It seems as though each year, just in time for the Easter season, mainstream media sources decide to feature content that questions whether Jesus Christ rose from the dead and if he actually ever lived at all.
A church in Orange County, Calif., is trying to counter the secular media spin this season with a novel advertising approach. The Compass Bible Church created an ad to be shown in movie theaters prior to the feature film.
At a time when theaters routinely show previews of films with images of sex, violence, and drugs, one would think that a church ad for an Easter service might be a welcome change.
This type of advertising is typically sandwiched between previews and has been proven to be quite effective. The church’s spot was seeking to bring non-believers to the Aliso Viejo congregation's annual Easter service at the University of California, Irvine.
A 30-second spot produced by the church features short one-liners about what some conspiracy theorists believe may have happened to Jesus Christ more than 2,000 years ago. The ad closes with the following line: “Find out what we believe about the resurrection at Compass Bible Church.”
Unfortunately, Pastor Mike Fabarez received a shocking rejection from NCM Media Networks, a firm that handles pre-show advertising displayed on many Southern California theater screens.
What was the reason given for the rebuff? It wasn’t conspiracy theories or the church invite that caused the firm to ban the ad. No, it was the fact that the ad includes the name “Jesus” in it.
NCM Media released a statement claiming that the ad was rejected because Compass Bible Church chose not to revise it so it would conform with content guidelines.
The firm maintains that it gave to Fabarez guidelines that disallowed nudity, drug use and the promotion of religious figures.
James Hirsen, J.D., M.A. in media psychology, is a New York Times best-selling author, media analyst, and law professor. He is admitted to practice in the U.S. Supreme Court. Hirsen is the co-founder and chief legal counsel for InternationalEsq.com. Visit Newsmax TV Hollywood: www.youtube.com/user/NMHollywood
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