# Jesus Christ, Superstar?



## Reformingstudent (Feb 9, 2007)

Just read on Sermonaudio that the musical Jesus Christ Superstar s making a comeback. Never seen it when it first played and now that I am older and wiser, I don't want to see it now. From what I hear it is utter blasphemy of the Son of God.
http://www.freepres.org/pamphlet_details.asp?superstar


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## No Longer A Libertine (Feb 10, 2007)

Saw it several years ago when I was an Arminian, I didn't even like it then.

The Pharisees sing "Jesus Christ Superstar, who and what do you think you are?" but i don't know if it was intended to be sacrelgious even if it comes across as though it is. Andrew Lloyd Webber is one of the most over-rated people in musical theater in my opinion, I haven't liked any of his works, he is also an outspoken atheist so it wouldn't suprise me if Superstar had subtle undertones that questioned Christ's divinity that had escaped me years ago when I saw it as a teenager.


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## SemperWife (Feb 10, 2007)

I saw this musical several years back. At the time, I was curious about it and had no clue of its content.

It is pretty much exactly as the reviewer says on the site you offered. There is a particularly upsetting part where he goes to Mary Magdalene for comfort and ends up sleeping with her?(or coming close to it).

The movie title says it all. Christ is just a superstar and nothing more...just a famous guy who did some good things on this earth. And the musical goes to great lengths to demonstrate this. He is seen as uncertain of what His role on this earth is, angry with God's decisions, unable to handle circumstances around him, lustful and so forth. 

This is no picture of the Christ we serve. This is a picture of us! It was obviously written by a man who has no understanding of that. We ought to pray for his salvation. 

Blasphemy...no question. Good call on not seeing it.


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## No Longer A Libertine (Feb 10, 2007)

Any thoughts on the production "Godspell"? Obviously the second commandment comes to mind but story wise is it more faithful to the gospels?


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## Semper Fidelis (Feb 10, 2007)

No Longer A Libertine said:


> Any thoughts on the production "Godspell"? Obviously the second commandment comes to mind but story wise is it more faithful to the gospels?



I have to admit that, in high school, I used to love listening to that musical over and over. Of course, I went to a Roman Catholic High School.

The character that plays John the Baptist morphs into a disciple and eventually into Judas himself as the betrayer.

The songs of Godspell are devoid of Christological content. I know a few of them by heart. I would say it's more of a morality play than anything else with the theology of the musical summed up in Day by Day:

"...Day by day, oh dear Lord, 3 things I pray, to see thee more clearly, love thee more dearly, follow thee more nearly, day by day..."

Might not be too bad except the reason why Christ is being followed is not really spelled out. Christ is kind of a nice hippy guy that makes everybody happy except the robot that represents the lawyers and pharisees.

Let me just put it to you this way about Godspell: it appealled to a hippy, Jesus movement crowd that was sort of at the fore of the new "Experiencing God" movement over doctrinal content. The message is so amibiguous and non-threatening that I knew a plainly homosexual man who was the worship leader of a Roman Catholic Church I attended in college. It was the chapel right on the campus of R.P.I. He was friends of the Priest who, in retrospect, was probably gay too and reminded you of the guy from Godspell. I played guitar in the Chapel folk group and sang. Leaving aside the fact that the two were effeminate men, I shared their love of that form of music and that approach to "spirituality" at the time having come out of a charismatic Roman Catholic Church in my home town.


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## turmeric (Feb 10, 2007)

I suspect it of being Roman Catholic in theology, what theology it has.


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## Reformingstudent (Feb 10, 2007)

No Longer A Libertine said:


> Any thoughts on the production "Godspell"? Obviously the second commandment comes to mind but story wise is it more faithful to the gospels?




Closer to the gospel message than Jesus Christ Super Star. The songs at least as i remember them (over 35 years ago?) seemd more reverent for the times. Young Jesus people caught up in the Jesus movement at that time. My 
eighth grade class went to the theater to see it when it played in our town back in 73. Can you believe that? a public school was allowed to take kids to see a program that was Christian friendly. Those really were the days.


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## No Longer A Libertine (Feb 11, 2007)

Reformingstudent said:


> Closer to the gospel message than Jesus Christ Super Star. The songs at least as i remember them (over 35 years ago?) seemd more reverent for the times. Young Jesus people caught up in the Jesus movement at that time. My
> eighth grade class went to the theater to see it when it played in our town back in 73. Can you believe that? a public school was allowed to take kids to see a program that was Christian friendly. Those really were the days.


My highschool performed it when I was a freshman in 1998, I just wasn't a Christian at the time so I don't remember the gospel message being there one way or another.


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