On Saturday morning, a man appeared before almost 4,000 people at all-Christian Azusa Pacific University near Los Angeles and gave a sermon of sorts. The feed was broadcast to 2,000 churches nationwide via satellite.
Was it the pope? Jerry Falwell?
Nope. Just Mel Gibson.
Gibson may soon become a religious figure in his own right if his new movie, “The Passion of Christ,” converts as many people to Christianity as he wants. Already, church leaders from Azusa to the Adirondacks are buying out theaters like they were Bibles. Preachers are planning sermons around the Ash Wednesday (Feb. 25) release date as Gibson gives away promotional materials to church leaders like candy to preschoolers.
For those non-believers, like me, this may seem like an unwanted blitz of the sort Oregon quarterback Kellen Clemens might face. The controversial movie will be all over the media for the next few weeks, and some Christian leaders are calling it the greatest recruiting tool in their history.
But, even though I don’t want to be recruited, I still say “Go Mel.” I don’t share his beliefs, but I admire his, well, “Passion.” When someone is so impassioned about his religious views, it’s easy for those of us who think differently to jerk our knees and fire off bullets of criticism. But maybe it’s time to honor somebody for his fervor instead of lambasting him for his views.
Gibson funded the movie almost entirely by himself. It only cost $25 million, not much by Hollywood’s standards, but Gibson didn’t have a major studio to open its wallet for him. He shot the movie, which tells the tale of the last 12 hours of Jesus’ life, entirely on location in southern Italy.
The cherry on top of the sundae is that the tale is told entirely in the languages of the time — Aramaic and Latin — with English subtitles.
It’s certainly one of the most ambitious religious movies ever, if only because of the subject material. Actor Jim Caviezel, who plays Jesus, went through seven hours of makeup per day for later scenes, which depict Christ’s crucifixion.
The movie has come under fire from Jewish leaders, who say it has anti-Semitic overtones. One Los Angeles-area rabbi, Marvin Hier, saw the movie twice and still told the Los Angeles Times it was anti-Semitic. Jews, other than Jesus’ disciples, are cast as the “bad guys” complicit in Jesus’ death. Hier said Jews are “portrayed cruelly.”
But Gibson insists the movie isn’t meant to be anti-Semitic. At the question-and-answer session in Los Angeles on Saturday, he strongly denied the accusations and said he harbors no ill will for Judaism. Christ’s death is an important event in both religions, so hopefully the movie won’t create a rift between the two.
I admire most Gibson’s leap of faith into producing this movie. He obviously cares deeply about the subject and wanted desperately to put this exact movie into the American subconscious. It’s along the lines of Michael Moore’s “Bowling for Columbine” or Steven Spielberg’s “Schindler’s List.” None of these movies would have been made if not for their makers’ deep passion for the subjects.
And yes, Gibson’s topic is unappealing to many moviegoers. We don’t want to face the issue of religion because it’s hard to face within ourselves. Personally, my parents took me to church when I was younger but it never really “stuck.” Now I don’t hold onto a faith, but I admire those who do. I suspect that I’m not strong enough, and that’s why it’s easier for me to criticize than to praise those with strong faith.
So, Mel, you may not convert me but you’ve converted my way of thinking by injecting this movie into the culture. Hopefully others can do that, at least.
Godspeed, Mel. So to speak.