Passion of the Christ Archive

News and information as well as Reformed perspectives about Mel Gibson's movie The Passion of the Christ.

Pilate Marveled (12/09/04 - 0 Comments)
In the wake of The Passion of the Christ and the increased awareness of the events surrounding Jesus' death I have seen several discussions about why Pilate showed surprise that Jesus died so quickly. These discussions are based on the gospel of Mark where we read:

Now when evening had come, because it was the Preparation Day, that is, the day before the Sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent council member, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, coming and taking courage, went in to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Pilate marveled that He was already dead; and summoning the centurion, he asked him if He had been dead for some time. So when he found out from the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph.

Read It – Mark 15:42-45 (ESV).

To understand Pilate's surprise it is important to know that crucifixion was a method of execution designed to prolong suffering...

Gibson’s Passion and Mary "Co-redemptrix" (03/31/04 - 39 Comments)
Dr. Mark Miravalle has written a fascinating article for the Catholic Information Network that speaks about Mary's portrayal in The Passion of the Christ. Miravalle is Professor of Theology and Mariology at Franciscan University of Steubenville, so obviously something of an expert on the subject. Here are some interesting quotes: In a recent interview with Mel Gibson, Christianity Today referred to Gibson as a traditionalist Catholic who "likes the Tridentine Latin Mass and calls Mary...

The Passion's Porn Connection (03/31/04 - 9 Comments)
I am going to approach this matter with caution and brevity, for I certainly do not want to cause anyone to stumble. Several people have inquired whether or not I can verify the claims some people are making that many of the actresses cast in The Passion of the Christ have been involved in pornography. Since the movie’s launch rumors have abounded that this is true but few have had it proven to their satisfaction....

The Passion of The Christ - Results? (03/16/04 - 43 Comments)
In the days leading up to the release of The Passion of the Christ we heard time and again how this movie was going to provide the best outreach opportunity in the past 2000 years. We heard church leaders telling Christians to support this movie to ensure that Gibson did not lose his $30 million investment. Thousands of churches bought blocks of tickets, hundreds or even thousands of them, and gave them away to their...

The Passion Pays Off (03/08/04 - 3 Comments)
The Passion of the Christ took in over $50 million this weekend to move past the $200 million mark in just 12 days. What was once thought to be a $30 million risk has turned into a bona fide blockbuster. But the box office is not the only place where money is rolling in. The State features an article about Passion-related merchandising. Bob Siemon Designs, which created the nail pendant and Passion crucifix, has employees...

The Devil's Child (A Passion Topic) (03/04/04 - 19 Comments)
Many people have emailed me or posted comments on this site wondering about the significance of the disfigured baby Satan is holding during the scourging of Jesus. Christianity Today puts the controversy to rest in this article. "Please explain the symbolism in the scene showing Satan holding a bald baby. Thank you." That's just one of dozens of e-mails we've received in the last few days, asking about a surreal scene in The Passion of...

The Passion of the Christ According to Emmerich (02/28/04 - 26 Comments)
The Passion of the Christ has been described by Protestant leaders as being ï¿½factually accurate,ï¿½ ï¿½very accurate [in the details],ï¿½ ï¿½realistic,ï¿½ ï¿½biblical,ï¿½ ï¿½an accurate account,.ï¿½ ï¿½a true representation of Jesusï¿½ and ï¿½close to the Scriptures.ï¿½ All of these quotes were taken from The Passion Outreach Web site, a resource dedicated to helping churches of all denominations capitalize on this movie. This movie is continually described as an exceedingly accurate portrayal of the gospel account of...

Movie Review: The Passion of the Christ (Part Three) (02/27/04 - 114 Comments)
This site has never experienced traffic like it has had over the past two days following my review of The Passion of the Christ. At the time of writing this twenty five people have posted comments about the story and I have received many more comments via email. Surprisingly it seems many people agree with my assessments in so far as I say that the movie is the gospel on a macro level but anything...

Movie Review: The Passion of the Christ (Part Two) (02/26/04 - 176 Comments)
This is the second part of my review of The Passion of the Christ. The first part can be found here and is a scene-by-scene description of the film. In this part I am going to analyze the movie under several headings. I do not pretend to be an authority on movies so I will analyze the content of the movie - its quality as a representation of the Bible and not its quality as...

Movie Review: The Passion of the Christ (Part One) (02/25/04 - 51 Comments)
This is part one of a two part review of the movie The Passion of the Christ. In the first part I am going to give a detailed scene-by-scene synopsis of the film. It will contain plenty of spoilers so if such things bother you, you may want to skip it. However, if you are at all familiar with the gospel stories you already know much of the story. Tomorrow I will follow the synopsis...

I Have Seen The Movie... (02/25/04 - 7 Comments)
I have seen The Passion of the Christ and will have a full review later this evening. I have a prior committment this evening but will post the review when I return....

The Reviews Are Coming In... (02/24/04 - 8 Comments)
Reviews are finally starting to pour in for The Passion of the Christ. I have been looking forward to reading some of the reviews since to this point the vast majority of people who have seen the movie are either Christians or are at least religious. They are hardly able to objectively judge and evaluate the movie. Now, though, we have hoards of secular reviewers who will be writing reivews. The site I go to...

Banner of Truth on The Passion (02/23/04 - 13 Comments)
Thanks to Maryanne for sending me a link to an excellent article in The Banner of Truth entitled Five Reasons Not To Go See The Passion of Christ. The author (Andrew J. Webb) focuses on the movie's origins, script, theology, medium and main character. Many of his points are similar to ones I have been thinking, praying and writing about. Here are some pertinent quotes: This is in marked contrast to the Jesus film, which...

More About Mel (02/21/04 - 5 Comments)
Should this make me nervous? I know I sometimes have the tendency to "throw out the baby with the bath-water" but quotes like this do not do much for my confidence in the effects this movie will have: "After both of The Passion screenings I attended, the Protestant women talked about identifying with Mary as a mother who was watching her child suffer. From whatever point in his spirituality Gibson's treatment of Mary is springing,...

Newsweek on The Passion of the Christ (02/10/04 - 0 Comments)
Newsweek is featuring a cover article on The Passion of the Christ in their current issue. You can read the full text of the article here. From a Christian perspective the article shows terrible theology and a view of the Bible that strips it of its inspired origin. Though deeply flawed, the article makes for an interesting read. An example: Amid the clash over Gibson's film and the debates about the nature of God, wheth-er...

The Passion of the Christ Article (02/09/04 - 2 Comments)
The New Yorker ran a fascinating article on The Passion of the Christ in their September 15 issue. It gives a lot of the background to the movie, focusing on Mel Gibson's background and beliefs as well as the controversy the movement generated based on its perceived racism. The full text of the article can be read here. Here are some interesting snippets: I told Gibson that I am a Protestant, and asked whether his...

The Passion Of Jesus Christ (By John Piper) (02/06/04 - 0 Comments)
John Piper has just released a new book titled The Passion of Jesus Christ. Sounds vaguely familiar, doesn't it? The book is obviously intended to coincide with the release of the movie. He is offering cases of 108 of the books for a suggested donation of $130 provided you promise to give the books away (rather than sell them). I have not read the book (though I intend to read the chapters posted on the...

The Passion of the Christ & The Second Commandment (02/06/04 - 0 Comments)
I found the following article posted over at He Lives. I had intended to go searching for just such an article today, so thanks David for saving me the Google time. It was not until I had finished reading that I noticed it was written by a close friend of my parents who is also a former pastor of mine. The article looks at the second commandment and then draws examples of violations of it...

The Passion of the Christ - A Different Perspective (02/05/04 - 1 Comments)
The L.A. Times published a fascinating article in yesterday's edition about The Passion of the Christ. Written from a skeptical point-of-view, it provides some interesting food for thought. Below are some excerpts: Just what kind of box office "The Passion" will do when it opens Feb. 25 is impossible to predict. But it is clear that Gibson has tapped into a network of Christian church-based marketing that has been maturing for decades and that has...

The Passion & Pragmatism (01/31/04 - 11 Comments)
I have indicated several times that I have concerns with the upcoming movie The Passion of the Christ. I would like to provide some information about why I have those concerns. Primarily, the concerns stem from the fact that my church is going to be heavily invested in this movie. Until I discovered my church’s plans in regard to the film I had little interest in it. But then my pastors have announced that they...

The Passion of the Christ Updates (01/26/04 - 7 Comments)
Scouring the news sites I came up with some interesting links in regards to Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ. Hollywood Jesus has a review. You may want to turn down your speakers because the movie's trailer plays automatically when you go to the site. Scroll down to the bottom of the page for the review. The Washington Times has an article about Christian leaders as well as some Jewish leaders who saw the...

My Concerns With The Passion of the Christ (01/23/04 - 36 Comments)
The Passion of the Christ goes against everything I believe in. Or more accurately, it goes against everything I was raised to believe in. In the tradition I was raised (Canadian Reformed Church) movies were generally regarded as a sinful form of entertainment. Going to a theatre was to bring oneself into the “playground of the ungodly.” Portraying Christ in any way, even in a picture in a child’s story Bible was considered wrong. And...

Mel Gibson Spreads Passion (01/22/04 - 1 Comments)
The following article is taken from E Online. Mel Gibson wants moviegoers to get their fill of The Passion of the Christ. The Hollywood star's Icon Productions has announced plans, along with indie distributor Newmarket Films, to release his controversial movie about the last 12 hours in the life of Jesus Christ on 2,000 screens in theaters nationwide on February 25, Ash Wednesday....

The Passion of the Christ (01/22/04 - 3 Comments)
Mel Gibson's movie The Passion of the Christ is due to hit theatres on February 25, 2004. This movie has received universal acclaim from Christians who have seen it with reviews ranging from positive to ecstatic. Many are saying that this movie represents the greatest opportunity for evangelism and outreach that they have seen in their lifetimes. As a matter of fact, the movie is proclaiming itself the greatest outreach opportunity in the past 2000...

The Passion of the Christ (01/15/04 - 8 Comments)
Thousands of churches are still in the midst of Rick Warren’s 40 Days of Purpose and little do they know that if they do not hurry it up, they are going to miss out on the best outreach opportunity of the past 2000 years! Yes indeed, Mel Gibson’s movie “The Passion of The Christ” is proclaiming itself just that. They have even created a Web site geared specifically to this purpose. I have to admit,...