Still Thinking Out Loud About the Passion

Let me be clear: I have no problem with The Passion of Christ. I have no doubt that Gibson has made an emotionally devastating and spiritually transforming movie.

Before I write my next thought, I need to make a disclosure. I have a cynical nature. I might even go so far as to call it a spiritual gift if it wouldnt seem so presumptuous. Christians can be extremely gullible and overly sentimental. At times, my function in the community of faith is to provide a counter-balance to this. Im not a wild-eyed true believer. I dont readily go with the crowd. Im not much of a cheerleading preacher. My faith is a bit more guarded, a tad more reserved than most. It has been shaped by seasons of overwhelming doubt. When others around me are getting excited about something, Im usually looking for a curtain to pull back, a hoax to unveil. This trait drives my wife crazy.

Having said that, I say this. My only problem with The Passion is with the way evangelical Christians are marketing and promoting it. As a work of art, I believe The Passion has tremendous potential for evangelism. However, if we cover Gibsons art in too much evangelical Christian cheese, then the full force of the movies message may be blunted, because to normal people, its going to take on the stench of just another right-wing evangelical ploy designed to take our country back for God.

This may sound completely absurdand Ill understand if you immediately file this post under thoughts from a foolbut I find myself wishing that Gibsons project could have stayed underground and not gone mainstream. No English subtitles. No major distributor. Just a subversive, artsy movie about the death of Jesus made by a director as an expression of his love for his Savior. There is no chance of that now. Marketing packets have been sold to churches. Theatres have been reserved. People have been invited to see a movie that everyone is talking about. In the tradition of big time American evangelical Christianity we have taken this thing over the top. That may not be a bad thing. Because of the media coverage, millions of people will be hearing about Jesus death on the cross and the meaning behind it. Thousands of people may very well become Christ-followers because of this movie and the way churches are using it.

Here is where my cynical nature kicks in. How many people will find themselves, just after this movie is over, in the uncomfortable situation of having to rebuff yet another evangelistic appeal over coffee? How many people will feel taken advantage of when they realize that the reason they were invited to this movie is because they were someone elses evangelistic project?

You know what Id really like to do? Id like to go to a showing of this movie that isnt full of Christians. In Tulsa, thats going to be hard to do. Maybe I should fly up to Seattle or Vancouver for a day and check it out there. I am very curious to see how people who have not been prepped by the evangelical community will respond to it.