Jesus Programme Gets Little Reaction (Press, 26 November 1984)

On 26 November 1984, Television New Zealand reported that the initial screening of the documentary "Jesus—the Evidence," which had provoked months of protests, resulted in minimal viewer reaction. Colin Hindson, a public relations executive for the network, noted that there were no calls in Auckland and only four in Wellington regarding the programme, marking it as a significant lack of response amid the anticipation of controversy. Hindson expressed hope that the opponents of the documentary might reconsider their stance and acknowledge the programme’s merit. Pastor Barry Buckley, a spokesperson for the protest group Mobilise for Jesus and one of the organisers of the demonstrations against the documentary, shared his thoughts on the screening. He indicated that the programme did not trouble him, stating it did not "rattle my cage or raise my blood pressure." However, he expressed disagreement with the perspectives that aimed to diminish Jesus' significance, critiquing the rationalistic viewpoint of the documentary. Buckley argued that while the documentary could have some benefits in motivating Christians to defend their beliefs actively, the ideas presented were not particularly novel, but merely compiled from existing views. Overall, despite the anticipated backlash, the public’s reaction to the screening was underwhelming, suggesting that the protests may not have had the desired effect on audience engagement.

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