Experience the Passion of Christ — in 140-character bursts.
In a marriage of Christian tradition and digital technology, Wall Street's Trinity Church is using the micro-blogging service Twitter to perform the story of Jesus Christ.
The main characters started tweeting the Passion Play for three hours beginning at noon on Good Friday, using Twitter names such as "Pontius_Pilate," "ServingGirl," "Mary_Mother_Of" and "_JesusChrist." The feed also can be delivered to mobile devices or e-mail addresses.
A sample from the Passion Play a la Twitter:
"I have no peace, though I have talked with angels, and in my bones I know he is Emmanuel," tweeted Mary_Mother_Of. "It rips me to hear the crowds chant 'Crucify him!' "
To which Pontius_Pilate tweeted: "What harm has this man done? Why does the crowd cheer on his murder? I wash my hands of this. They can do what they want."
Followers on Twitter seemed to appreciate the effort.
"Thank you 4 the follow & 4 this beautiful version of the passion scriptures," tweeted LeAnn Thomas of Bakersfield, Calif. "Really brings it to life...evokes reflection and gratefulness."
"This is a fantastic way of sharing Christ in a updated way. Love it," tweeted Matt Reeve of Minnesota, and a youth pastor.
The lower Manhattan Episcopal parish also is offering a Web version of the Stations of the Cross.
The church was founded by a small group of Anglicans in 1697.
