Asked what he thought needed to change culturally in America, he said, to applause: “First and foremost [it] is what this country was based on: one nation under God. The more that we can get back to that [the better].”

Tebow’s appearance had generated much excitement in the Christian press, but Joe Champion, pastor of the Texan church which organises Easter on the hill, insisted the event was not about celebrity. “There will be the sacredness of Easter,” he told local reporters. “It’s not a Tim Tebow show. There’s really only one celebrity that we are going to honour and highlight.”…

Chapman described Easter as the “Super Bowl” of the Christian calender. “Easter is the resurrection of Christ, which we celebrate in our faith,” he told local reporters. “We feel like it’s going to be a testimony to the community. We want it to be a family event.”