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United Campus Ministry papers, 1970-1972

1971-04-10 Des Moines Register Article: ''Jesus' Slain Again in Passion Play at U of I'

'Jesus' Slain Again in
Passion Play at U of I
DES MOINES REGISTER, APRIL 10, 1971
By Larry Eckholt
(Register Staff Writer)

IOWA CITY, IA. -- Jesus Christ, a self-proclaimed savior, was tried and crucified on the steps of Old Capitol at the University of Iowa here on Good Friday by an angry mob of about 600.
   Amidst the unrelenting cries of "Crucify Him," and the sounds of a sledge hammer driving nails into timber, Jesus was executed after being found guilty of "misleading the people, telling them not to pay taxes to the emperor and claiming that he himself is Christ, a king."

A "Rabble Rouser"
   The charges against Jesus also included "starting a riot among the people with his teaching." Some of Jesus' followers contend the charges were trumped up so that government officials could rid themselves of a "rabble rouser."
   Pontius Pilate, the governor, after hearing the people's accusations against Jesus, said:

"Well, now, you brought this man before me and said he was misleading the people. Now I've examined him and I don't find him guilty of any of the bad things you accuse him of. He doesn't deserve to die. I will have him whipped then let him go."
   The outraged mob shouted. "No, no, no. Kill Him! Kill Him."
   And Pilate answered: "You want me to crucify your king?"
   Individuals in the crowd replied: "We have no king but Caesar." "Our country right or wrong." "Our king is Caesar."
   Visibly shaken by the mob, Pilate washed his hands of the fate of Jesus and sent him to his death on the cross. He turned to the crowd, stating, "I am not responsible for the death of this man. This is your doing."

Passion Play
   The mob scene and crucifixion were part of a modern Passion Play sponsored by a group of U of I campus ministers of several denominations. The reenactment of Christ's ordeal was an attempt by the ministers to show parallels between the life of Jesus and the lives of other leaders.
   The Good Friday service -- written by the Rev. James Narveson of Christus House, a Lutheran student center -- stressed that martyrs of today

JESUS--
Please turn to Page Four

Des Moines Register
Sat., April 10, 1971
Page 4

LITANY ENDS
IN 'RIGHT ON'

JESUS---
Continued from Page One

and yesterday often have been victims of political persecution.

   "The question is how we treat our prophets," the Rev. Mr. Narveson explained. "So far the crowd response has been to crucify them."
   During the service, Christ's trial and death were interwoven with references to other slain leaders such as Mahatma Gandhi, Joan of Arc and a host of black leaders such as Martin Luther King, Medgar Evers and Malcolm X.
   At the point when the mob shouted for Christ's death, the narrator -- the Rev. Francis Valaninis of Center East, the Catholic student center -- proclaimed:
   "And they took Jesus to a place called 'The Skull,' and there they killed him on a cross ... And they hired a sniper, and Dr. King was assassinated, and a man rose up from the crowd and Gandhi was shot to death, and Medgar Evers slumped in his own driveway, dead; and the flames licked at Joan of Arc, and she was burned to death."

"What Can We Do?"

   Later, the narrator asked the crowd -- less hostile after the symbolic nailing of the cross -- what should be done with such contemporary "rebels" as Fathers Daniel and Phillip Berrigan, Cesar Chavez, Eldridge Cleaver and Angela Davis.
   Answers from the crowd included: "We don't know what we'll do with them. What can we do with such people?"
   A voice from the Old Capitol steps responded, "Not to decide is to decide." The play ended with a plea for an end to killing.
   The service began at 12:20 p.m. with a procession headed by a large wooden cross borne by Charles Bencken of Iowa City. About 50 persons silently walked to Old Capitol to the cadence of a muffled drum beat.
   A group of six portrayed the "voices" in the prepared service scripts. "Hecklers" were planted int he crowd to incite others to participate in the ob scene.
   The 30-minute ceremony ended with an unorthodox "litany of the saints" which called upon "prophets and saints of the Lord, holy martyrs and apostles, men of integrity, good will and peace" to "stand with us."
   Those called upon during the litany included "peacemaker in the world Dag Hammerskjold," the late United Nations secretary-general; "madman and hippie Johnny Appleseed, planter of Eden," "bridegroom of poverty, our brothers Francis of Assisi, dropout for Jesus friend of the creation;" and others.
   The litany ended with an "Amen from some and a chorus of "right on" from others.

DAILY IOWAN, Tue, April 13, 1971

Harrisburg 'Conspirator' to Speak

Dr. Eqbal Ahmad, one of six persons under indictment by the Department of Justice for allegedly conspiring to bomb buildings in Washington, D. C., and to kidnap Henry Kissinger, advisor to President Richard Nixon, will speak at 8 tonight in Macbride Auditorium.
   Ahmad, a research fellow at the Adlai Stevenson Institute in Chicago, and a specialist on revolutions in underdeveloped countries, will speak on the significance of the "Harrisburg Conspiracy" and the approaching trial.
   Phillip Berrigan, a Roman Catholic priest, and four others, will be tried with Ahmad, who has described the charges as "ridiculous" and asked Americans not to be "intimidated." "Instead we must continue to analyze the nature of the war and bring the truth before the public," he said.
   In a joint statement issued February 8, the indicated men and women denied that they were conspirators. "We are a divers group, united by a common goal: our opposition to the massive violence of our government in its war against Southeast Asia. It is because of this opposition that we have been branded a conspiracy."
   Ahmad is being brought to Iowa City by the Association of Campus Ministers, in cooperation with the University of Iowa Union Board.
   The Rev. James Narveson, a campus minister for Christus House Lutheran Student Center, said for the sponsors that it is essential for as many persons as possible to her Ahmad. "The whole problem of the role of the religious community int he affairs of the State is raised in a most serious way by this indictment."

Saving...

'Jesus' Slain Again in Passion Play at U of I DES MOINES REGISTER, APRIL 10, 1971 By Larry Eckholt (Register Staff Writer) IOWA CITY, IA. -- Jesus Christ, a self-proclaimed savior, was tried and crucified on the steps of Old Capitol at the University of Iowa here on Good Friday by an angry mob of about 600. Amidst the unrelenting cries of "Crucify Him," and the sounds of a sledge hammer driving nails into timber, Jesus was executed after being found guilty of "misleading the people, telling them not to pay taxes to the emperor and claiming that he himself is Christ, a king." A "Rabble Rouser" The charges against Jesus also included "starting a riot among the people with his teaching." Some of Jesus' followers contend the charges were trumped up so that government officials could rid themselves of a "rabble rouser." Pontius Pilate, the governor, after hearing the people's accusations against Jesus, said: "Well, now, you brought this man before me and said he was misleading the people. Now I've examined him and I don't find him guilty of any of the bad things you accuse him of. He doesn't deserve to die. I will have him whipped then let him go." The outraged mob shouted. "No, no, no. Kill Him! Kill Him." And Pilate answered: "You want me to crucify your king?" Individuals in the crowd replied: "We have no king but Caesar." "Our country right or wrong." "Our king is Caesar." Visibly shaken by the mob, Pilate washed his hands of the fate of Jesus and sent him to his death on the cross. He turned to the crowd, stating, "I am not responsible for the death of this man. This is your doing." Passion Play The mob scene and crucifixion were part of a modern Passion Play sponsored by a group of U of I campus ministers of several denominations. The reenactment of Christ's ordeal was an attempt by the ministers to show parallels between the life of Jesus and the lives of other leaders. The Good Friday service -- written by the Rev. James Narveson of Christus House, a Lutheran student center -- stressed that martyrs of today JESUS-- Please turn to Page Four Des Moines Register Sat., April 10, 1971 Page 4 LITANY ENDS IN 'RIGHT ON' JESUS--- Continued from Page One and yesterday often have been victims of political persecution. "The question is how we treat our prophets," the Rev. Mr. Narveson explained. "So far the crowd response has been to crucify them." During the service, Christ's trial and death were interwoven with references to other slain leaders such as Mahatma Gandhi, Joan of Arc and a host of black leaders such as Martin Luther King, Medgar Evers and Malcolm X. At the point when the mob shouted for Christ's death, the narrator -- the Rev. Francis Valaninis of Center East, the Catholic student center -- proclaimed: "And they took Jesus to a place called 'The Skull,' and there they killed him on a cross ... And they hired a sniper, and Dr. King was assassinated, and a man rose up from the crowd and Gandhi was shot to death, and Medgar Evers slumped in his own driveway, dead; and the flames licked at Joan of Arc, and she was burned to death." "What Can We Do?" Later, the narrator asked the crowd -- less hostile after the symbolic nailing of the cross -- what should be done with such contemporary "rebels" as Fathers Daniel and Phillip Berrigan, Cesar Chavez, Eldridge Cleaver and Angela Davis. Answers from the crowd included: "We don't know what we'll do with them. What can we do with such people?" A voice from the Old Capitol steps responded, "Not to decide is to decide." The play ended with a plea for an end to killing. The service began at 12:20 p.m. with a procession headed by a large wooden cross borne by Charles Bencken of Iowa City. About 50 persons silently walked to Old Capitol to the cadence of a muffled drum beat. A group of six portrayed the "voices" in the prepared service scripts. "Hecklers" were planted int he crowd to incite others to participate in the ob scene. The 30-minute ceremony ended with an unorthodox "litany of the saints" which called upon "prophets and saints of the Lord, holy martyrs and apostles, men of integrity, good will and peace" to "stand with us." Those called upon during the litany included "peacemaker in the world Dag Hammerskjold," the late United Nations secretary-general; "madman and hippie Johnny Appleseed, planter of Eden," "bridegroom of poverty, our brothers Francis of Assisi, dropout for Jesus friend of the creation;" and others. The litany ended with an "Amen from some and a chorus of "right on" from others. DAILY IOWAN, Tue, April 13, 1971 Harrisburg 'Conspirator' to Speak Dr. Eqbal Ahmad, one of six persons under indictment by the Department of Justice for allegedly conspiring to bomb buildings in Washington, D. C., and to kidnap Henry Kissinger, advisor to President Richard Nixon, will speak at 8 tonight in Macbride Auditorium. Ahmad, a research fellow at the Adlai Stevenson Institute in Chicago, and a specialist on revolutions in underdeveloped countries, will speak on the significance of the "Harrisburg Conspiracy" and the approaching trial. Phillip Berrigan, a Roman Catholic priest, and four others, will be tried with Ahmad, who has described the charges as "ridiculous" and asked Americans not to be "intimidated." "Instead we must continue to analyze the nature of the war and bring the truth before the public," he said. In a joint statement issued February 8, the indicated men and women denied that they were conspirators. "We are a divers group, united by a common goal: our opposition to the massive violence of our government in its war against Southeast Asia. It is because of this opposition that we have been branded a conspiracy." Ahmad is being brought to Iowa City by the Association of Campus Ministers, in cooperation with the University of Iowa Union Board. The Rev. James Narveson, a campus minister for Christus House Lutheran Student Center, said for the sponsors that it is essential for as many persons as possible to her Ahmad. "The whole problem of the role of the religious community int he affairs of the State is raised in a most serious way by this indictment."