However, Christians have as much right to use legal and reasonable means to attempt to persuade the theater not to show the play as McNally has to try to persuade them to show it. The right to free speech applies equally to both sides. Christians don't deserve to be vilified and dismissed as a bunch of ignorant nuts. We want nothing more than a fair and just hearing of our concerns. Those concerns are that McNally's play is an act of blatant disrespect toward Christ and toward His followers.
Controversy is usually good for ticket sales.
Artistic freedom is not intended to protect and encourage big lies. We expect and demand a decent respect for each other. Artists may not always approve of outside standards being applied to their work, but, to their credit, they normally apply a rigorous standard of their own in such cases. The fact that they are failing to do so in this case reflects badly on the state of the arts in our country today and is troubling other groups besides Christians. Terrence McNally would do well to study the example of another playwright who dealt with the life of Christ more than half a century ago.