Die Kerkpad
"Laat ons wandel in die lig van die Here"
(Jes 2 ; 3 - 5)
Jaargang 8 No 3 Mei 2004
Why a Reformed Christian May Not Attend the Movie:
"The Passion of the Christ"
Prof David Engelsma. In: THE STANDARD BEARER (VSA), April 2004
Today, Hollywood - great enemy of the Christian Faith and destroyer of untold number of souls - releases a new movie, The Passion of the Christ. ...
Because the subject of the movie is the suffering and death of Jesus Christ, many Christian leaders, churches, and professing Christians praise the movie, attend the movie, and encourage attendance of the movie. They praise and attend the movie as a religious, spiritual experience.
I warn all of us against attending.
Whoever attends the movie will be sinning. The sin will be grievous sin against our beloved Lord Jesus Christ and His glorious cross. It would not be nearly so wicked to attend a filthy, X-rated movie. ...
To attend the movie, The Passion of the Christ, would be to make yourself guilty of the blashemy of the movie. Blashemy is contemptuous insult of and bold attack on the holy God and our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, by word and deed. A sinful, shameful human - Hollywood actor! - dares to impersonate the sinless, glorious Jesus Christ. A corrupt man plays the "man of sorrows".
Blashemy! ...
In addition, although Jesus is a true man, He is also God, and the divine nature of Jesus is never seperated from His manhood. Jesus' Godhead was not seperated from His manhood even when He was on the cross. Yes, especially on the cross, His Godhead was not seperated from His manhood. Only because the one who suffered on the cross was the eternal Son of God did his sufferiing have the worth and value to redeem you and me from our sins.
A wicked human - a Hollywood actor! - plays God.
Blashemy! ...
The movie is evil. But it is a powerfull medium. Satan will use it to hurt you, to corrupt your pure knowledge of Jesus Christ.
"Passion" bo in SA vanjaar
Onder bogenoemde opskrif vind ons in BEELD, Saterdag 17 April 2004, 'n berig wat bevestig dat die vertoning van Christus se lyding en sterwe besonder winsgewend is. Dit het 'n bemarkingsproduk geword wat die hele wêreld aangegryp het. Die filmbase en bioskoopondernemers maak groot geld daaruit. Dit impliseer dat baie "Christene"die fliek bywoon en bereid is om die verbode vrug (lees die hoofartikel hierin) te eet. Die berig moet gelees word in die perspektief van die propaganda wat daarvoor gemaak is. Dit was spesifiek toegespits op die kerke en van hulle "leiers". Dié plan het gewerk met aan die een kant sterk aanbevelings om dié film te gaan sien en andersins 'n doodse stilswye daaroor.
Beeld se berig lui soos volg: "Mel Gibson se opspraakwekkende rolprent oor Jesus se foltering en kruisdood, wys al drie weke, maar laat steeds die trane én rande rol.
'Dit is ongewoon dat 'n rolprent se kaartjieverkope nie afneem van week tot week nie', het mnr Jarred Krombein van Nu-Metro-verspreiding gesê. In die fliek se tweede naweek het die kaartjieverkope met 8% toegeneem. Die naweek van 9 tot 11 April was die toename 26%.
'Tot dusver het die rolprent R16,7 miljoen verdien', het Krombein gesê. Volgens hom maak dit The Passion die fliek wat tot dusver die meeste geld vanjaar in Suid-Afrika verdien het."