By contrast, The Passion of the Christ has already proven its effectiveness as an evangelism tool in producing Catholic conversions and encouraging Catholic devotion: It is largely for this reason that the Jesus film has not been utilized or endorsed by Roman Catholics. As Mel Gibson, a devout Roman Catholic put it so well "It reflects my beliefs." The Passion of the Christ is a Roman Catholic movie, made by a Roman Catholic director, with Roman Catholic theological advisers, and which gained the endorsement of Pope John Paul II who said after viewing it "It is as it was."(4) This is in marked contrast to the Jesus film, which is unabashedly Protestant and Evangelical in its production and message and which has been widely used in evangelizing Roman Catholics.
Expressing a widely held view amongst the film’s supporters, Lisa Wheeler, associate editor of Catholic Exchange, a Web portal dedicated to Catholic evangelism, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution "It’s the best evangelization opportunity we’ve had since the actual death of Jesus."(2)īut should Evangelicals be supporting The Passion of the 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? After careful consideration my conclusion is an unequivocal "No." Here then are five reasons why I believe Evangelicals should not see or recommend the Passion of the Christ.ġ) Its Origins: Even though Evangelicals are promoting The Passion of the Christ, it is not an Evangelical movie. Currently, The Passion of the Christ is riding a groundswell of nationwide support from both Evangelicals and Roman Catholics, with many well-known Evangelical congregations, such as best selling author and Pastor Rick Warren’s Saddleback Church which purchased 18,000 tickets at seven theatres, doing everything they can to ensure that The Passion of the Christ will be a smash hit amongst Christians and "seekers". Many noted Evangelicals including James Dobson and Billy Graham have also come forward to endorse The Passion of the Christ and recommend its use as a teaching tool. In an interview on the Roman Catholic Television Network EWTN, Gibson candidly stated why this movie is so different from all his others, "It reflects my beliefs-I’ve never done that before."(1) He is also quite open about his desire to see his movie used for worldwide evangelism.
The date of the release was deliberately chosen to coincide with the Roman Catholic holy day of Ash Wednesday, and is indicative of the fact that for Gibson, his film was more of a work of devotion than a money making enterprise.
On FebruIcon films, will be releasing Mel Gibson’s much anticipated film The Passion of the Christ.
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