Performing Jesus at The Holy Land Experience

Performing Jesus at The Holy Land Experience: 

Prof. Bob Royalty - Wabash College

• Jesus as construed by the Trinity Broadcasting Network
• theme park in Orlando

Jesus vs. Christ

• Jesus: carpenter, born of Virgin Mary, Joseph sort of dad, crucified by roman soldiers, leader of disciples, messianic figure, prophetic, miracles (cures, Lazarus, water to wine, blind to sight), Born in Nazareth, Crucified in Jerusalem
• Christ: (Nicea),veneration that develops in the church, God in human form - Christology, savior from sin, Son of God, Trinity / God / Logos

Holy Land Experience

• Founded by Mark Rosenthal
• built by iTech
• bought by TBN in 2007
• originally founded for the purpose of converting Jews in the area
• TBN changed that
• 20 min from Universal
• Tacky, Awkward
• Simulated Authenticity
• Tons of Nativity scenes (cartoony)
• Angels surrounding outside and inside
• Roman soldiers everywhere
• Spectacularized Jerusalem
• Gates are supposed to be reminiscent of Damascus
• Smile of a Child Adventure: TBN addition, TBN show, Jan Crouch
• Replica of Qumran Caves: dead sea scrolls
• Central monument: Herodian Temple (compare to Cinderella’s Castle in Disney)
• Model of Garden Tomb, complete with centurions
• compare to the Holy Sepulcher Tomb (a more likely spot for Christ’s crucifixion)
• Repristination of Jerusalem
• Britain tried to remake Jerusalem as what it “should be”
• Largest indoor model of Jerusalem in the world
• complete with upper room
• emphasis on Herodian Temple
• Replica of Jerusalem’s Western Wall (Wailing Wall)
• Prayers are mailed to Jerusalem once a month
• Simulated Authenticity

Performances of Jesus

• Church of All Nations
• replica of Church beside Gethsemane
• performance site in Holy Land Experience
• Gaudy representations
• Jesus is EVERYWHERE
• Performances have warm up acts
• Sermon on the Mount transitions to Jesus feeds five thousand (goldfish)
• Meaning Making Entertainment
• first: heavy dose of medium brow eye rolling humor
• second: corny magic realism
• third: expressions of sincere religiosity (seemingly)
• boundary between entertainment and worship, observer of participant
• televangelists and megachurches capitalize on entertainments
• Jesus stars in a children’s show - let the children come to me
• large percentage of African American performers
• TBN is filled with Pentecostal viewers etc
• The Women who Loved Jesus show
• emphasizes centrality and sexuality of women
• Woman with 5 husbands
• Woman taken for adultery- jesus intervenes
• no rides, only performances and attractions
• guests are expected to stay all day (10am-6pm)

• Biggest Attraction: The Passion of the Christ / We Shall Behold Him
• very literal, melodramatic
• blitz through Jesus’ life to get to Passion
• script eliminates awkwardness of pregnancy before marriage
• Very gory and violent
• satan flashes through scenes
• centurion warms up the crowd with a call to confession
• spooky Mormon Hell Dream with Satan triumphant
• Jesus challenges Satan
• Satan is like “I’m gonna destroy you Jesus once and for all”
• Jesus responds, “go ahead punk make my day”
• Jesus wins, holds up keys to the kingdom/heavy weight champ
• Exultation in Heaven
• Curtain goes down, Jesus shows up in street clothes, sings praise music and does an altar call
• Jesus preaches as the guests exit
• Jesus performer baptizes people (not ordained)
• most likely not first baptism for these people
• also, Jesus is NOT supposed to baptize
• spirit driven baptisms
• are these legitimate??

• Experience Last supper
• go back in time and experience last supper with Jesus
• a “service” 
• Jesus pauses to have communion with audience
• blur lines between ritual and performance
• interesting relationship between ritual and theatre/performance
• theatre is supposed to be fun for the audience, audience watches and appreciates performance, audience can criticize
• ritual emphasizes efficacy, a link to the absent other, performers are possessed, audience is participating and believing, discourages criticism
• The Last Supper experience could be seen as sacrilege
• It’s not Christianity, It’s Jesusolatry