What is Honk for Jesus about (is Honk for Jesus based on)?

A film with the name Jesus in the title draws a lot of attention, regardless of whether the film is declared Christian. Curious about the exciting title, many people have sought to find out, what is Honk for Jesus about?

Honk for Jesus is a comedy film that follows the actions of a pastor and his wife as they seek to reopen a megachurch. The church was closed following a sex scandal that involved the pastor himself. The story addresses the hypocrisies, lavish lifestyles, and commodification of the church that are rife in present-day megachurches.

Read on to learn what inspired Honk for Jesus, what the meaning of Honk for Jesus Save Your Soul is, if Honk for Jesus is based on a true story, if Honk for Jesus is a comedy, and which church is featured in the Honk for Jesus film.

What is Honk for Jesus based on?

Honk for Jesus is a film said to be based on experiences in the Southern Baptist megachurch culture. The story is a fictional, satirical comedy that follows the lives of the first lady of a church and her husband, the pastor, as they try to reopen and rebuild their church and congregation.

What is the meaning behind Honk for Jesus Save Your Soul?

“Honk for Jesus Save Your Soul” can be interpreted as a reference to the sign that one of the film’s protagonists, disgraced pastor Lee-Curtis Childs, and his wife, Trinitie Childs, wave from the side of the road to ostensibly encourage car owners to honk. The honking is in acknowledgment of their presence and effort to reopen their megachurch. Other than drawing motorists’ attention to themselves, the sign seems to imply that by simply honking, they not only support the step to reopening the church but are also in agreement with Jesus. This will ultimately lead to them saving their souls.

The comedy film, “Honk for Jesus Save Your Soul” takes a satirical look at the couple’s efforts to reopen a megachurch that was closed due to the pastor’s sex scandal.

Is Honk for Jesus based on a true story?

“Honk for Jesus Save Your Soul” does not claim to be based on a true story. Adamma and Adanne Ebo, twin sisters who contributed to the film’s writing and production say it was influenced by their Southern Baptist family background and their disillusionment with megachurches. According to Adamma, the church had long piqued their interest, and as they had been critically thinking and asking questions about it, making a film about it came easily to them.

It is also worth noting that the two are said to have “wrestled with” the story of Pastor Eddie Long. He is the late reverend of the New Birth Missionary Baptist, a megachurch in Georgia, who was accused of sexual misconduct. Pastor Long was sued in 2010 by several underage young men, alleging that the reverend sexually abused them and used his influence as a church leader to do so. Long’s congregation, like the film’s Lee-Curtis, had about 25,000 members, and his impact within the church ran deep.

While Long was accused (and the cases were settled out of court), the late reverend was quiet about the allegations and details. Lee-Curtis of “Honk for Jesus” also takes the settlement route but is not camera shy. In the film, he appears to relish being in the spotlight, even after the scandal.

One cannot fail to see that the directors seem to have drawn inspiration from real-world events and their own lives.

Is Honk for Jesus a comedy?

The 102-minute ‘Honk for Jesus Save Your Soul’ is an American comedy film. It was written, directed, and produced in 2022 by Adamma Ebo. The film is a feature-length version of Ebo’s 2018 short film of the same name. Film producers include Adamma’s twin sister Adanne Ebo, Sterling K. Brown, Regina Hall, Daniel Kaluuya, and executive producer Jordan Peele. In this film, the producers seem to take a satirical look at the organized church, including scandal, pretenses, and lavish lifestyles enjoyed by the church pastor and his wife.

The film is set around a documentary shot by the pastor, Lee-Curtis Childs, and his wife, Trinitie Childs, as a lead-up to the church’s reopening after one year. In the documentary, the couple is captured in ridiculous situations as they make whatever effort they feel it takes to have a full church come Easter Sunday. Prominent in their efforts is where Lee-Curtis has his wife wave a sign on the roadside announcing their return and asking her to “shake it for the Lord” so that people in cars can honk in acknowledgment.

They are forced to push the reopening to an earlier date, and even then, only five former congregants attend their supposed comeback.

The film had its world premiere on January 23, 2022, and was released for streaming on September 2, 2022. It received mostly positive reviews from critics.

What church is featured in Honk for Jesus?

As opposed to being shot on a film set, the “Wander to Greater Paths” church, as seen in the film, is actually in a real church. The “House of Hope Church” in Decatur, Atlanta, Georgia, was chosen by the production team. According to the team, they had several options for the location of the church, with the most critical factor being finding a church building with the correct scale. This church met the cut.

Many features of the church building were spruced up and appeared different from what they are on a typical day. For instance, the church’s stained-glass windows, which receive sunlight from behind on a typical day, have artificial lighting inside set to make them more dazzling in the film. The furnishings, including the thrones used by the Childs in the film, were supplied by different vendors around Atlanta. The set decoration team added many styling elements to match the “Wander to Greater Path” church depicted in the film.

Reference

• What Honk for Jesus is about
• Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul Disgraced megachurch satire.
• Honk for Jesus movie review on IMDB
• ‘Honk for Jesus’ takes on megachurch culture
• Guardian review – megachurch satire isn’t worth praise.