Faith Digest: Book of Mormon Ads

Mormons capitalize on musical’s popularity. “You’ve seen the play. … Now read the book.” That’s the message the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is sending in three full-page advertisements in the playbill of the stage musical The Book of Mormon. The hit show, already sold out for its run at Toronto’s Princess of Wales Theatre from April 30 through June 9, was co-written by South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, along with Robert Lopez, who also helped write the similarly irreverent Avenue Q. The sometimes-blasphemous musical, which won the Tony Award for best musical in 2011, follows two hapless Mormon missionaries who are dropped into a remote village in Uganda to evangelize the locals. The Mormon church, which had no involvement in the show’s creation, bought ads in the upcoming Toronto production’s program. The ads include a link to the church’s website, www.thebookofmormon.org, and a QR code that connects smartphone users to more online information.

Any resemblance to the devil is purely coincidental. The producers of History Channel’s The Bible fended off claims the actor who plays Satan in the miniseries resembles President Barack Obama. The social media sphere blew up with the comparison—touted by conservative commentator Glenn Beck, among others. Executive producers Mark Burnett, who created Survivor, and his wife, actress Roma Downey from Touched by an Angel, described the comparisons as “utter nonsense.” Mohamen Mehdi Ouazanni, the Moroccan actor who portrays Satan, has played satanic roles prior to his work on The Bible, the producers’ statement said. The Bible has raked in huge TV ratings since its beginning. According to Nielsen, 10.9 million people tuned in March 17, making it the most-watched show on TV that night.

Fuller Seminary names Labberton president. Fuller Theological Seminary trustees selected preaching professor Mark Labberton as the evangelical seminary’s next president. He reportedly was the unanimous choice after trustees considered 250 nominees to succeed Richard Mouw, who will retire June 30 after 20 years as Fuller’s president. Labberton, 60, served 16 years as pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Berkeley, Calif., a Presbyterian Church (USA) congregation near the University of California campus. From there, he went to Fuller in 2009 to serve as a preaching professor and director of the seminary’s Lloyd John Ogilvie Institute of Preaching. Labberton also is the co-founder of ScholarLeaders International, a program to train a new generation of theologians and scholars in the developing world. 

Some bishops oppose Violence Against Women Act. Five key U.S. Catholic bishops oppose the newly authorized Violence Against Women Act for fear it will subvert traditional views of marriage and gender, as well as compromise the religious freedom of groups that aid victims of human trafficking. The act, signed into law by President Obama March 7, is intended to protect women from domestic violence, sexual assault and human trafficking, and it allows the federal government to spend money to treat victims and prosecute offenders. But it also spells out that no person may be excluded from the law’s protections because of sexual orientation or gender identity—specifically covering lesbian, transgender and bisexual women. That language disturbs several bishops who head key committees within the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops that deal with, among other issues, marriage, the laity, youth and religious liberty. The bishops also take issue with the lack of “conscience protection” for faith-based groups that help victims of human trafficking, an addition they sought after the Obama administration decided in 2011 to discontinue funding for a Catholic group that works with trafficking victims, many of whom were forced to work as prostitutes. The administration instead funded other groups that, according to the Department of Health and Human Services, could provide a full range of women’s health services, including referrals for contraception or abortion, both of which the Catholic Church opposes.