John Bolin acknowledges that his live Bible-based stage production known as The Thorn isn't for everyone.
It's not a traditional play or a traditional musical, although it has elements of both. Bolin describes The Thorn as a "cirque-immersive experience" that's heavy on dance, visual arts and sound.
He designed it for teenagers and college students, although more than 1 million people of all ages have watched it since it launched more than two decades ago.
On March 6-7, moviegoers nationwide can watch The Thorn in their local theater as part of a special two-night Fathom event. Over the years, more than 150,000 people have made a commitment of faith after watching it live.
A news release described it as "cirque meets The Passion."
"I wanted to do a drama that would show and communicate and demonstrate the love of Jesus for young people," Bolin told Christian Headlines. "And I didn't want to pull any punches. I didn't want to be graphic, but I also wanted them to know this really happened and He loves you this much."
The Thorn begins with the biblical creation account and ends with Christ's death and resurrection. It relies on a narrator. (The actor who portrays Jesus has no lines.)
"You will hear a crystal clear message of the gospel," Bolin said, adding the portrayal is artistic. "... We're not trying to make this a word-by-word or scene-by-scene duplication of the Bible – we're not doing that. [But] we are communicating the gospel, and it is very crystal clear."
Bolin launched The Thorn while working as a youth pastor in the 1990s.
"If you have a young person who's like, meh, about the Bible, or even about Jesus movies, bring them to The Thorn," he said.
He still remembers one specific teen girl in his youth group.
"I'd been preaching a sermon series on apologetics and this 16-year-old girl came and sat next to me on the stage," he said. "And she just started bawling. And she held her arms out and I could see where she'd been cutting up and down her arms. And she'd been going through so much pain in her life with her family. … And I said, 'You don't have to do that, because I believe Jesus did that for you.'"
Young people like that 16-year-old girl are the target audience, he said. Hundreds of young people, he said, responded positively to the first performance in 1996.
"And the reason it worked is because God loves it when we tell His story," Bolin said. "And that was the very beginning."
The Thorn also will launch a 10-city tour in March/April.
Visit TheThorn.com to learn more about the March 6-7 movie event or the March/April live shows.
Photo courtesy: ©The Thorn/Fathom, used with permission.
Video courtesy: ©The Thorn Live
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
