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FORMER ATHEIST NOW PASTOR PREVIEWS MOVIE WITH GIBSON PRESENT I am the Senior Pastor of Lake Almanor Community Church in Northern California. I first saw "The Passion of The Christ" movie on 1/5/04, with other pastors from around the country and Mel Gibson himself present and interviewed after the presentation. Here are some of my thoughts and his, as I detailed them to my congregation one month BEFORE the movie was even released to the public. I believe my review is even more relevant one year later... I believe this movie will bring the person and death of Jesus Christ to our world like few others have done in the past. It will reintroduce what Jesus endured to our own post-Christian country. Though embellished by Gibson in a few parts, it is a substantially more accurate account and vivid depiction of what Jesus endured during the last hours of His earthly life than most other films about Christ. It is the best film on Jesus I've ever seen, even though it focused largely on the last twelve hours of His life. It was a very descriptive and moving motion picture. Even though it was filmed in three languages of Jesus day (Aramaic, Hebrew, and Latin) with English subscripts, I was mesmerized by the power of the visual message. Do you want to know the Truth about the sufferings and crucifixion? See the film! The Passion Of The Christ is a biblical retelling of the betrayal, trials, suffering, and crucifixion of Jesus Christ, detailing the last 12 hours of His earthly life, artfully intertwining flashbacks to earlier moments in His life and ministry. The film is a project in which Gibson invested 12 years of his life and $25 million dollars of his own funds. As a director and Academy Award-Winning Actor, Gibson, who is credited with such movies as Braveheart, The Patriot, and Forever Young, explained to our pastoral audience, "I had to do this movie. It was a calling, I did not have a choice." Nationally known Christian leaders like Billy Graham, Chuck Colson, James Dobson, and Bill Bright have endorsed this movie as one of the most truthful and inspiring depictions of Christ's suffering and death on film to date. I agree. For this reason, it has been rated R for "graphic violence. In this case, rated R stands more for Realistic. Nevertheless, I strongly urge adults to preview the movie before bringing younger people to see it. I think the content is too graphic or mature for all children 12 or under. After the preview concluded, Gibson was interviewed by nationally known Christian author and award-winning journalist, Lee Strobel ("The Case For Christ"). While Strobel's questions covered a wide range of serious topics about this biblical drama, Gibson often brought the crowd of clergy to laughter with his lighthearted humor. For example, Strobel asked Gibson, "Why did you choose the actor Jim Caviezel to play the role of Jesus? Gibson wittingly answered, It's because he's thirty-three years old and his initials are J.C.!" On a more solemn note, when asked about the criticism the movie is already receiving from some Jews, Muslims, and theological liberals, Gibson replied, "I'm sorry if some people are offended by the truth. The film is historically true, though I did take some poetic license in a few parts. My concern in making the film was to be authentic, right down to cultural customs and practices. Other films about Jesus haven't always done that. At times they have even depicted him with blonde hair and blue eyes. My film is based upon the historical accounts of the Bible. I don't understand those people who don't believe the Bible as history. The Gospel writers were eyewitnesses. It's not only history; it's the Word of God. I didn't make this up! I also consulted with many bible scholars about the film." As far as the personal reasons for producing this film, Gibson passionately confessed, "The film was born at a turning point in my life 12 years ago, when I was literally looking down from a 15-story window. Something wasn't right. I had all the fame and money in the world, but I had to make a choice, whether or not getting out of this frying pan was just jumping into another. At that point, I re-examined the Truth. Christ's wounds healed my wounds." Speaking of movie reviews, I completed a 10-CD message series at Lake Almanor Community Church (where I pastor), answering the 9 most asked questions by Americans about Gibson's movie and Jesus, titled, "The Passion Of The Christ: True Or False?." (1) What was Jesus' crime? (2) Who was Jesus really? (3) Why did Jesus have to suffer and die? (4) Can a person who lived 2000 years ago really free me from my past? (5) Is Jesus the only way to God? (6) Is the Bible reliable and truthful? (7) How can I follow a God I will eventually disappoint? (8) Who killed Jesus? (9) Did Jesus really rise from the dead? In my answers to these questions I give the historical, archaeological, and manuscript evidence for Jesus, who He was, what He did, and why His death has importance for your life. You can order the message series (and the DVD combo set) through our web page at lacconline.org or by calling the Church at 530-596-3683. (By the way, I don't make one dime on any of the sales. I made the series because I believe the average American doesn't know how much real evidence there is for Jesus. Unfortunately, most announce verdicts about Jesus without truly looking at the evidence.) Bottom line, see the movie. Then read The Book!