Transsexual Jesus Performance Is ‘deeply Distressing’

THE Christian Institute has berated the Education Institute of Scotland (EIS) for promoting a play in which Jo Clifford, above, portrays Jesus as a transsexual.

The Gospel According to Jesus, Queen of Heaven is written by Clifford, and is set to have excerpts performed as part of an LGBT event by EIS.

The Christian Institute’s Education Officer John Denning said the play is deeply inconsiderate of Christians in the EIS.

This play deliberately re-imagines Jesus as a trans woman and puts words into his mouth that he never said, misrepresenting him. That’s deeply distressing and offensive for many Christians who value him and his teaching above all.

It is hard to see how a teaching union justifies using the subscriptions paid by its members, many of whom are themselves Christians, to promote this play.

In 2016, the play was performed in a CofE church, a move opposed by several bishops.

Former Church of England Bishop of Rochester, Michael Nazir-Ali, harrumphed:

It is quite clear from the Gospels that the identity of Jesus is male, his ‘mum’ is Mary and he always refers to God as ‘Father’, so to suggest otherwise is contrary to Christian teaching.

The EIS, who claim on their website that they represent around 80 per cent of lecturers and teachers in Scotland, said the play:

Invites us to imagine Jesus coming back to earth in the present day as a trans woman.

The event page for “School’s Almost Out! Celebrate Pride” describes it as:

An evening of brilliant LGBT performances to celebrate Pride and the end of the school year.

The Christian Institute is also livid over the fact that the Welsh Government has said in a statement that it is actively supporting activists seeking a ban on so-called conversion therapy “in all its forms”.

The statement was made by Deputy Minister for Social Partnership Hannah Blythyn, above, as part of an official video celebrating LGBT Pride month 2021.

The video also contained a pledge for Government support for pride events, including a national co-ordinator and a “Pride Fund”.

The CI complains that:

LGBT activists are pushing for a broad ban to criminalise prayer, preaching, pastoral support and even parenting which does not affirm same-sex relationships or a person’s chosen gender identity.

In a detailed legal opinion for the Institute, Jason Coppel QC confirmed that activists’ proposed definitions of the law would criminalise the ordinary work of churches.

He warned that prayer, evangelism, church membership, baptism and communion could all breach a broad conversion therapy law like the one recently passed in Victoria, Australia.

Coppel stated that such legislation would contravene UK human rights laws, which protect “the freedom of church organisations to preach” and “require conformity” to their beliefs on sexual ethics and gender identity.