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Fans of The X-Files are known for their religious devotion to the show, not for their devotion to religion. But lately the Church of England has been trying to change that. The Churches' Advertising Network -- a consortium of five churches, including the one founded by famed conspiracy theorist Henry VIII in 1534 -- recently asked Fox for permission to adapt the X-Files slogan ''The Truth Is Out There'' to ''The Truth Is Here'' as the heart of an ad blitz. ''I think of our ads as parables, because they tease you, they make you think,'' explains group spokesman Richard Thomas. ''The show raises the question, 'If the truth is out there, where is it?' From a Christian perspective, we're saying, 'The truth is right here, in church.''' Such sci-fi evangelism is also smart marketing: The show draws 9 million cultish disciples in the U.K. every week, while British churchgoers average only about 2.6 million. But the campaign must wait. Although the houses of worship hoped to put the slogan on their Easter billboards -- using a Christian cross instead of the show's spooky X -- they failed to strike a deal with Fox. In other words, don't look for an episode in which Mulder and Scully chase a mysterious guy who heals the sick and walks on water.


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Posted Mar 28, 1997 | Published in issue #372 Mar 28, 1997 | Order Article Reprints