I think those presenting this sort of thing see themselves as "good" enough and do not see themselves as sinners saved by the radical grace of God. I think they lack understanding and probably have never experienced the reality of their own failures and their own total dependance on God. A bit like the parable of the debtor who was forgiven much and then went out and was unforgiving of a little debt. Like him they just don't get it - what it means to be forgiven.

Personally, I have never seen it. But I have seen others like it. One reason it produces such results is b/c of the visual art involved--the whole thing isn't a lecture.

Just the other day, I was thinking about a play like this we put on at a megachurch I was at. In 4 days, 1200 people accepted Christ or rededicated. But where are those people today? The emphasis on evangelism is changing, thank God. Let's just hope that it changes sooner rather than later. Many churches that are doing these things don't really care about the people, just the numbers.

I just found out that our "sister" church in Barstow is putting this on. They sent us flyers and asked us to announce it. I told my pastor that I did not agree with the method of Heavens Gates - Hells Flames and that I would not be telling the youth about this.
He respected my opinion and also is refusing to announce it.
I believe that the church putting this on really cares for people, the pastor is an awesome guy, I just think we sometimes fall into a trap and do things just because "we did it before and it worked!"
How about we listen to God and move with his spirit? If that means doing the same thing again then great but more often then not it isn't.

Dan, I'm not sure that the problem is the "drama" (although it can be cheesy at times),or the subject matter (i.e. hell). Maybe it's the evangelistic "method" in general -- scaring people into making "decisions" rather than inspiring people into "discipleship."

Dan, if hell was so important, why didn't Christ spend more time on it? Christian scholars far smarter than all of us combined are at odds as to whether hell as we think of it is literal or metaphorical. It is real, and will be a horrible, terrible place worse than any of us can imagine.

We are too often defined by what we are against rather than what we are for. Do we spend too much time talking about sin, or not enough? I think we too much emphasis on the sins of others, and not enough on our own sin.

I disagree with your statement that "One can argue that the lack of talk about sin and Hell today are one of the reasons we have such lukewarm disciples." I think its because we too highly value events like this one. Why scare people away from hell, instead of invite them to a loving relationship with our creator?

I attend at least one passion play a year because I am active at my younger sister's church highschool and at my own college (also a church school). Is this play different? In every passion play I attend with people I don't know I am always worried about the (sometimes comically amateur) portrayal of the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. But the passion plays I attend never tell anyone that they're going to hell, only that Christ lived and died for them and that salvation is available through Him.