New ‘can’t miss’ play has Jesus Christ as a transgender

A new play from Jo Clifford portrays Jesus as a transgender, angering evangelical Christians and earning praise from liberal reviewers.

Play’s synopsis: “Join Queen Jesus for a revolutionary queer ritual in which bread is shared, wine is drunk and familiar stories are reimagined by a transgender Jesus. Team Jesus is now embarking on a national and international pilgrimage of creative, spiritual and LGBTI sites and spaces, forging partnerships with theatres, church groups and communities on the way.”

Clifford is a transgender and Christian, says that “As a practicing Christian myself, I have no interest in attacking the church or mocking the church or make fun of the church or in anyway being blasphemous or offensive. I simply want to assert very strongly, as strongly as I can that Jesus of the gospels would not in any way wish to attack or denigrate people like myself.”

The Gospel According to Jesus, Queen of Heaven, is “perverted,” says Jennifer LeClaire, senior editor of Charisma News, of the play.

“Jesus is not the Queen of Heaven,” LeClaire writes in a column for Charisma News. “Jezebel is—and portraying Jesus as a drag queen is offensive to authentic Christians. Painting Jesus as a gender-confused Messiah is blasphemous. And perverting the image of Christ is exactly what Jezebel does.”

The Guardian listed it as a “show not to miss” while BBC Four said it “reaffirms everyone’s right to live free of discrimination and prejudice.”

More from LeClaire:

My heart breaks for Clifford and people like him who look for ways to justify a lifestyle from which God desperately longs to rescue them. Clifford is ultimately no different from any other sinner looking for a Bible verse to sanction a sinful lifestyle, whether it’s adultery, alcoholism, lying, stealing, etc.

There is a difference, though, between practicing Christianity in the name of Jesus and practicing sin in the name of Jesus. There is a difference between tolerating Jezebel and glorifying Jezebel. There is a difference between using the gospel as weapon to destroy hurting people and using it as a sword to set people free.