PUBLISHED: 08:46 EST, 17 June 2013 | UPDATED: 08:46 EST, 17 June 2013
Marketers for the newest Hollywood Superman movie, ‘Man of Steel,’ are heavily targeting Christians by offering church leaders free screenings of the film as well as sermon notes emphasizing its religious themes.
The notes, titled ‘Jesus: The Original Superhero,’ run nine pages long and suggest that pastors show the ‘Man of Steel’ trailer during their Sunday morning sermon,CNN reported Friday.
‘How might the story of Superman awaken our passion for the greatest hero who ever lived and died and rose again?’ the sermon notes ask.
Attracting church-goers: Marketers for the newest Hollywood Superman movie, ‘Man of Steel,’ are heavily targeting Christians
‘Man of Steel’ opened in theaters on Friday and brought in a massive $125.1 million over the weekend, breaking the record for the biggest June opening weekend ever.
The marketing angle for the movie, in which Clark Kent is interchangeable with Jesus Christ, clearly wasn’t an afterthought. Christian themes are overtly weaved into the imagery, dialogue and storyline of the film.
Superman is sent to Earth from the planet Kryptonite by his parents, who predict ‘he’ll be a god’ to the earthlings.
He is then raised by surrogate parents and at age 33, he must sacrifice himself to save the human race. Jesus Christ was 33 when he was crucified.
In one scene from the movie, Clark Kent seeks advice from a priest and in the background, there is a large painting of Jesus, providing viewers a side-by-side comparison of them.
Convincing: Christian themes are overtly weaved into the imagery, dialogue and storyline of the film.
In another scene, Superman jumps from villian General Zod’s ship and hovers in the sky with his arms out-stretched like the crucifix.
‘What Jesus and Superman both give us, through their “hero” actions but also their “human” actions – is hope,’ the movie marketers’ sermon notes read.
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Baltimore pastor Quentin Scott told CNN he attended a screening of the film after receiving the marketing material.
‘When I sat and listened to the movie I actually saw it was the story of Christ, and the love of God was weaved into the story,’ he said, adding that he was excited to use the movie in a sermon.
Storyline: Superman is sent to Earth from the planet Kryptonite by his parents, who predict ‘he’ll be a god’ to the earthlings
‘If you give me another opportunity to talk to someone about Jesus Christ, and I can do that because of your movie, that’s a win for me, because it is about spreading the Gospel,’ he added.
The strategy is targeted toward churches that incorporate media into their sermons.
Some traditional pastors are inflamed by the prospect of a Superman movie capitalizing on Christianity.
‘Any pastor who thinks using “Man of Steel Ministry Resources” is a good Sunday morning strategy must have no concept of how high the stakes are, or very little confidence in the power of God’s word and God’s spirit,’ P.J. Wenzel, a deacon at Dublin Baptist Church in Ohio, told CNN.
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