Christians call school 'hateful' over gay 'Adam and Steve' Bible satire

Christians are threatening to protest over a Massachusetts charter school's plan to perform a spoof of the Bible's creation story that features the gay characters "Adam and Steve."

Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) on Sunday reported that Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Public Charter School (PPVA) has been flooded with emails and phone calls calling the adaptation of the Genesis story "blasphemous and hateful." Some messages threatened to organize protests through churches in the South Hadley area.

"While we have no control whether organizations from other states decide to protest the show, it is clear to me that many of the most recent emails are attempts to coerce PVPA into canceling the play," Head of School Scott Goldman said in a statement last week. "Allowing this to happen would very much go against the grain of our unique, artistic and intellectually rigorous PVPA community and the larger Pioneer Valley Community."

The PPVA website describes "The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told" as "cheeky, raucously funny, surprisingly tender and ultimately wise as it dissects history, relationships, gay politics and the mystery of faith."

"It's not a play that bashes religion but it does make fun of some religious attitudes," director Chris Rohman recently explained. "Although it's full of jokes -- some of them at the expense of religious fundamentalism -- the play, is, at its heart, a thoughtful investigation of the meaning of faith and family."

The played is expected to go on as scheduled -- March 15 through March 17 -- at Northampton's Academy of Music.

Watch this video from WWLP, broadcast March 8, 2013.

High school performs controversial play

[Photo: Flickr/Steven Depolo]