'The Crucifixion Was an R-rated Event'
Clergy reactions to The Passion of The Christ.
by Mark Moring | posted 2/26/2004
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Some 4500 pastors were invited to an advance screening of The Passion of The Christ at Willow Creek Community Church in January. The screening was sponsored by Outreach Marketing, which billed the film as an effective evangelistic tool. Each pastor received a promotional kit suggesting ways they can use the film as part of their church's outreach efforts.
We asked some of them for their reactions to the film. The pastors we interviewed were:
- Jeff Ahlgrim, executive pastor, Heartland Community Church, Normal, IL
- Rob Bugh, senior pastor, Wheaton Bible Church, Wheaton, IL
- Frank DeLuce, solo pastor, Unity United Presbyterian, Pittsburgh, PA
- Mo Hodge, senior pastor, The Bridge Community Church, Decatur, IN
- Steven Usry, lead pastor, Harvest Point UMC, McDonough, GA
Do you think the film deserves its R rating?
Bugh: "Yes. There will be church people who will question endorsing R-rated movies, but my response is, 'Look, we don't endorse R-rated movies, nor should we. But this movie is an exception because the crucifixion was an R-rated event.'"
DeLuce: "Yes, because it is very graphic in the violence related to the crucifixion, but this film shows what is necessary."
Usry: "I would compare it to watching the horrors of a torture take place on the screen. I will not let my oldest child (9) watch this film, and I will strongly persuade parents within my congregation to go watch the film first before letting their teenagers view it. They can make the judgment themselves."
What were your overall observations of the film?
Usry: "The best movie I have ever seen. It was graphic and faithfully stayed with the Gospel texts. The neck of my shirt was soaked with tears during the scourging, and I felt like a softball was lodged in the back of my throat as the movie concluded. The nearest feeling that I can compare it to was an altar call experience with God—a heart-pounding, barely breathing, intense moment with God."
DeLuce: "To see the suffering endured by our Lord was an experience that I am not yet able to put into words. I know that serving Holy Communion will take on an expanded meaning for me."
Ahlgrim: "The way the story is told, the visual experience it provides and the thought it provokes was extremely powerful. I thought the use of flashbacks was very effective in telling the story."
Hodge: "In one word: brutal. It was a very intense movie and left me with strong feelings that range from sorrow and anger to gratitude and joy. I will never forget it!"
Bugh: "The movie was very sobering. I gained a renewed appreciation for the enormity of the brutality and suffering Jesus experienced when he died for me."
What was your favorite part of the film?
Hodge: "The development of Jesus' connection to his mother."
Usry: "Mel Gibson's use of Mary, the mother of Jesus. I know Mel is Catholic and Mary means a great deal to many Catholic people, but she was wonderfully portrayed and I was convicted during the movie by her presence. I realized that I had slighted Mary too much in my theological views by pushing her to the edge of visibility. In an unconscious effort to counter the reverence many Catholics have for Mary, I believe Protestants probably fail to give Mary and her relationship with Jesus due diligence. As I watched the movie and especially those scenes with Mary and Jesus, I thought, Jesus must have loved his mother so much—and I should love her too! She was a vessel used of God and she deserves our honor."
Ahlgrim: "The subplot of Mary, Jesus' mother's experience of the Passion. Those scenes brought Christ's suffering down to a very real and basic human level."
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