Why Alexander Hamilton Gave His Heart To Jesus At A Texas Church

Longtime readers know of my obsession with interest in Hamilton (see links below). Religion News Service, Why Alexander Hamilton Gave His Heart to Jesus at a Texas Church This Weekend:

Alexander Hamilton, right, gives his life to Jesus in The Door Church’s unauthorized production of the musical “Hamilton,” in McAllen, Texas. Video screen grab

When offered a chance to save his soul at a Texas church this past weekend, Alexander Hamilton did not throw away his shot.

During a slightly adapted production of the hit musical “Hamilton” at The Door Church, a large, diverse congregation, the main character bowed his head, closed his eyes and gave his life to Jesus.

“What is a legacy?” the actor playing Hamilton said, according to a recording of the show obtained by Religion News Service. “It’s knowing you repented and accepted the gospel of Jesus Christ that sets men free.”

There was just one problem. The church did not have the rights to perform “Hamilton” or post videos from a performance online.

“‘Hamilton’ does not grant amateur or professional licenses for any stage productions and did not grant one to The Door Church,” a spokesperson for the musical told RNS in an email. 

After learning about the unauthorized performance on social media, the producers of “Hamilton” sent a cease-and-desist letter to the church.

More from The Door McAllen church's illegal Christianized "Hamilton."

The song is supposed to go:

"But I’m not afraid
I know who I married
So long as you come home at the end of the day
That would be enough" pic.twitter.com/CUitoUXQ34

— Hemant Mehta (@hemantmehta) August 8, 2022

But I'm not afraid,
my hope is in Jesus.
If you could just give him a chance today
That would be enough."

Jake Johnson, associate professor of musicology at Oklahoma City University, said that while there are serious ethical and legal issues involved, he was impressed by the sophistication of the church production. But he was not surprised by it. Churches have long adapted works of pop culture to spread their messages, he said.

Grateful to all of you who reached out about this illegal, unauthorized production. Now lawyers do their work.
And always grateful to the @dramatistsguild, who have the backs of writers everywhere, be it your first play or your fiftieth. 1/2 https://t.co/yMtM3z9crI

— Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) August 10, 2022

• Christianity Today, Alexander Hamilton Raps His Way to Jesus at Texas Church
• Newsweek, 'Hilarious' Unauthorized Production of 'Hamilton' Goes Viral: '#Scamilton'
• Playbill, Illegal Production of Hamilton at Texas Church Ordered to Close
• Washington Post, Church’s Altered ‘Hamilton’ Is Followed by Sermon Comparing Homosexuality to Addiction

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Prior TaxProf Blog coverage:

• The Story Of Tonight: With Billion-Dollar Hamilton Poised To Sweep Tony Awards, Broadway Pushes For Tax Break Extension (June 12, 2016)
• What Hamilton Teaches Lawyers About Telling Our Story (Aug. 21, 2016)
• Lessons From Hamilton For The University Of Chicago Law School Class Of 2019 (Oct. 4, 2016)
• Law Profs At Chicago, Harvard And Michigan Turn To Hamilton As A Teaching Tool (Oct. 14, 2016)
• Greg Mankiw Happily Paid $2,500 For A Hamilton Ticket, But Asks: Why Should 80% Go To Resellers Rather Than Lin-Manuel Miranda? (Oct. 22, 2016)
• Law Profs Weigh In On The Hamilton/Pence/Trump Controversy (Nov. 21, 2016)
• Hamilton By Harvard Economics Students (Dec. 10, 2016)
• Happy Hanukkah, Hamilton-Style (Dec. 24, 2016)
• Erwin Chemerinsky's Farewell: Lessons From Hamilton (June 29, 2017)
• Hamilton And Law School Deaning (July 7, 2017)
• Lessons From Hamilton On Leaving A Legacy As A Law Professor Through Our Scholarship ('Skin In The Game') And Our Students ('Planting Seeds In A Garden You Never Get To See') (July 10, 2017)
• Hamilton, The Play Has Caused A Boon At Hamilton, The College (July 18, 2017)
• C.S. Lewis & Lin-Manuel Miranda: How I Found My Faith In Mere Christianity And Deepened It In Hamilton (July 24, 2017)
• Caron: From Moses To Hamilton: A Dean’s Journey (Aug. 31, 2017)
• Congratulations To Pepperdine's Newly-Minted Lawyers (Dec. 12, 2017)
• Hamilton At Pepperdine (Mar. 2, 2018)
• 45th Annual Pepperdine Law School Dinner: Our Place In The World (Mar. 4, 2018)
• Pepperdine Law School's Place In The World (Apr. 11, 2018)
• Alexander Hamilton To Receive Posthumous Honorary Degree From Albany Law School (Apr. 23, 2018)
• 2018 ABA New Law School Deans Conference (June 6, 2018)
• Hamilton And Philosophy (June 18, 2018)
• Hamilton In London (June 23, 2018)
• Hamilton And The Oxford Comma (Mar. 4, 2019)
• Enough With Hamilton, Say Fans Of Other Founding Fathers (June 27, 2019)
• Forgiveness: Law, Faith, Christmas, And Hamilton (Dec. 8, 2019)
• What Alexander Hamilton Would Have Thought About A Wealth Tax (Dec. 12, 2019)
• Happy Hanukkah, Hamilton-Style (Dec. 22, 2019)
• Using Hamilton’s 'Farmer Refuted' To Teach Oral Argument (Apr. 28, 2020)
• Hamilton At Pepperdine And On Disney+ (July 3, 2020)
• July 4th, Hamilton, And The Power Of Forgiveness (July 4, 2020)
• The Cancel Culture, Forgiveness, And Hamilton (Aug. 2, 2020)
• Hamilton And The Law (Oct. 20, 2020)
• Texas Federal Judges Release Music Video: 'We'll Be Back' (Nov. 16, 2020)
• Ted Lasso, Law School Deaning, And The Power Of Forgiveness (Jan. 24, 2021)
• 10 Hamilton Songs To Get You Motivated For The New Law School Semester (Jan. 26, 2021)
• You'll Be Back [To Law School] (Jan. 29, 2021)
• Hamilton, C. S. Lewis's Inner Ring, And The Secret Of True Fellowship (May 30, 2021)
• Hamilton Potpourri (Jan. 1, 2022)