Mel Gibson’s “Passion”
February, 2004
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“Replicas of the nails used to hang Jesus on the cross have become the red-hot official merchandise linked to Mel Gibson’s controversial new movie,
‘The Passion of the Christ.’…Hundreds of stores across the country will be selling licensed items tied to the movie….
The souvenirs include a book, pins, key chains, coffee mugs and T-shirts….’The response so far has been overwhelming.'”
‘Jesus’ Nail S
“‘I wanted it to be shocking,’ Gibson said. “And I also wanted it to be extreme. I wanted it to push the viewer over the edge so that they see the enormity the enormity of that sacrifice….”
Pain and Passion
“While newspapers
focus on the vivid portrayals of Christ’s Crucifixion… and the
controversy with Jews as reasons why there is so much ‘buzz’
about the upcoming movie on Christ’s Passion, there is a hidden,
mystical element, and that’s the charisma attached to the
stigmatic whose revelations contributed significantly to the
film….
“The mystic is Anne
Catherine Emmerich…. [R]eading her revelations leaves
one feeling that he has undergone an ‘unusual influence’ —
similar to what is now reported with those who see the movie….
It’s no surprise that the movie’s director, Mel Gibson, is said
to carry one of her relics.“
[1]
“Behind
film endorsed by both Catholics and Protestants is a stigmatic
whose life and revelations continue to amaze“
[Gibson pulled
the relic out of his pocket and showed it to Diane Sawyer during
a televised interview]
As most of you know, “The Passion of Christ” will be released on Ash
Wednesday, February 24. It has been endorsed by Christian leaders
such as Billy Graham, Rick Warren
[see “Spirit-Led or Purpose-Driven?“]
and James Dobson. Could there be any reason for concern?
Andy and I have seen the short promotional clip of
The Passion, but not the whole movie. Like many of you, we
long for deeper understanding of the suffering that Jesus willingly
endured for our sake. If we could be certain that seeing The
Passion would draw us closer to our Lord, and help us
to better “know Him and the power of His
resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings”
(Phil. 3:10),
we would look forward to opening day with fervent, heartfelt
and sober anticipation. More than anything, we want to walk with Him
in obedience to whatever He assigns us of pain or pleasure, peace or
persecution.
But, at this moment, we are not sure what God wants
us to do. We have more questions than answers. And we wonder if the
subtle but potentially negative influences might be stronger
than the positive ones. Yet, since many of you have asked for our
views, we want to share what we have been given. We have six basic concerns:
1.
What does Mel Gibson believe?
Near the end of his long
article, “The Jesus War: Mel Gibson & “The Passion”
(9-15-03), Peter J. Boyer gives us this glimpse into Mel Gibson’s faith:
“I told Gibson that I am a Protestant, and asked whether his pre-Vatican II world view disqualified me from eternal salvation.
“He paused.
‘There is no salvation for those outside the Church,’ he said. ‘I believe it.’ He explained,
‘Put it this way. My wife is a saint. She’s a much better person than I am. Honestly. She’s, like, Episcopalian, Church of England. She prays, she believes in God, she knows Jesus, she believes in that stuff. And it’s just not fair if she doesn’t make it, she’s better than I am. But that is a pronouncement from the chair. I go with it.
Apparently Mel
Gibson’s beliefs have changed since that interview last September. During his
televised interview on ABC
(February 16), Diane Sawyer raised a
question about a scene in the movie. In the Biblical account, Simon of Cyrene,
is recruited to carry the cross
for Jesus. (Mark 15:21)
But in movie, Simon “interlocks arms with the bloody
Jesus as they struggle to take the cross.” Why?
“It’s his brother,” explained Mr. Gibson. “It’s about another human being. We’re
all children of God. All of us! It doesn’t matter what you are —
whether you’ve got a bone through your nose or whether you look like
a Viking…. or whatever you are. We are all children of God.”
A little later, Diane
Sawyer asked him about his traditional form of Roman Catholicism,
which opposed Vatican reforms such as “more inclusion of other
faiths.” Would Gibson’s traditionalist views bar the door to heaven
to Jews, Protestants and Muslims?
“That’s not the case at
all,” answered Gibson. “Absolutely
not!
It is possible for people who are not even Christian to get into the
Kingdom of heaven. It’s just easier for — and I have to say this
because it’s what I believe….”
“You have a nonstop
ticket?”
“Well, yeah, I’m saying
it’s an easier ride. I have to believe that.”
Terry Mattingly’s religion column,
“The passion of old words and symbols“
(01-21-04), tells us a little more
about Mel Gibson’s goals and beliefs, especially as they relate to the
Catholic Mass:
“It is crucial to realize that the images and language at the heart of ‘The Passion of the Christ’ flow directly out of Gibson’s personal dedication to Catholicism in one of its most traditional and mysterious forms — the 16th century Latin Mass.
“‘I don’t go to any other services,’ the director [Mel
Gibson] told the Eternal Word Television Network. ‘I go to the old Tridentine
Rite. That’s the way that I first saw it when I was a kid. So I think that that
informs one’s understanding of how to transcend language….
“The goal of the movie is to shake modern audiences by brashly
juxtaposing the ‘sacrifice of the cross with the sacrifice of the altar — which is the same thing,’ said Gibson.
“This ancient union of symbols and sounds has never lost its hold on him. There is, he stressed,
‘a lot of power in these dead languages.’Thus, the seemingly bizarre choice of Latin and Aramaic was actually part of the message. The goal of Gibson’s multicultural, multilingual team was to make a statement that transcended any one time, culture and tongue.”
2. Is
God pleased with our man-made images of Him?
“The visual is back. Big
time,” writes publisher, Chuck Fromm, in his January/February issue
of the Worship Leader, a magazine sent to pastors and church
leaders across America.
The cover features a picture of the suffering Jesus next to
the current topic: “The Rise of the Visual.” The lead articles
asks:
“As
worship leaders, how should we respond to the burgeoning
enthusiasm for visual arts in worship? We may be tempted to jump
on the visual bandwagon because it’s trendy. But is it right to take
this leap?”[4]
article by Robert K. Johnston, Professor of Theology at Fuller
Theological Seminary, titled “Engaging Culture: Should the
Church use popular culture — such as movies — to engage
unbelievers in spiritual dialog?”
In it he writes, “The power of film can change lives and
communicate truth; it can reveal and redeem. And you don’t need
to be limited to movies like ‘The Passion of the Christ.’ ‘The
Iron Giant,’ ‘Signs’ or ‘Shawshank Redemption’ will do just
fine.'”[5]
They will?
How can a movie like “Signs” — with its occult theme
and twisted views of Christianity — “reveal” truth or “redeem”
viewers?
[See “Aliens,
Monsters and Creepy Creatures“] Yes,
“the power of film can change lives,” but the nature of that
change will be driven by defined by the myths and emotional
inpact of the story the follow the persuasions of the story. it
cannot “redeem.” Of Biblical redemption comes only through Jesus
, our Redeemer and communicate truth; it can reveal and
redeem.
Professor Johnston tells his readers that people who
reject such “God-given resources” as The Passion are
“arrogant and ignorant.” I
wonder if a greater sign of ignorance might not be our foolish
disrespect and neglect of God’s warnings both in the Old and New
Testament.
Consider Deuteronomy 4:15-16.
It warns us that, since we have not
personally seen God, we ought not make or recreate His likeness.
Does
this warning apply to the incarnate Christ who came to earth as both
Man and God? I am not sure. But any man-made image of God
could, in effect, be misleading, since it plants an untrue picture of
God in our minds and imagination. No human imitation can match God’s
own
descriptions in Isaiah 53 or
in Revelation 1:13-15. While movies didn’t exist back when the
first books of the Bible were
written, God’s message through Moses was clear: the people must not
make “carved images” (the only three-dimensional figures
at the time) of God nor of the false gods of their pagan neighbors. The fact that Hollywood can
now create far more
realistic three-dimensional likenesses makes today’s moving images all the more persuasive, memorable
and deceptive.
The
following verses suggest that God does not want our help, ingenuity
or “creativity” in making a more visible image of Himself:
Take careful heed to yourselves, for
you saw no form when
the Lord spoke to you at Horeb out of the midst of the fire, lest
you act corruptly and make for yourselves a carved image in the form
of any figure….” Deuteronomy 4:15-16“You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or
any likeness of
anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath,
or that is in the water under the earth….” Exodus 20:4To whom will you liken Me, and make Me equal and compare Me, that
we should be alike?” Isaiah 46:5Therefore, since we are the offspring of God,
we ought not to think
that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone,
something shaped by art and mans devising.” Acts 17:29“Professing to be wise, they became fools, and
changed the glory
of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible
man….” Romans 1:22-23
God’s Word doesn’t give us these warning in order to
deprive us of visual gratification. After all, He filled His
creation with glorious flowers, magnificent multicolored birds,
vibrant, luminous fish and countless other delights to our eyes.
But, like the forbidden fruit in the garden (often assumed to be an apple
because artists painted their own interpretations of Genesis 3),
one kind of
image would be out of bounds: any image that depicted God Himself or
any of the world’s
false gods.
3.
Will the stirring images in
The
Passion speed the cultural shift from the written Word to visual images
as the foundation for faith and “spiritual feelings?”
That happened back in medieval times, when man-made icons and three
dimensional visual images replaced God’s actual Word as the daily
and weekly inspiration for faith. In his article,
“Five Reasons Not to Go See
The Passion of Christ,” Pastor Andrew J. Webb
describes the danger:
“We
need to remember that the last time dramatic presentations
replaced preaching as the main vehicle by which the truth of the
Bible was communicated was during the medieval times when the
church refused to allow the translation of the Bible into common
languages and when in place of the preaching and teaching of
God’s word, the common people were given visual presentations
such as Passion Plays, statues, relics, and icons.
“These
things were designed, like most visual imagery, to play upon the
emotions and stimulate a response; but the ability to evoke an
emotional response via imagery or drama is not the same as
successfully transmitting the Gospel.”
Postmodernity, global education, television, and the
entertainment media are all promoting visual images as the foundation
for learning and understanding reality. And many churches are
following close behind. It is far easier to manipulate a
hedonistic nation by enticing images than by persuasive words, and
the images we collectively enjoy help establish the collective values needed for the
global changes ahead. Synthesizing (blending) all
kinds of images and suggestions (including pictures
“of Jesus” without His actual words) are likely to speed the transformation.
[See
The Power of Suggestion and
Movie Magic and Unconscious Learning]
Throughout the Bible, our Lord emphasizes the
written Word rather than man-made images. In the Old Testament, meticulous scribes and leaders
were assigned the task of documenting historical facts — both the
good and the bad. With utmost care, they recorded genealogies,
eye-witness reports of God work and actions, prophetic warnings and
encouraging promises. In New Testament days, those old prophetic
writings were repeatedly quoted by Jesus and His disciples to verify
their teaching and validate their ministries.
God knew well the power of the imagination to create false
mental models in the minds of His people. Maybe that explains why
none of Jesus’ disciples or friends were led to describe the physical
features of their beloved Master. He wants us to walk by faith in
His Word, not in His visible appearance.
Jesus Himself was introduced by John as the
Word — the living Word of God:
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word
was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning
with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him
nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life
was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and
the darkness did not comprehend it…. And the Word became flesh
and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the
only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John
1:1-5, 14)
Changes to the written
Word are forbidden. Nor may we delete or add to any part of the
gospel. Please
consider these Scriptures prayerfully:
”…even if we, or an angel from heaven,
preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to
you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say
again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you
have received, let him be accursed.For do I now persuade men,
or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still
pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.” Galatians
1:6-10“For if he who comes preaches
another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a
different spirit which you have not received, or a different
gospel which you have not acceptedyou may well put up with it!”
2 Corinthians 11:4Whatever I command you, be careful to observe
it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it.” Deuteronomy
12:32“Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to
those who put their trust in Him. Do not add to His words, lest
He rebuke you, and you be found a liar.” Proverbs 30:5-6“If anyone adds to these things, God will add to
him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone
takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God
shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy
city, and from the things which are written in this book.”
Revelation 22:18-19
4.
How will the intense
emotional experience of seeing this violent movie change affect
viewers — especially children and youth already immersed in violent
“entertainment”? Will it further desensitize some
to intense violence, build a craving for other emotional
experiences, or alter the foundation for their faith?
Jody Dean, a CBS News anchor, shared his
“Perspective on ‘The Passion of the Christ’ in an article
posted at
Religion Today.
He wrote:
“This is
not a movie that anyone will ‘like’…. It certainly doesn’t ‘entertain’. There
isn’t even the sense that one has just watched a movie.
What it is an
experience
— on a level of primary emotion
that is scarcely comprehensible. Every shred of
human preconception or predisposition is utterly stripped
away….
Quite honestly,
I wanted to vomit. It hits that hard.
“The film grabs you in the first five seconds, and never lets
go. The brutality, humiliation, and gore are almost
inconceivable – and still probably does not go far enough. The
scourging alone seems to never end, and you cringe at the sound
and splatter of every blow – no matter how steely your nerves.
Even those who have known combat or prison will have trouble, no
matter their experience….
“What you’ve heard about how audiences have reacted is true.
There was no sound after the film’s conclusion. No noise at all.
No one got up. No one moved. The only sound one could hear was
sobbing….
“I
imagine Satan never quit tempting Christ, but this film captures
beyond words the
most
opportune time. At every
step of the way, Satan is there at Jesus’ side – imploring Him
to quit, reasoning with Him to give up, and seducing Him to
surrender.”
Is that true? Or could the intense battle in
Gethsemane — where Jesus prayed, “not My will, but Yours, be done
— have been the last “opportune” time for Satan? Some think so, but
we don’t really know. Do we want Mel Gibson to make up our minds for
us?
“The film grabs you,” said Jody Dean. Of
course! That’s part of
the persuasive power of a well-made film. It fills our minds and imagination
with images that often impact and impress us far more than facts and
truth. Educational change agents know that well. That’s why they use
shocking stories to evoke the strong
emotions needed to implant new values and worldviews into the
minds of our children. Whether imagined or real, events and stories
that stir strong emotions build persuasive mental models.
When people are caught up in the emotional plot of The Passion,
all the extra-biblical additions become as real to the viewer’s experience as the
factual (but less dramatic) framework from the four gospels. Consider an example
from the article, “Witness
to the Passion,”
by Lindy Warren. She writes,
“The ominous figure taunting Christ in the garden of Gethsemane shows up throughout the movie, personifying Satan and
portraying the spiritual battle being waged, culminating in Christs last hours.Poignant flashback scenes from Christs life illustrate the dichotomy of compassion and brutality, as well as Marys love and anguish for her son.
“The film is ‘substantially accurate,’ says Darrell Bock, professor of New Testament Studies at Dallas Theological Seminary….”
Some would disagree. Unlike our
pragmatic and relative human standards, God’s unchanging Word can’t
be bent or expanded to fit our “needs” or wants. Jesus said, “till
heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means
pass from the law till all is fulfilled.”
(Matthew 5:18)
The Levitical laws were fulfilled when He died on the cross, but His
moral law — including the Ten Commandments — still stand. So do
all His other unchanging guidelines — all given us in love that we
might walk in His ways and delight in His presence forever.
I appreciate the following statement by our friend, Kurt Fiech:
“After
reading this, ask yourself the following question: Is this how
God really wants us to evangelize the ‘unsaved’ TODAY….by
overwhelming their SENSES in an EXPERIENTIAL display of
realistic torture and sadism that would sear their minds and
others who sees this?
Experientialism trumping the preaching of the Word?
“Having had the EXPERIENCE of caring for a dying
daughter with an inoperable brain tumor for a year up until her
death, I can unequivocally say I would not wish that EXPERIENCE
on my worst enemy. I can describe it in words to other parents
and they understand and can relate to the pain and anguish. They
don’t need to have to EXPERIENCE it themselves.
“Likewise, as Christians, we can evangelize to the
‘unsaved’ and describe in words the Gospel – the pain and
suffering Jesus went through, His death, resurrection, etc. and
it will be the Holy Spirit who, spiritually, will convict the
person. Do we need to promote a movie that seeks to assault your
emotions, in all its graphic horror, and assaults your intellect
with Biblical
error, Roman Catholic theology and mysticism, when we have the
Truth in the Word that can be preached and/or read? Which of
these efforts do you think God would be pleased with?”
5.
Will the movie’s roots in traditional Roman Catholic mysticism
affect the faith and understanding of evangelical or fundamental
Christians?
Among Mel Gibson sources and inspiration for The Passion were the visions of
the 18th century mystic,
Anna Katharina Emmerich. Author Michael Brown
gives us some glimpses of her life. They remind me of the
enticing visions
described in Embraced by the Light, the bestseller by Betty Eadie,
who blended her Mormon faith with her Native American spiritual
heritage. (See
Deliver us from Evil)
Ponder these excerpts:
“Anne
Catherine Emmerich was born on the feast of the Virgin’s own
nativity: September 8, 1774…. Her visions began early
in life…. She claimed to see her guardian angel on a nearly
constant basis…. Jesus Himself conducted her through many
visions….
“She never entered the church without her angel-guardian who
taught her by his own example the homage due to the Eucharistic
God.’
“We could slough this all off — attribute it to a meandering
mind of an overly zealous nun — if it wasn’t… for the
prominence of those who endorsed her. The Bishop of Limbourg
approved of her work. So did canons and abbots. Famous Catholics
of the day like Abbot Dom Gueranger and the Very Reverend F.
Windischmann of Munich spoke about Emmerich in the highest
terms….
“‘After Holy Scripture, there is no book that contains so
many words of eternal truth and life than the revelations of A.
C. Emmerich.’ Such is crucial as a movie based at least
partly on her visions is ready to make an international splash….
“In 1798 the Crown of Thorns was ‘laid’ upon her brow
by her ‘heavenly spouse’ as she prayed toward mid-day before a
Crucifix….”
“The stigmata itself was incredible…. The wounds, up to half
an inch in size, were in her hands, feet, side, and head….
Said one physician, ‘…The wounds speak for themselves, at
least to a man of science. To ascribe them to natural causes
such as imagination, induction, analogy, or similar causes, is
simply impossible.’ That physician was a Protestant — just as
we now see many Protestants backing the Gibson film.”[1]
You met Peter Boyer earlier. In his article (which, I should warn you, contains
an obscene word in a quote), he wrote,
“As it happened, Emmerich
had special meaning to Gibson as well…. Eventually, she began to experience ecstasies and develop
stigmata. Her experiences attracted… the attention of the poet Clemens
Brentano, one of the founders of the German Romantic movement.
“Brentano made his way to Emmerich… who told him that she had been awaiting ‘his arrival. He wrote down her visions, including detailed narratives from Christ’s Passion, and published them after her death, in 1824, in a book called
‘The Dolorous Passion
of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.’…
“When
Gibson returned to his faith, he acquired, from a nunnery that had closed down, a library of hundreds of books, many of them quite old. He says that when he was researching
‘The Passion’ one evening he reached up for a book, and Brentano’s volume tumbled out of the shelf into his hands. He sat down to read it, and was flabbergasted by the vivid imagery of Emmerich’s visions.
’Amazing images,’ he said.
‘She supplied me with stuff I never would have thought of.‘ The one image that is most noticeable in
‘The Passion’ is a scene after Jesus’ scourging, when a grief-stricken Mary gets down on her knees to mop up his blood.”[2]
6. How great an evangelistic tool is it?
This may be the most important question of all. Does The Passion
really communicate the gospel to a postmodern, biblically
illiterate population? Many churches are counting on it to do just
that. And the people they target — many of whom are driven by a
steady diet of MTV and gratuitous violence — may be more
emotionally prepared for the intense violence than many Christians,
especially children. But will they hear the gospel?
“You
cannot watch this film without being affected,” writes
Tim Timmons
in his article ““The
movie is great, but not the gospel.”
“In my opinion, it is, indeed, a great movie! But to say or promote it as the greatest evangelistic toolthe greatest gospel messagein the last century or in the last 2000 years is a bit strong and very misleading.”
He goes on to say,
When youre excited about something, there is always a tendency to oversell….
…The Christian church seems to be lovers of the latest and greatest methodologiesespecially when it comes to evangelism. Revival meetings and evangelistic crusades, books and booklets, radio and TV shows or an evangelistic system of training all promise to be easy, sure-fire methods of evangelism that will reach your neighbor. Now we have a movie!
“The New Testament doesnt include any of these methods as the divine or most effective ways of reaching your neighbor. To overemphasize a method is to short-circuit what is really required for effectively introducing your neighbor to Jesus.”
“Only 4 ways attract
people to Jesus,” he tells us. Then he lists the four:
-
LIFESTYLE”Matthew 5 Let your light shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
-
LOVE ONE ANOTHERJohn 13 & 17 If you love one another, then they will know that you are my disciples that you might be perfected in unity, so that the world will know that Jesus was sent by God.
-
BLESS WHEN INSULTEDI Peter 3 Bless those who insult you then they will ask you for the reason for the hope that is in you.
-
PERSONAL TESTIMONYRomans 10 How shall they hear without someone to proclaim the messagesomeone who speaks his testimony.”[9]
The last point
reminds us that unbelievers cannot be “born again” unless they
actually hear the gospel. Since they will not hear it in Mel
Gibson’s movie, multitudes will walk away with their own unbiblical
interpretation. The variations of those interpretations will be as
diverse as the people who see the movie. Most will adapt it to fit
their own worldview — their mental model or filter for what is
acceptable or not. In our postmodern tolerant and pluralistic
culture, they are likely to be inclusive in their embrace of the
crucifixion. Unless God Himself touches their heart and causes them
to seek Him outside their own comfort zone, they will either be
blind to any true meaning or believe like Mel Gibson that,
“We’re
all children of God. All of us! It doesn’t matter what you are —
whether you’ve got a bone through your nose or whether you look like
a Viking…. or whatever you are. We are all children of God….
It is possible for people who are not even Christian to get into the
Kingdom of heaven.”
(from the ABC interview with Diane Sawyer, February 16 and 17, 2004)
The truth is, we can
neither know nor follow God — nor understand His Word or the hope
of eternal life — unless we hear and believe the saving words of
the gospel made alive by God’s Spirit. As God tells us,
“How then shall they
call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they
believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they
hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they
are sent? As it is written: ‘How beautiful are the feet of those
who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good
things!’
“But they have not
all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, ‘Lord, who has believed
our report? So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by
the word of God.”
Romans 10:14-17
We want to thank three special friends, Barbara
Wilhelm, Kurt Fiech and James who have sent us many links to informative
and factual articles that prompted us to post this page. The first
two links below are especially helpful. We suggest you read the
entire articles, not just our excerpts.
“Five Reasons Not to Go See
The Passion of Christ” by Pastor Andrew J. Webb:
“[S]hould Evangelicals be supporting The Passion of Christ and
endorsing its use as an Evangelism tool? Is this really the best
evangelization opportunity we’ve had since the actual death of
Jesus?
“1) Its Origins: Even though Evangelicals are promoting The
Passion of Christ, it is not an Evangelical movie. As Mel
Gibson, a devout Roman Catholic put it so well; ‘It reflects my
beliefs.’ The Passion of Christ is a Roman Catholic movie, made
by a Roman Catholic director, with Roman Catholic theological
advisers….
“Caviezel [played Jesus] recalled telling Gibson, ‘I think it’s very important
that we have mass every day – at least I need that to play this
guy.'”[6]
“2) Its Script: The script for The Passion of Christ
contains much extrabiblical material, and is based in part on a
mystical Roman Catholic devotional work by an 18th century
German Nun (Sister Anne Emmerich) entitled The Dolorous Passion
of Christ. Gibson stated on EWTN that reading Emmerich’s book
was his primary inspiration for making the movie. By introducing
extrabiblical elements, not only does The Passion of Christ
change some of the theological emphases of the Biblical account
of Christ’s crucifixion, but it will also create a false
impression amongst the very ‘seekers’ that Evangelicals are
trying to reach, that things were said and done at the
crucifixion that did not actually happen.
“For Evangelicals, who
would feel very uncomfortable with a version of the Bible that
put words into the mouth of Christ that He never spoke, to
endorse a movie that does the very same thing seems hopelessly
inconsistent. Protestants traditionally rejected the Apocrypha
precisely because these books were fabricated and contained
inauthentic material, despite the fact that these books might
have been useful for evangelism. For modern evangelicals to
embrace a vehicle that is inauthentic in order to achieve
evangelistic ends indicates a serious decline in faithfulness.
“The script for The Passion of Christ was translated into Aramaic
and Latin by Father William Fulco, an old friend of Mel
Gibson’s. This was not done for reasons of making it more
authentic. The language decisions in The Passion of Christ were
made for theological reasons: ‘It is crucial to realize that the images and language at the
heart of ‘The Passion of the Christ’ flow directly out of
Gibson’s personal dedication to Catholicism in one of its most
traditional and mysterious forms – the 16th-century Latin Mass.
…
“‘The goal of the movie is to shake
modern audiences by brashly juxtaposing the ‘sacrifice of the cross
with the sacrifice of the altar – which is the same thing,’ said
Gibson. This ancient union of symbols and sounds has never lost its
hold on him. There is, he stressed, ‘a lot of power in these dead
languages.’…
“The script of The
Passion of Christ was specifically intended to link the
crucifixion of Christ with what Roman Catholics believe is the
re-sacrificing of Christ that occurs in the mass.”
“3) Its Theology: The fact that Evangelicals have uncritically endorsed it
speaks volumes about how far the Evangelical Protestant
understanding of Christ’s death and the related subject of
Justification have slipped since the Reformation. In Roman
Catholic theology the intense physical suffering of Christ’s
Crucifixion is the focus along with the emphasis on physical
sacrifice….
“The theology of the bible
however points out to us that the grand importance of Christ’s
crucifixion lay not in His physical suffering, but in His once
for all propitiation of God’s wrath (1 John 4:10). Lest we
forget, the greatest torment that Christ experienced on the
cross was not caused by the nails driven into His flesh, but in
His being made ‘sin for us’ and vicariously suffering the
righteous punishment of the Father in our place. Even the worst
physical torments inflicted by the Sanhedrin and the Romans upon
Jesus were nothing by comparison to the anguish of having the
sins of all the elect imputed to Him and making full
satisfaction for them. Satisfying the justice of the Romans on a
cross was comparatively easy, thousands of condemned men and
women including Spartacus and several of the Apostles did that,
but only Christ could satisfy the justice of God.
“Also central to the Christian Gospel, but missing from The Passion
of Christ, is the concept of Christ’s active obedience. Christ not
only died for the sins of His sheep on the cross but He established
their righteousness through His perfect obedience to God’s Law….
“…use of extra-biblical material, emphasis on physical suffering,
exaggeration of the role of Mary, and explicitly Roman Catholic
theology should not surprise us, however, as these are all hallmarks
of the primary inspiration for this movie: The Dolorous Passion of
Our Lord Jesus Christ.”
“4) Its Medium: Many Evangelical Pastors are hailing movies like
The Passion of Christ as part of a new and better way of
spreading the Gospel:
“…’Churches used to communicate by having a little lecture time on
Sunday morning. People don’t interact that way anymore. Here’s a
chance for us to use a modern-day technique to communicate the
truth of the Bible,” the Rev. Engel said.”12
“It is indeed true that we live in a highly visual and increasingly
anti-literate society that places a premium on sound bites and
easily assimilated visual imagery, but does this mean that we should
abandon preaching in favor of using movies or dramatic
presentations? …
“The means that God has
ordained for the transmission of the Gospel, was neither drama,
imagery, nor even “lectures” – it is preaching. Preaching involves
the communication of the Gospel in a way that patiently convinces,
rebukes, exhorts, and teaches (2 Timothy 4:2-4). The bible teaches
us the awesome importance of preaching and why it cannot be replaced
by another medium….
“God does
not command us to produce dramatic presentations of Gospel themes,
He commands us to preach. Though this option was
freely available to the Apostles as they brought the Gospel to
cities with amphitheaters and a long tradition of using the
dramatic arts to convey religious and moral themes to the
populace they did not do so. The wisdom of the Apostolic
methodology has been borne out by the fact that it was when the
Gospel was being transmitted primarily by plays and symbolism
that true Christianity began to sink under the weight of
superstition. We are in danger of returning to precisely that
state of affairs by reviving the teaching methodology of the
medieval church. Even though it was produced in the 21st
century, The Passion of Christ is identical in all critical
aspects to the Passion Plays of the Roman Catholic Church in the
Middle Ages.”
“5) Its Main Character: Billy Graham in his endorsement of
The
Passion of Christ said, ‘Every time I preach or speak about the
Cross, the things I saw on the screen will be on my heart and
mind.’ This is unfortunately part of the problem with all
visual representations of Jesus. Although we may intend for them
only to have a role in teaching, they inevitably become part of
our worship and adoration. As a result of seeing this film James Caviezel, the “Jesus” of The Passion of Christ, will become the
figure countless thousands if not millions of people think of
when they worship Jesus Christ. To do this is to fall into the
trap of changing “the glory of the incorruptible God into an
image made like corruptible man” (Romans 1:23) and to violate
the Second Commandment.
“The Second reason why all visual representations of Jesus are
lies is that they can never hope to represent the glory of
Christ in His true nature…. While this may not
appear to be a problem to us, the separation of Christ’s manhood
from His deity is actually a grave heresy called Nestorianism.
…
“For the first four centuries of its
existence the church did not use pictures of Jesus as an aid to
evangelism. This was despite the fact that they were bringing the
gospel to highly visual cultures that had always used imagery to
convey religious ideas. The initial movements towards making
pictures of Christ were initially strongly opposed, and the practice
was formally condemned by the church as late as 753 AD.
Unfortunately, once they had taken hold of the public imagination,
the practice of making visible representations of Christ proved
difficult if not impossible to eradicate and gradually, pictures and
dramatic representations of Jesus became quite commonplace in the
church. At the time of the Reformation, Protestants overwhelmingly
rejected the practice of making images of Jesus as a clear violation
of the Second Commandment.”[6]
You can contact pastor
Webb at info@providencepca.com
“Why I Will Not See
‘The Passion of the Christ‘”
by John LeGare:
“In a New Yorker article entitled “The
Jesus War,” Gibson disclosed to the interviewer his fondness for an Augustinian nun named Anne Catherine Emmerich, described by a web site dedicated to her as a Mystic, Stigmatist, Prophet and Great Visionary. Her visions were recorded in a book before she died in 1924 called The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Here is the account from the
New Yorker piece:
“When Gibson returned to his faith, he acquired, from a nunnery that had closed down a library of hundreds of books… He says that when he was researching
‘The Passion’ one evening he reached up for a book, and Brentanos volume tumbled out of the shelf into his hands. He sat down to read it, and was flabbergasted by the vivid imagery of Emmerichs visions. Amazing images, he said ` She supplied me with stuff I never would have thought of.
“The one image that is most noticeable in ‘The Passion’ is a scene after Jesus scourging, when a grief-stricken Mary gets down on her knees to mop up his blood.’…
“I
dont know if that scene or others of Emmerichs amazing images
have made the final cut but it is not true that the Bible was
Gibsons sole source. The book can be found online at
www.emmerich1.com. I did not
read the entire book but here are two quotes…:
“Her angel-guardian used to appear to her as a child; and when she was taking care of sheep in the fields, the Good Shepherd himself, under the form of a young shepherd, would frequently come to her assistance. From childhood she was accustomed to have divine knowledge imparted to her in visions of all kinds, and was often
favored by visits from the Mother of God and Queen of Heaven, who, under the form of a sweet lovely, and majestic lady, would bring the Divine Child to be, as it were, her companion, and would assure her that she loved and would ever protect her.”
“Whoever compares the following meditations with the short history of the Last Supper given in the Gospel will discover some slight differences between them. An explanation should be given of this, although it can never be sufficiently impressed upon the reader that these writing have no pretensions whatever to add an iota to Sacred Scripture as interpreted by the [Roman Catholic] Church.”
Gibson depended on
another person and book in the making of his soon to be released
movie. That is, Mary of Agredas The Mystical City of God. You can
read about her at
www.passion-movie.gnfi.org/html/mary_of_agreda.html.
(Note: This is the correct address; however, you may have to Google
Mary of Agreda for a good link.) You, the discerning Christian,
can reach you own conclusions as to what this all may mean.
Also, consider some comments about the movie by actor Jim Caviezel
[actor who played the role of Jesus]
and his wife Kerri as spoken in an interview with Fr. Mario Knezovic
for Radio “Mir” Medjugorje:
Jim Caviezel:
“I first heard about Medjugorje in 5th – 6th grade. They said
that it was like the apparitions of [Mary at] Fatima, Guadeloupe, Lourdes, and they quickly said that the
bishop said that it was false… Many years later, I met my
wife, we got married, and after a few years she went to
Medjugorje. While she was there, I was filming “The Count of
Monte Cristo” in Ireland. She called me in Ireland, I felt that
there was a change in her voice, but I wrote it off very
quickly, thinking: “Thats good for you, dear, who am I to take
away from you spiritual experience?” She said that Ivan
Dragicevic was coming to Ireland…I met with him a couple of
times, and during an apparition, I felt a physical presence.”Kerri Caviezel: “It took me 15 years to come [to
Medjugorje]. When I came, I knew immediately – from what I was
feeling in my heart – that it was real. I havent seen signs or
anything, but – I have been a Catholic for my whole life and I
had never felt in confession as I felt when I was here. It was a
tremendous healing.”Jim Caviezel: “The catharsis
for me to play this role was through Medjugorje, through Gospa.
In preparation, I used all that Medjugorje taught me. Mel
Gibson and I were going every day for Mass together. Some days I
couldnt go for Mass, but I was receiving the Eucharist.”Kerri Caviezel: “I pray that we are open to where
ever Mary is leading us and that in all the places where we
go and to the people that we meet around the world, we may bring
these messages.”
Jim Caviezel: “This film is
something that I believe was made by Mary for her Son.
The complete interview can be found here:
http://www.medjugorje.hr/int%20Caviezel%20ENG.htm
“There is much in the way of a Biblical response to this, so be a
good Berean. Ill just suggest 2Corinthians 11:14: ‘And no marvel;
for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light’ and
recommend a book called Messages From Heaven, an excellent Biblical
response to the apparitions of Mary phenomenon.
“There are two principle reasons why I will not see Mr. Gibsons
movie and I direct this opinion to persons that have “obtained like
precious faith” (2Peter 1:1); those who have repented of their sin,
believed the Gospel of Jesus Christ, placed their faith in Him alone
and His substitutionary sacrifice for the salvation of their soul
and have been born again by the Holy Spirit into the family of God.
“Im not going to tell any member of Christs body to not see the
film but my open question to believers is ‘Why would you want to?’
The great euphoria among Christians in regard to the release of this
movie seems more related to the anticipation of seeing the film
rather than excitement about the golden opportunity this movie
presents for reaching the lost with the Gospel….
“The movie itself will not save a single soul! It is
the gospel that ‘…that is the power of God unto salvation to
everyone that believeth’ (Romans 1:16). God has chosen to use the
Gospel message as the instrument of salvation because it proclaims
the Name that has the power to save. That message is not spread by
bloody images on a movie screen. Therefore, I would encourage
Christians to make plans and be ready to give the full Gospel
message to those who have seen the movie instead of making plans to
see it. …
“So, here are the two primary reasons I will not see The Passion of
Christ. The first is the idolatrous nature of the film. The second
encompasses a number of related issues and is based on the professed
and well-known testimony of Mel Gibson being ‘a devout Roman
Catholic.’ Roman Catholicism and, in particular, the Roman Catholic
Mass misrepresent and deny the completed sacrifice of Christ on the
cross by claiming that the sacrifice of Jesus is continued in the
Mass….
“Gibson refers to himself as
a ‘traditionalist Roman Catholic.’ Without going into much detail,
traditionalists reject the ecumenical outreach of the Roman Catholic
Church that was declared at Vatican II. They hold to the rites that
were codified at the Council of Trent in the 16th century that still
hold today. Be advised Christian, the Council of Trent, the
solidification of Roman Catholic theology, produced over 100
anathemas or curses against us ‘heretics’ outside of the Roman
Catholic Church who refuse to submit to Papal authority and Roman
Catholic teaching. Contrary to popular opinion, these curses have
never been retracted …. Mel
Gibson, the creator of The Passion of Christ does not consider
salvation available to anyone who is not a part of the Roman
Catholic Church. In fact, he does not even consider his wife to be
saved. Hear him in his own words:
“I [the interviewer] told Gibson that I am a Protestant, and asked
whether his pre-Vatican II world view disqualified me from eternal
salvation. He paused, There is no salvation for those outside the
[Roman Catholic] Church, he said. I believe it. He explained,
Put it this way. My wife is a saint. Shes a much better person
than I am. Honestly, shes like, Episcopalian, Church of England.
She prays, she believes in God, she knows Jesus. She believes that
stuff. And its just not fair if she doesnt make it, shes better
than I am. But that is a pronouncement from the chair. I go with
it.” (reference)
“…The possible application of 2Corinthians 11:3-4 may make some sense
as I continue to lay out what Im trying to say. Please keep this in
mind:
“But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through
his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity
that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus,
whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye
have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye
might well bear with him.”…
“In regard to the charge that The Passion of Christ is cinematic
idolatry, Ill rely heavily on the thoughts of J. I. Packer from
Chapter Four of his book Knowing God.
“Packer points out that if taken alone it would be natural to assume
that the Second Commandment refers to the worship of images of false
gods as described by Isaiah 44:9-20; 46:6-7 and about which Paul
wrote of in Romans 1:23,25. ‘But in its context the Second
Commandment can hardly be referring to this sort of idolatry, for if
it were it would simply be repeating the thought of the First
Commandment without adding anything to it’ (p.44). Packer quotes
Charles Hodge who says ‘idolatry consists not only in the worship of
false gods, but also in the worship of the true God by images.’ For
the Christian, these men understand the Second Commandment to be
saying that ‘…we are not to make use of visual or pictorial
representations of the Triune God, or of any Person of the Trinity,
for purposes of Christian worship” (p.44). An obvious objection
would be in the form of the Christian saying, ‘Well, Im not going
to see the movie as an overt act of worship.’ Fair enough, but I
believe some (many?) will be drawn into a form of worship that is
spiritually unhealthy and related to Packers point especially in a
film that, by every single account, is extremely and graphically
violent. Some sort of sympathetic identification with the person on
the screen who we would see as the real Jesus Christ seems to me to
be inevitable. “Well, the crucifixion was extremely violent and
bloody” you may say. This no doubt is true, but dont forget about
the extra-Biblical sources Gibson has used. The death of Christ was
violent and bloody but Gibsons film is not THE crucifixion. …
“Packer maintains that the Second Commandment ‘…rules out the
use of pictures and statues of Jesus Christ as a man, although Jesus
Himself was and remains man; for all pictures and statues are
necessarily made after the ‘likeness’ of ideal manhood as WE
[emphasis mine] conceive it, and therefore come under the ban which
the Commandment imposes” (p.45). Many have and will disagree with
Packers position as it would eliminate the use of images as
evangelistic tools. Nevertheless, Packer maintains it must be a
matter of crucial importance as is evidenced by the ‘frightening
sanction’ attached to it.
“The Bible shows us that the glory of God and the spiritual
well-being of humans are both directly bound up with it’ (p.45). The
lines of thought in the Second Commandment relate not to the
perceived helpfulness of the images but to ‘the truth of them.’
Packer continues with the following points:
1) Images dishonor God, for they obscure His Glory. He quotes
Calvin: ‘A true image of God is not to be found in all the world;
and hence…His glory is defiled, and His truth corrupted by the
lie, whenever He is set before our eyes in a visible form.
Therefore, to devise any image of God is itself impious because by
this corruption His Majesty is adulterated, and He is figured to be
other than He is.’ This thought can be applied directly to the
depiction of Jesus in The Passion of Christ. Packer points out that
any image of Jesus ‘…inevitably conceals most, if not all, of the
truth about the personal nature and character of the Divine Being
who they represent’ (p.46).
Packer continues,
“…the pathos of the crucifix obscures the glory of Christ,
for it hides the fact of His Deity, His victory on the cross,
and His present kingdom. It displays His human weakness, but it
conceals His divine strength; it depicts the reality of His
pain, but keeps out of our sight the reality of His joy and His
power. In both these cases, the symbol is unworthy most of all
because of what it fails to display” (p.46).
“…Images mislead us, for they convey false ideas about God.
‘The
very inadequacy with which they represent Him perverts our thoughts
of Him and plants in our minds errors of all sorts about His
character and will’ (p.46-47). Church, we should get our idea of God
from what He has revealed to us about Himself. This revelation comes
to us through the Bible. Only from the Bible “…may we form a true
notion of God; without it we never can. Thus it appears that the
positive force of the Second Commandment is that it compels us to
take our thoughts of God from His own Holy word, and from no other
source whatsoever” (p.48).
If Packers analysis is correct and has application to The Passion
of Christ, to see this movie could very well be spiritually damaging
to many Christians. I guess you will have to decide that for
yourself. As for me and my house, we will remain fixed on the image
of the Risen Christ as described by the Apostle John:
“…and in the midst
of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a
garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a
golden band. His head and hair were white like wool, as white
as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire; His feet were like
fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the
sound of many waters (Revelation 1:13-15).Seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put
him to an open shame Hebrews 6:6b
[Note: There is much
more information in this article. To read all of it, including the
references, go to
http://www.informedchristians.com/articles/ART-why_i_will_not_see.htm
You can contact John
LeGare at jlegare1@scc.net
The following articles
may also interest you. Unlike the earlier two, they don’t
necessarily reflect our views:
Will Mel Gibson’s Passion of Christ help save Christianity?
by Daniel Johnson (2-11-04):
“I am, however, a practicing Roman Catholic. For me, the repudiation of anti-Semitism in all forms is not merely an issue of the utmost moral and theological significance….Gibson belongs to a small sect, the Old Catholics, who left the Church more than a century ago over the issue of papal infallibility and have been out of communion with other Catholics ever since. Hence Gibson is not bound by the constantly evolving Catholic doctrine on Judaism and the Holocaust.
…The American Catholic establishment, still reeling from the drubbing it received from the media over so-called paedophile priests, regards Gibson as an embarrassment.”
“Exclusive Interview With Father Di Noia of the Doctrinal Congregation
:
Q: Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ” has been a newsmaker for months
— well before its scheduled release. As one of the handful of people who have
actually seen it, what is your overall impression of the film?
Father Di Noia: Seeing this film will be an intensely religious experience for
many people. It was for me.
Q: Is the film faithful to account of the passion of Christ in the New
Testament?
Father Di Noia: Remember, there are four accounts of the passion of Christ in
the New Testament, concerned chiefly to present the religious meaning of these
events.
“Mel Gibson’s film is not a documentary but a work of artistic imagination. He
incorporates elements from the Passion narratives of Matthew, Mark, Luke and
John, but remains faithful to the fundamental structure common to all four
accounts. Within the limits possible in an imaginative reconstruction of the
passion of Christ, Gibson’s film is entirely faithful to the New Testament. …
“But Maia Morgenstern’s Mary is equally powerful. It reminded me of something St.
Anselm said in a sermon about the Blessed Mother: Without God’s Son, nothing
could exist; without Mary’s Son, nothing could be redeemed…..
“There is a powerful Catholic sensibility at work here. In his recent encyclical
on the Eucharist, Pope John Paul II says that Christ established the memorial of
his passion and death before he suffered — in anticipation of the actual
sacrifice of the cross. In Mel Gibson’s artistic imagination, Christ “remembers”
the Last Supper even as he enacts the sacrifice it memorializes.
“For many Catholics who see these images, Mass will never be the same. In any
case, issues of originality entirely aside, Mel Gibson’s film will undoubtedly
be considered to be among the very best.
Q: Does “The Passion” blame anyone for what happened to Christ?
Father Di Noia: That’s a very interesting, and very difficult question. Suppose
you pose it to someone who was unfamiliar with the Gospel passion narratives
until seeing this film.
Q: There has been a lot of controversy about the film’s alleged anti-Semitism or
anti-Judaism. Can you tell ZENIT what you think about this?
Father Di Noia: Speaking as a Catholic theologian, I would be bound to condemn
anti-Semitism or anti-Judaism in any recounting of the passion and death of
Christ — and not just because of the terrible harm that has been done to Jewish
people on these grounds, but also because, as I have already suggested, this
represents a profound misreading of the passion narratives.
“But let me answer your question plainly: There is absolutely nothing
anti-Semitic or anti-Jewish about Mel Gibson’s film.
Endnotes:
1. “Behind
film endorsed by both Catholics and Protestants is a stigmatic whose
life and revelations continue to amaze“
2. Peter J. Boyer, “The Jesus War: Mel Gibson &
‘The Passion‘,”
The New Yorker, September 15, 2003.
3.
Terry Mattingly,
“The passion of old words and symbols,”
January 21, 2004.
4.
“Visual Arts in Worship: A Search for Biblical Guidance,” Worship Leader
Magazine, January/February 2004.
5.
Professor Robert K. Johnston, “Engaging Culture: Should the Church
use popular culture — such as movies — to engage unbelievers in
spiritual dialog?” Worship Leader
Magazine, January/February 2004; page 34.
6.
Pastor Andrew J. Webb, “Five Reasons Not to Go See
The Passion of Christ,”
7.
Jody Dean, “Perspective on ‘The Passion of the Christ,”
Religion Today at
http://www.religiontoday.com/faith/1242963.html.
8.
Lindy Warren,
“Witness
to the Passion,”
“The
movie is great, but not the gospel,”
Assist News at
http://www.assistnews.net/Stories/s04020060.htm.
10.
John LeGare, “Why I Will Not See
‘The Passion of the Christ.'”
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