Wednesday, February 25, 2004
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Wednesday, February 25, 2004 |
Pastor expects movie to raise questionsBy J. FRANK LYNCH Nobody is sure what to expect when Mel Gibson’s highly publicized film “The Passion of The Christ” opens today at Tinseltown and nearly 3,000 other movie theaters nationwide. Will people walk out in disgust? Be moved beyond tears in emotion? Will revival break out amid the spilled popcorn and sticky floors? Several Fayette County churches have at least taken steps to prepare their membership, as well as the community at large, for the reaction some moviegoers are sure to have to Gibson’s graphic telling of the final violent, bloody hours of Jesus’ life. The Rev. Frank Ellis, pastor of Fayetteville First Baptist, has preached sermons the past two Sundays on what audiences can expect to see in the movie, and whether Gibson’s depiction of the crucifixion is historically and Biblically accurate. For the next three Sundays, Ellis is preparing sermons aimed toward those who’ve already seen the movie and now have questions, particularly non-Christians or unchurched moviegoers. “I’ve been preparing our people to be ready to answer the tough questions a lot of people are going to have,” said Ellis. “People come out of this movie asking ‘Did this really happen?’ and, ‘What does this mean to me?’” First Baptist is also hosting discussion groups organized by church members, and several Sunday school classes are studying the movie and its meaning using special resource guides provided by the Southern Baptist Convention. Two weeks ago, church-members gathered to watch a live satellite Q&A session with Gibson broadcast from California. Also, the church has been distributing movie posters around the community, and ordered 5,000 “Passion” door hangers to canvass neighborhoods. Clearly, the gory, bloody nature of the film is not for everybody, Ellis concedes. While he described the beatings and torture endured by Jesus and details of the crucifixion itself in his sermon last Sunday, a handful of worshippers quietly slipped out. Many more are likely to walk out of movie screenings as well, though Ellis said the physical torment shown in the movie is believed to be far less brutal than reality. “I’ve had a number of our members come up to me and say, ‘I’m not sure I want to see this movie,’ and I have to say that I have my own hesitation,” said Ellis. “But I also believe from what I read and what I’ve heard that this movie has the power to change people’s lives in ways they cannot imagine, and I don’t want to miss that.” “From what I’ve been hearing and what I’m telling people is that the violence is not gratuitous.” The graphic nature of the film has earned it an “R” rating, but that might not be the only thing that keeps people away. “The Passion of The Christ” is filmed entirely in Aramaic and Latin, with English subtitles, which can make for difficult viewing. But the language, just as the violence shown itself, was necessary to remain historically accurate. The film opens with Jesus in the Garden of Gesthemane, and concludes just hours later as he is crucified and takes his final breath. Ellis suggested that the narrow window of the story has a powerful impact. “The full depth of his ddespair when He cries out, ‘My God, My God, why has though forsaken me?’ can’t be comprehended by us,” said Ellis. “That comes across very clearly in this movie, the pain and agony He felt.” Ellis said he has no qualms about promoting Gibson’s film, which has been more than 10 years in the making, because he doesn’t question the Australian’s motives as some critics have chosen to do. “Mel Gibson had all this world has to offer, money, fame,” said Ellis. “And then he realized one day that even with all that, he still had nothing. He discovered that life had more to offer, and he set out to share that.” Added Ellis, “I wish all these people questioning the motives of Mel Gibson for making this movie would ask that same question of all the other Hollywood producers and the movies they make.”
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