My colleague Jeremy Lott has observed that when you argue with puppets you are bound to lose. Andy Havens of Church Marketing Sucks has argued a broader point: Never argue with a fictional character. I'll take the advice in a different direction: Do argue with blasphemy but do not try to silence it.

Jerry Springer: The Opera surely has welcomed hundreds more audience members in London because of the protests by a group of activists known as Christian Voice. This group recently persuaded a Scottish charity to decline the proceeds from a benefit performance of the opera. (The BBC deserves a gold star for trying to explain, however briefly, what prompts Christian Voice to do what it does.)

As reported by Jill Lawless of the Associated Press, the show includes material that Christians will find, well, provocative:

Creators of the musical, inspired by Springer's trashy American TV talk show, say it grapples with issues of good, evil and personal responsibility. But some Christians have been angered by its hundreds of expletives, parade of lowlifes and depiction of Jesus Christ in a diaper admitting that he is a "bit gay."

Still, should anyone expect reverence or subtlety in an opera about Jerry Springer? Remember the source material, people.