Posted on 02/27/2004 12:39:08 PM PST by Mr. Silverback
Every once in a while, a movie comes along that has everybody talking even before it opens. Of course, it's not surprising when it's the latest LORD OF THE RINGS movie or a new installment of STAR WARS and tickets sell by the thousands beforehand. People know these stories and characters, and they can't wait to see them on screen. But who would have expected a movie about Jesus Christ to cause the same kind of excitement? Yet that's exactly what happened with Mel Gibson's THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST, which opened on Wednesday, the first day of Lent.
The media has concentrated on whether or not the film is anti-Semitic -- that's an issue I've discussed before and you can read my answer on our website. Emphatically, the answer is no. But much of the media would grasp at anything to discourage people from seeing this film. And the reason is obvious. Audiences, including some of the BreakPoint staff, report being almost overwhelmed. The director, cast, and crew saw this as a story that deserved their very best, and they created nothing less than a great work of art.
The result has been that Christians and non-Christians alike feel drawn to the film. Internet film critic Harry Knowles, who showed the film to a group of "mainly agnostic" movie lovers, told the WASHINGTON POST that it "blew the audience away." Knowles continued, "We're not a Bible-thumping community. I'm as liberal as can be. And I think I understand the message [of suffering and forgiveness] better than they do" -- referring to the conservatives.
Well, I'm not sure of that. But Knowles's comments raise an important point. Here at BreakPoint, we're always saying, Christians need to engage the popular culture to bring a Christian voice to arenas where it desperately needs to be heard. This film is a chance for people to see that, contrary to popular belief, Christian art doesn't have to be dull or amateurish. In the past, Christians have created some of the most vibrant and inspiring art ever made, and this film follows in that tradition. It is an excellent production, bringing new meaning to the Christian belief that Jesus took our place on the cross. And in the film you realize what a horrible place it was; what a great salvation we have; and what a huge debt of love we owe.
To help you prepare, we've written a short study guide to THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST. If you plan to see the movie, please visit our website (www.breakpoint.org) before you go, to learn what to expect and to pick up some talking points and discussion questions for you and your friends. Also some warnings: The film is so realistic it may be more than some people can handle, especially young children. Of course, this isn't gratuitous or provocative violence; it's simply what happened.
The best art brings out our deepest emotions and forces us to confront ourselves and the world around us. This film owes a great deal to Mel Gibson's own meditations on the last hours of Christ's life. His work can aid us in confronting the truth about God, ourselves, and the world. And this is happening to moviegoers of all beliefs and backgrounds.
Opportunities like this don't come around very often. If you haven't been yet, take a friend to the film or talk to your neighbors who have seen it. Make sure they understand the message of the movie, and then explain what to do once that message is understood.
Preacher?(you?)
Did you see the rather unabashed review that I wrote?
Amen!!!
I teach math, but I remembered I do have a dictionary in my classroom. I looked up Gnostic. I see where maestro is coming from. He behaves like a Pharisee. I am not impressed.
Thanks.
I was heartened to see a professor from Dallas Seminary defend The Passion on O'Reilly. Dallas TS is like the summa cum laude of Baptist (dispensationalist) seminaries. That was probably not noticed by too many of O'Reilly's viewers
The defenders of the film now need to turn to the Word for a more sustaining love of Christ. Impressions and emotions drawn from the film are strong but fleeting. However, the Word, our "daily bread" is able to occupy our thoughts today and years from now.
But my point is the very opposite. You have many who are very much under the non-Catholic "shingle" rallying to this film.
(The movie did not show that) the veil was rent in twain in the holy of the holies, from top to bottom. . . man, now had access to the Heavenly Father through Christ, and no more blood sacrifices,
This is a very good point you are making here. The post-crucifixion earthquake damage depicted within the temple conveyed this somewhat. But your broader point --access to the Father -- may not have been conveyed as strongly. But here I think that you run up against the limitation of movie-making.
Did the movie adequately represent the deity of Christ in the person of the actor? Obviously not. On the other hand, there were contemporaries of Christ who did not behold that deity when they were in the very presence of our Lord.
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