Open Mouth, Insert Film
Mel Gibson became an evangelical icon when he released The Passion of the Christ several years ago. Gibson maintained that (a) he was not an antisemite, and (b) that the depiction of various Jewish characters in the film was not intended to be antisemetic. Many well-known conservative Christians were quick to endorse that viewpoint.
Separating the art from the artist is never an easy thing. And I'll daresay that people can't and won't watch that film from here on without wondering if there is an agenda behind its portrayal of the Jewish leaders.
To make matters worse, a lot of Christian leaders now find themselves in a place where they have endorsed (and even defended) a work of art, perceived to contain anti-Jewish sentiments, which work was created by someone who clearly has some serious problems with racial prejudice.
With Mel-gate now in full swing, what should those same Christian leaders be saying to the Jewish community? Anything? Is there a lesson for Christian leaders to learn in all of this?
Related Tags: Mel Gibson, Passion of the Christ
Separating the art from the artist is never an easy thing. And I'll daresay that people can't and won't watch that film from here on without wondering if there is an agenda behind its portrayal of the Jewish leaders.
To make matters worse, a lot of Christian leaders now find themselves in a place where they have endorsed (and even defended) a work of art, perceived to contain anti-Jewish sentiments, which work was created by someone who clearly has some serious problems with racial prejudice.
With Mel-gate now in full swing, what should those same Christian leaders be saying to the Jewish community? Anything? Is there a lesson for Christian leaders to learn in all of this?
Related Tags: Mel Gibson, Passion of the Christ
posted by Matt at Wednesday, August 02, 2006
1 Comments:
As a believer in the "glass half full" theory, I tend to see the best in people most of the time. One might call this "pollyanic" but it is my understanding of how Jesus dealt with others most of the time. You know, "walk a mile in their shoes" idea. My Dad was also of this mindset. I think it is no accident that Dad also brought others to Christ-likeness with his attitude. Now, how does all this apply to Mel-gate? Well, I suppose he could just be a man so full of human frailties...alcoholism, biases, etc., that he unfortunately had a "human moment". Does that negate his movie "The Passion"? I don't see it that way. Confused? Maybe. Weak, certainly. Human, absolutely. I think I will let time tell me where his heart is. Only God knows that now. And isn't that really the most important thing? Nena
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