Fiery Darts Are Backfiring: Showing The Passion in the Middle East

BreakPoint with Charles Colson ^ | April 8, 2004 | Charles Colson

[Mr. Silverback]

Surprisingly, theaters in Doha, Qatar, and Amman, Jordan, are showing The Passion of the Christ. A Qatari English-language newspaper, The Peninsula, headlines, “Passion runs full house.” On March 21 three theaters in Doha were sold-out and pre-booked for days ahead. An official of the Qatar Cinema and Film Distribution Board boasts that Qatar is so open that no film was refused permission for showing there last year and that the distributor was amazed when Qatar requested The Passion. Censors okayed it without any cuts, and the official expects the film to run for at least two months.

And some mullahs are encouraging their Muslim followers to see the film. Why such an unexpected endorsement? The false rumors that the film is anti-Semitic have reached the mullahs, and as one missionary explains, “since they hate the Jews, they want to see it.” Muslims recognize Jesus as a prophet, and although they believe Muhammad superseded Him, they still revere and respect Christ. So when they hear of a film which is alleged to show Jews crucifying Christ, some Muslims welcome the opportunity to revel in a depiction of the wickedness of their long-time enemies.

But many Muslims are responding to the film in ways their mullahs hadn’t intended. One viewer recognized, “When they show a story of the Romans . . . in ancient times, it doesn’t mean the present-day Italians are responsible.” By analogy, he reasoned that, even if he construed the film as depicting first-century Jews as instigators of Christ’s crucifixion, that would not be an indictment of modern Israelis.

An even more important consequence shows up in an e-mail from a missionary, who marvels, “In two short hours more Qataris heard the Gospel than I have been able to reach in nearly five years living here. At the 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. showings, the film was running in all three theaters.” He estimated that more than 50 percent of the people in the theater were local Muslims—including completely veiled women.

After viewing the film with a former student, he told him in Arabic, “You think that this film is here because of ‘freedom of speech’ or the new openness of your government, but actually God Himself has sent this film to correct your total misunderstanding about who Jesus is and why He came to earth.” For two hours, the missionary and the student discussed the differences between Islam and Christianity, and the cross—the heart of our message.

The missionary adds, “How interesting that God is using this film to communicate the Gospel [in] the very opposite spirit that might be motivating [Muslims] to see it. The message to love your enemies, and Jesus’ praying for them to be forgiven while on the cross, would hit the Muslim moviegoer in a powerful way.”

With theaters in Jordan and Qatar scheduled to show the film for at least two months, and with videos and DVDs selling briskly, the potential is staggering.

Isn’t God amazing? He is using charges of anti-Semitism to stimulate Muslim mullahs to encourage their followers to see a Christian film during Holy Week—in essence, to make fiery darts backfire.

[Mr. Silverback]

Isn’t God amazing? He is using charges of anti-Semitism to stimulate Muslim mullahs to encourage their followers to see a Christian film during Holy Week—in essence, to make fiery darts backfire.

Heh-heh! God is good all the time.

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[Mr. Silverback]

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[E. Pluribus Unum]

Muslims recognize Jesus as a prophet, and although they believe Muhammad superseded Him...

Muhammad was a demon-possessed, mass-murdering pedophile.

[Mr. Silverback]

Ping!

[TigerLikesRooster]

Hmm. Eventually clerics could have second thoughts, and to them, this may go down as another evil American plot to corrupt devout Muslims.:)

[Mr. Silverback]

But that doesn't change the fact that they view him as a prophet, and that (after showing them love so they know where you're coming from) showing the contrast between Jesus and Muhammad is the best way to reach Muslims.

[jocon307]

Who would ever, ever have thought, years ago, watching Mad Max (or actually NOT watching it, as my friend & I didn't, we actaully switched the TV to a re-run of 'The Thornbirds', some irony there. Mad Max was just too much of a "guy thing" for us) that Mel Gibson would ever have created such a world powerful film.

The controversy was expectable, the reception has proved quite nearly miraculous.

Not only is God good all the time, I think He loves a surprise.

[stuartcr]

As they say in those countries...if God wills it...just goes to show that there truly is one God, and it really doesn't matter what you name Him...God, Jesus, Allah, etc....He hears all prayers, whether Christian, Muslim, Jewish, etc.

[mlmr]

I think that there is something the "GUYS" do well. Men have built civilizations, fought wars and forged nations. Women have been there also, but there is something so creative and passionate about how testosterone works....

[Bigg Red]

I would like to think that this film could convert people, but my sense when I saw it was that conversion through the film alone was highly unlikely. I did, however, have the feeling that it would strengthen the faith of someone who is already a believer in Christ. That said, the Spirit moves in mysterious ways.

[hope]

The Mullah's love this movie because they view it as "a Jew get's it in the end"...But, God's Word will NOT return to Him void.

[Bigg Red]

Men have built civilizations, fought wars and forged nations.

^^
Amen!

[jocon307]

"Men have built civilizations, fought wars and forged nations. Women have been there also..."

Guys do the outward work, women do the baby thing. At least when civilization works properly.

CS Lewis is great on this stuff, I wish I could give you a cite, but I can't. But you cannot fail to be enlightened if you read "Mere Christianity" or "The Abolition of Man". I probably saw his explanations of the male/female roles in one of those books, since they are the only two I read in their entirety.

May God help us, because I think that now conservatism is finally waging an offensive action to regain the ground lost over the past 40 years.

[Aquinasfan]

Isn’t God amazing? He is using charges of anti-Semitism to stimulate Muslim mullahs to encourage their followers to see a Christian film during Holy Week—in essence, to make fiery darts backfire.

Just as He turned the critics' attacks into free publicity. He is amazing.

This is the solution to the Problem of Evil.

"The omnipotence and omnibenevolence of God is such as to bring good from evil. Hence God allows evil to exist so as to create latter, greater good."

--St. Thomas Aquinas

[Aquinasfan]

Not only is God good all the time, I think He loves a surprise.

He certainly does. Look who he picked for Apostles. Who would have picked Mother Angelica, from deep in the heart of the Bible belt, to head a worldwide Catholic television and radio network?

[walden]

"Men have built civilizations, fought wars and forged nations."

And every single one of them was brought into this world by a woman. ;) Now, go thank your mom.

[MudPuppy]

God definitely has a most perfect sense of humor.

He picked a sinner like me and turned my heart to Him. There's no going back. He's all good and all merciful.

[FourPeas]

In two short hours more Qataris heard the Gospel than I have been able to reach in nearly five years living here.

Praise God! What a truly amazing way to bring His Good News into places where it otherwise cannot go. Oh, how God loves.