Non-Heretical Alternatives to Jesus Christ Superstar

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FossilResin

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I am mostly a fan of the super good music and largely honorable intentions in the musical Jesus Christ Superstar. There are so many moments of this rock opera (most moments, in fact), that are very or totally faithful to scripture.

The trouble is that there are just enough slippery bits of heresy interwoven that it makes me uncomfortable. Bummer, because so much of it IS very devotional, like the majority of the beautiful song Gethsemane, taken straight from Jesus’ own agony in the garden and his true words “Take this cup away from me,” the only trouble being that there are a couple lines in the song which make it sound like Jesus didn’t know why he was going to die, and also which make it sound like he wasn’t consubstantial with the Father, which is not OK, because we all know the truth of his love and their relationship.

ANYWAYS, I’m looking for great non-corny and non-heretical devotional rock music that is theologically sound all the way through 🙂
 
What about Godspell? It’s a bit avant-garde but not heretical, as far as I am aware. Seems pretty innocent, if you view it as a free adaptation of certain parts of the Gospel of Matthew, using that gospel as a kind of literary device (but a little more than just a literary device).
 
Look up Tyler Perry’s (yes, the same Tyler Perry from the Madea movies 🙂) Passion.

It was a major concert/event in New Orleans several years ago.
Jencarlos Canela plays Jesus and Trishia Yearwood plays Mary.

He adapted pop music to the story of Jesus’ passion and resurrection.

There’s also a surprising Marian focus, considering Tyler Perry is a Protestant.
 
Yeah I heard the play itself might cross some lines, but the actual lyrics are mostly solid.
 
I’ve long been a fan of pretty much all things Andrew Lloyd Webber, including this musical. I know it stretches the edges of orthodoxy. It’s fairly sympathetic to Judas, but generally I agree with you—quite good and tries to be mostly faithful to the gospel narratives. Claire Moore’s voice is amazing! My favorite version of JC Superstar has her.

🎶”Peter, don’t you know what you have said?
You’ve gone and cut him dead.”
“I had to do it, don’t you see? Or else they’d go for me.”
“It’s what he told us you would do. I wonder how he knew.”🎶

Let’s see, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is mostly faithful to the biblical text. But, it’s not all rock—many musical genres, like a musical review almost.
 
I’m not so sure about rock music but I know devotional songs from a different genre.
 
I know! There are so many beautiful and faithful parts of JCS rock opera. Maybe I’ll just carve out the best parts for devotional use 🙂

For me and my weakness, avoiding heresy is avoiding the near occasion of sin.

I checked out Godspell and it just doesn’t seem to have the same depth of feeling as Jesus Christ Superstar.
 
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