Introduction

Theming is an important part of tourism promotion efforts today. It reflects the efforts of destinations or individual establishments to differentiate themselves from their competitors. It also illustrates changing tastes among consumers. The theming of space entails the development of theme parks, themed environments and themed landscapes (Shaw & Williams, 2004). For Christians, it entails the development of faux landscapes that depict scenes from the Holy Land, biblical themes or scaled models of events and places. Thus, the visitor experience is intended to be more important than the veracity of the physical sites themselves, although some themed Christian places have attempted to claim a degree of scientific legitimacy of their stories, replica artifacts, ceremonies and staged ways of life, as a way of lending a degree of 'authenticity' to their establishments (Rowan, 2004).

Theming is no less important in the Christian religious market than it is in general tourism markets. Theming of the sacred is an important approach in religious destinations and among service providers. There is even a significant degree of differentiation between Catholic and Protestant groups. Several globally known religious theme parks and theme sites have been developed in the United States, Western Europe, East Asia and Israel by various Protestant non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and other faith-based organizations. Roman Catholic organizations have also been active in developing spiritual theme parks in Argentina, Poland and other places. Most theming is carried out by various evangelical Protestant groups and Roman Catholic organizations and NGOs, which also determines their visitor markets.

This chapter examines the concept of Christian and biblical theming of various environments, spaces and localities. It highlights the development of themed sites in the United States, Israel and elsewhere in relation to authenticity and addresses many of the controversies associated with these various locales and the visitors' needs they are trying to fulfill.