Perspectives On the Passion of the Christ: Religious Thinkers and Writers Explore the Issues Raised By the Controversial Movie

By Philip A. Cunningham, Jonathan Burnham, Mary C. Boys

Since its release on Ash Wednesday 2004, The Passion of the Christ has become a commercial success of astonishing proportions, already ranking as one of the highest grossing films of all time. At the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1401359590
• ISBN13: 9781401359591
• Release Date: July 2004
• Publisher: Miramax
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 1.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.3" x 6.1"

Customer Reviews

Good Cross Section of Controversy But....

This book did a good job of positing MOST (but not all) of the disparate perspectives generated by this movie. Indeed, I came away convinced that Gibson's assertions that this film was an honest representation of the Gospel to be disingenuous at best. He clearly had a medievalist, anti-Vatican II agenda to promote, a MelGibsonian Cult spinoff of Catholicism better suited to 14th century Germany than anywhere else. As a a non-denominational Christian (that in itself will make "true believers" question my sincerity), I was offended by the constant pre-screening debate over the implied anti-Semitism, and concluded this was the product of the Jewish Media's Instant Counterattack Mode on anything that even remotely resembles a stain on Hebrews or their religion. But, reflecting on the film and the criticisms in this book, I have reluctantly concluded there is some merit to the comments. Gibson could have shot the scenes in a different way and remained faithful to the sketchy, inconsistent Gospels. However, having said that, the critics seem to want to have this two ways, select the parts of Scripture they like, while denigrating or minimizing the clear message that the Jews WERE responsible for Jesus' death, with the Romans puzzled partcipants in what was to them a heathen socio-religious internal battle. This statement will doubtless level at me the tired accusations routinely delivered to those who repeat the Truth, but in doing so my accusers will naturally miss the point entirely. Jesus' death at the hands of his own people represents the sins of all men who would rather murder a countryman than face the demons in their mirrors. In conclusion, this book is a worthy contribution to the discussion on troubling questions we have as a society with one foot in this century and one or two toes still lingering in the last 300 years.

Sample proves tempting

I picked up this book a Barnes & Noble today and flipped it open to the essay by Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite. This was a fantastic quick read. She critiques both the movie and the theology behind the movie. If the rest of the essays in this book are half as thought provoking as this one, it will be a real find for those interested in exploring the polemics between modern, progressive theological thinking and the more orthodox, fundamentalist point of view.