James Dobson's Letter this month on

[Hvnly1Rose]

Got this in snail mail...we're on their monthly mailing list. A bit long but worth the read.

Family News From Dr. James Dobson

February 2004 Dear Friends:

It isn't often that I find myself speaking favorably about a modern movie, but there is a film being released this month that I believe is among the most powerful and important ever made. I'm talking about The Passion of the Christ, a dramatic recounting of our Savior's final hours on earth, including His crucifixion and resurrection.

You've probably already heard something about this movie, as it has received a great deal of press (much of it negative) in recent months. I'll address the controversy surrounding The Passion of the Christ in a moment, but first some general information. The film has been directed by one of the most prominent and well-known movie stars of our time, Mel Gibson (in addition to appearing in countless Hollywood blockbusters, Mr. Gibson directed and starred in the

Christ here in the U.S., the script was "adapted from a composite account of the Passion assembled from the four biblical Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John."

The movie is designed to provide an authentic representation of the events surrounding Christ's death. All of the characters in the film speak the original languages heard at the time, including Aramaic and Latin. (In the early stages of production, Mr. Gibson intended to release the film without subtitles. However, at the urging of many who saw early screenings of The Passion of the Christ, English subtitles have been added.) In the U.S. and Canada, the movie is being released on Ash Wednesday , February 25, which signifies the beginning of Lent.

I had the privilege of viewing a "rough cut" of the movie last fall during a writing trip to California. I can say that, in addition to being faithful to the essentials of the biblical account, it is easily the most heart-wrenching, powerful portrayal of Christ's suffering that I have ever seen. Shirley and I were deeply moved by the stark depiction of the brutality and humiliation that Jesus endured on our behalf. Other preview screenings have had a similar effect, leaving audience members either weeping openly or hushed in reverent silence.

Mel Gibson also traveled to Focus on the Family headquarters last year to show an early version of The Passion of the Christ to several members of our executive staff. After seeing the film, our ministry President, Don Hodel, and Executive Vice President, Del Tackett; (Shirley and I were out of town at the time) issued statements praising the movie for its historical accuracy and its powerful portrayal of Christ's sacrifice. Gibson himself has said that, in making the movie, "I wanted to bring you there and I wanted to be true to the Gospels."

Mr. Gibson's earnest desire to accurately portray Christ's suffering for humankind-and to share that pivotal moment in history with a mass audience-is tremendously refreshing to me. He has gone to great lengths to ensure that the movie will encourage, rather than offend, the millions of Christians around the world for whom the death and resurrection of Jesus hold such profound meaning. Indeed, over the past year, he has shown footage to numerous Christian and Jewish leaders around the country , not for the purpose of promotion, but to solicit their feedback. When Mr. Gibson brought his movie to Focus headquarters last year, it was clear that he was genuinely interested in our opinions and respectful of our views. He could easily have sent one of his representatives here to show the film and request our endorsement. Rather, he appeared personally, without any fanfare, in order to address any questions and concerns we might have had.

A devout Catholic, Mel Gibson has repeatedly emphasized the fact that he felt called by God to bring The Passion of the Christ to the big screen. During one interview, he said, "I'm not a preacher, and I'm not a pastor. But I really feel my career was leading me to make this . The Holy Ghost was working through me on this film, and I was just directing traffic. I hope the film has the power to evangelize. ...Everyone who worked on this movie was changed. There were agnostics and Muslims on set converting to Christianity."3 When was the last time you heard a major Hollywood star make a statement of such magnitude?

Apparently, however, the idea of a movie that accurately portrays the death and resurrection of Christ and that "has the power to evangelize" is more than certain members of the liberal media establishment can stomach. As a result, The Passion of the Christ, throughout its production, has been the source of great controversy. More specifically, the movie-and Mel Gibson himself- have been mercilessly dogged by liberal commentators hurling unfair criticism and baseless allegations of anti-Semitism. The reasoning proffered by many of these cultural elitists is that the movie's characterization of the Jewish leaders of Jesus' day and its depiction of the angry mob calling for His crucifixion could lead viewers to the conclusion that the Jews were exclusively responsible for killing Christ. The Passion of the Christ, they somberly intone, could therefore be a catalyst for renewed outbreaks of anti-Jewish sentiment around the world.

Despite repeated assurances from Mr. Gibson that his film does not seek to malign Jews-or any other group-the attacks have come fast and furious. That The Passion of the Christ endeavors to remain true to the Gospel accounts is no excuse in the minds of those who wish Mel Gibson and his movie would just go away. Columnist James Carroll of The Boston Globe, a subsidiary of The New York Times, went so far as to suggest that "Even a faithful repetition of the Gospel stories of the death of Jesus can do damage exactly because those sacred texts themselves carry the virus of Jew hatred." Does Mr. Carroll really expect readers to believe that the Gospels-written by Jews about a Jewish Messiah and His Jewish disciples-are anti-Semitic? His assertion is so ridiculous and foolish as to be laughable.

Among Mel Gibson's liberal critics, New York Times columnist Frank Rich has been one of the most vocal and vitriolic. In one particularly nasty diatribe, Rich characterized Gibson as a "Jew-baiter" and endeavored to malign the actor's elderly father, who has absolutely no connection to the movie whatsoever. Mr. Rich suggested that Gibson was "sowing religious conflict" by not inviting a sufficient number of Jews to attend preview screenings of the movie. (As you may know, Mr. Rich has a long and illustrious record of disdain for everyone and everything that fails to live up to his "enlightened" liberal ideals. In recent years, he has referred to yours truly as "The Godzilla of the Right" and compared me to Ku Klux Klan member David Duke, endeavored to link conservative Christians with the Oklahoma City bombing and Promise Keepers with the militia movement, and blamed the Family Research Council for the death of Wyoming college student Matthew Shepard) Rich is rabidly anti-Christian in almost every context.

In my estimation, the liberal backlash against The Passion of the Christ is incredibly significant. Shaky charges of "anti- Semitism" are really just a smokescreen. I believe that the real problem the liberal establishment has with this movie is that it has the audacity to portray Christ as He really was-not only as an historical figure, but as the Savior of mankind. That is an offense to the postmodern sensibilities of our morally relativistic culture. The fact that Mel Gibson actually hopes to use his movie as a vehicle for evangelism only adds fuel to the fire. Columnist David Limbaugh put it best when he said, "How ironic that when a movie producer takes artistic license with historical events, he is lionized as artistic, creative and brilliant, but when another takes special care to be true to the real-life story, he is vilified. ...The moral is that if you want the popular culture to laud your work on Christ, make sure it either depicts Him as a homosexual or as an everyday sinner with no particular redeeming value (literally). In our post-Christian culture, criticism of the blasphemous The Last Temptation of Christ is celebrated, and The Passion [ of the Christ] is condemned." Stated another way, criticism of The Last Temptation of Christ brought angry protests of "censorship" from Hollywood and the media, whereas objections to The Passion of the Christ are considered entirely valid. This is yet another example of a powerful double standard.

In one sense, I suppose we should not be surprised when the true story of Christ-whether depicted on film or declared from the pulpit-creates controversy. The Apostle Paul reminds us that "the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God" (I Corinthians 1: 18, NIV). There is no denying that there is a spiritual element to the uproar surrounding The Passion of the Christ, as well. Mel Gibson seemed to recognize this himself when, in a recent interview, he described the controversy over his movie as evidence of "big realms that are warring and battling."11 In another interview, he noted that one of his primary motivations in making the movie was precisely "to show that turmoil around [Jesus] politically and with religious leaders and the people, all because He is Who He is. ...This is not a Christian vs. Jewish thing. '[Jesus] came into the world, and it knew him not.' Looking at Christ's crucifixion, I look first at my own culpability in that."

Indeed, many Jewish viewers who have seen the movie paint a picture that stands in stark contrast to the alarmist posturing of Frank Rich and his cronies.

David Horowitz has noted that "there is no finger pointing at Jews in the film, and it is unsustainable to suggest that this will provoke Christians into violence against Jews."13 Alan Sereboff, a Jewish screenwriter who has previously worked with Gibson's company, said, "As a Jew I left the movie feeling a greater sense of friendship and closeness to my Christian brothers and sisters than I ever thought imaginable." And noted movie critic and radio host Michael Medved has called The Passion of the Christ "by far the most moving, substantive and artistically successful adaptation of biblical material ever attempted by Hollywood.