ALISO VIEJO – Members of a local church are saying an ad for their Easter service was deemed too controversial to run because it named Jesus.

Pastor Mike Fabarez said Compass Bible Church tried to pay for an ad to run at a local movie theater for its annual Easter service at UC Irvine’s Bren Center, an event that draws about 5,000 people. The church typically advertises its large events, working with local television, print media and even placing ads on bus stop shelters.

This time, the ad was rejected, something Fabarez said he didn’t expect. A spokeswoman for NCM Media Networks, which handles advertising for many local theaters, said in a statement that Compass Bible Church chose not to revise the ad to meet content guidelines.

(Does this ad belong in a movie theater? Take the poll.)

“NCM Media Networks maintains sole discretion over what advertising content we accept in our FirstLook pre-show, and we regularly run ads for local churches all over the country,” the statement said.

The FirstLook pre-show is the entertainment and advertising content that plays before movies begin.

The ad, which the church has posted on YouTube (see video below) with the phrase BANNED COMMERCIAL in parentheses, features a series of statements nonbelievers might make and asks them to join Compass for Easter service.

“Jesus didn’t actually die on the cross. He just passed out,” one states.

The ad then asks “Did it really happen?” – the theme of this year’s service – along with information about the service time and location.

“It wasn’t trying to convert anybody,” Fabarez said. “It was just an ad stating the topic of our Easter service.”

Fabarez said the church did receive content guidelines for their ad, which prohibited things like nudity or drug use. The guidelines made no mention of religion, he added, but the church was told promoting a religious figure would not be allowed.

The church would have been allowed to simply show the time and location of the service. Fabarez added he was shown example Easter ads that featured eggs and bunnies, but the church wanted attendees to know the topic would focus on the holiday’s history.

“It wasn’t to stir up any controversy,” Fabarez said. “We didn’t think the name of Jesus would be controversial.”

Contact the writer: ckoerner@ocregister.com or 949-454-7309