ... Give us this day our daily kisses ... For yours is the queendom, and the beauty, and the Church forever and ever, amen."
Clerics from various churches across Belfast have urged that the performance be cancelled, according to the Belfast Telegraph.
In a letter sent to the paper, the Rev Tim Anderson, rector of St Elizabeth's Church in Dundonald; Pastor Stuart Crooks from Dundonald Baptist Church; Rev William Press from Knockbreda Church; David Luckman from Crosslinks Ireland; and Trevor Johnston from All Saint's on University Street all warned that the show will give offence.
"The traditional teaching of the church, expressed in its historic creeds, clearly portrays Jesus Christ as the eternal Son of God," they wrote.
"As the Bible says, he is 'the exact imprint' of his Father in Heaven (Hebrews 1.3) and the good news of the Christian message entirely depends on this unique and unchangeable relationship.
"Although in his incarnation he is male, the New Testament is very clear that his death upon the cross is for all. All have sinned and all can be redeemed through faith in him, irrespective of gender, ethnicity, social class or any other human distinction.
The performance was condemned by the Archbishop of Glasgow Most Reverend Philip Tartaglia when it was first performed in the Scottish capital in 2009, The Guardian reported.
It was "hard to imagine a greater affront to the Christian faith," Tartaglia said.
"True biblical Christianity is becoming marginalised through political correctness," Jack Bell, pastor of Zion Baptist Church, told reporters that year. "If this play had treated the prophet Mohammed in the same way, there would have been a strong reaction from the Islamic community, but that just wouldn't happen."
Clifford denied that the play is blasphemous. "As a practicing Christian myself, I have no interest in attacking the church or mocking the church or making fun of the church or in any way, being blasphemous or offensive," he said.
"The Gospel According to Jesus Queen of Heaven" has received far less negative responses since that first show, the Huffington Post said.
In fact, Clifford has performed in churches and theatres across the country, and has even garnered interest from international theatres, it added.
