Secretary of State Marco Rubio noted how attacks on Christians are nothing new as he weighed in on a controversial recent performance depicting Jesus Christ.
Earlier this month, in Hollywood, California, Cynthia Erivo stepped into the role of Jesus in the Hollywood Bowl’s production of “Jesus Christ Superstar.” The three-night event ran from August 1-3 and ignited backlash over the bisexual woman playing the part of Jesus.
EWTN’s “The World Over” host Raymond Arroyo asked Rubio about Erivo’s performance during an interview and whether he would consider having the actress, who played Elphaba in the movie version of “Wicked,” perform at the Kennedy Center.
“No, I mean, obviously, look, that stuff’s done to be provocative and to insinuate, but I think for people of faith, none of this should be new,” Rubio told Arroyo.
“It’s been true from the beginning in Christianity, it’s been – Christianity has been mocked, Christianity has been attacked from its very inception,” Rubio said.
“In fact, the Church has traditionally been at its strongest when it’s the persecuted church, it’s been at its weakest when it sort of gets consumed by the culture,” he added.
I was struck by the Tale of The Two Jesus Bowls last night. One, in Rome, drew a million young people and the Pope around a gentle, spiritual encounter of faith. The other,
at the Hollywood Bowl was “filled with sound and fury”, Cynthia Erivo as “Jesus” and a few stars. Which one… pic.twitter.com/5BIEQ5GzC9— Raymond Arroyo (@RaymondArroyo) August 3, 2025
“And so, by definition, Christianity has always been countercultural,” Rubio said.
“It was from its earliest days, and it’s been at its strongest and most vibrant. Now, that doesn’t mean we seek persecution or we don’t take it on. It does,” he added. “But I think we should understand that, that Christ’s own command and Christ’s own words, he tells us they’re going to hate you because of me.”
Click this link for the original source of this article.
Author: Frieda Powers
This content is courtesy of, and owned and copyrighted by, https://americanwirenews.com and its author. This content is made available by use of the public RSS feed offered by the host site and is used for educational purposes only. If you are the author or represent the host site and would like this content removed now and in the future, please contact USSANews.com using the email address in the Contact page found in the website menu.