South Carolina man recreates crucifixion of Jesus for Easter

Anyone walking by the First United Methodist Church in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina on Thursday would be forgiven for doing a serious double-take.

There on the front lawn was an unidentified man hanging from a wooden cross, covered in prosthetic scars and adorned in crown of thorns.

While the identity of the Jesus impersonator is not known to many, he’s drawing plenty of strong reaction – both positive and negative.

Bruce Davenport, associate pastor at Langston Baptist Church, in Conway, spoke to local reporters on the man’s behalf.

Davenport said he’s friends with the man on the cross and that his mission is to spread the gospel through visual imagery.

“There’s a saying that a picture is worth a thousand words,” Davenport told WMBF News in Myrtle Beach. “So, this visual is to help communicate and hopefully give dialogue.”

Reaction among the residents who spoke to local media was decidedly mixed.

“At first I thought it was weird, but it’s ok,” resident Jelecia Farber told WMBF.

“I think it’s kind of creepy,” said Dan Torre. “You had to like do a double-take to see if that’s actually what you actually saw.”

Others praised the man’s commitment to his Christian faith.

Davenport said the unidentified man isn’t concerned with the negative opinions of others.

Davenport told reporters Thursday the man plans to be back on the cross Friday.