Rev. Dr. Chuck Currie

Robin Williams...and my Dad

My latest on @HuffingtonPost: #RobinWilliams...and my dad: http://t.co/8wojKYSKgj

— Rev. Chuck Currie (@RevChuckCurrie) August 12, 2014

Star Trek Demands Path out of the Darkness

My latest in The Huffington Post:

"Star Trek Into Darkness" does what Star Trek has always done best: holds up a mirror to the United States and asks, "Are we the moral people we want to be?"

Star Trek Demands Path out of the Darkness

Photo credit: http://www.startrekmovie.com 

What's On Right Wing Talk Radio? Bigoted Paranoia

Salem-area radio talk show host Bill Post (who not long ago said he wanted to urinate on the corpses of dead Taliban soldiers) says that he's a Evangelical Christian who shares the "world-view" of the Founding Fathers.  Thomas Jefferson might argue with that but those views lead Post to question President Obama's Christian faith and American values.  In fact, those views leave Post very afraid of the future if the president is re-elected. Post writes that electing Mitt Romney, a Mormon, might not be great for evangelical Christians, but consider the alternatives:

1 - Is Obama a Muslim?  I don't know for sure, but we all know he has made some pretty big concessions to Muslims as well as some pretty interesting statements concerning Muslims.  So, if he IS a Muslim or leans towards them, would you rather have a Muslim or a Mormon President? I haven't seen very many Mormons strap bombs to the jackets blowing up marketplaces, have you?

2 - Is Obama a Marxist/Socialist/Communist?  I don't know for sure, but again, his statement and policies sure make it look that way.  Have you seen any Mormon gulags, death camps or mass murders committed lately?

Evangelicals, Mainline Christians and Roman Catholics have repeatedly condemned those who question the president's Christian faith for partisan political reasons but that won't stop people like Post who are so far outside the mainstream that they actually believe the president of the United States is planning death camps if re-elected. 

We can expect opponents of the president this election - big and small - to attempt to exploit racial divisions and to paint President Obama as something "other" than fully as American. Consider the new racially charged film financed by right-wing billionaire Joe Ricketts that suggests that the president has a Kenyan, not American, world-view. 

These campaigns against President Obama are driven by fear, hatred and racism - let's be honest.  The good news is that the American people are better than Bill Post or Joe Ricketts.  We are an optimistic people at our core.  But whether or not we agree with the president's policies - whether we support his re-election or not - all good Americans must reject the division and hatred promoted on talk radio and the web and use the election to engage in a serious debate over the issues this nation faces.

STS-134

You gotta love this.  Safe journey, Endeavour.

The Gospel According To Star Trek: A Sermon On The Resurrection

This morning at Salem's First Congregational United Church of Christ we read Luke 24: 13-35. My sermon dealt with the limits of Enlightenment thinking when dealing with questions such as the meaning / reality of the Resurrection: all in the context of television's Star Trek.   

 

The Gospel According To Star Trek - Rev. Chuck Currie from The Rev. Chuck Currie on Vimeo

Slower internet connection? Click the HD button to turn off the high definition - makes for easier watching.

Catfish: The Exploitation Of A Broken Family

We watched Catfish tonight, the controversial "documentary" that was a Sundance hit.  The controversy rests over whether or not the documentary was staged.  The plot line:  a young photographer / videographer, his brother and a friend film the budding online romance between the young man and the 19-year old daughter of a family he has come to know online through Facebook.  Whether or not the filmed was stagged, there are deeper moral issues to consider. 

As it turns out, the 19-year daughter doesn't exist.  She is the fabrication of the 40-something mother in the family.  The mom is the one flirting online with the photographer from New York.  This is a middle America family from Wisconsin with deep problems.  Clearly, the mom is in emotional turmoil and distress.  She has created a virtual world in which to cope and is caught.

The filmmakers insist they never knew they were caught up in a deception until the web of lies put forth by the mom came unraveled.  Like film critic Kyle Buchanan, I don't buy that.  It seems entirely possible that they knew exactly what they were on to and that they decided to film it.  The only other option was that they were all naive and gullible in the extreme.

What really bothers me about this film is how the Wisconsin family is treated once the deception is fully uncovered.  Any person of moral character would have put down the camera and recognized the brokenness of the mom would not be served by continuing.  Instead, the film makers kept their cameras rolling - sometimes with hidden cameras and recording devices.  In doing so, they harmed the mom, her 8-year old daughter, twin disabled boys (one of whom died shortly after the film was made), and the husband of the family. 

The filmmakers appear to have exploited the family for their own financial gain.  I can only imagine the long-term harm caused to the family, especially the 8-year old girl who will grow up tarred by the stigma of this "documentary" on her family.  Whether or not the family in the end gave permission of any kind to go forward with the project is irrelevant.  How many people can fully understand the impact the notoriety of such a film might bring?   

You might be asking, why did you watch the film in the first place?  I had no idea what it was about (except that it was a Sundance hit that had something to do with social media...I actually mistakenly thought it was a horror movie of some sort).  By the time the film was over, I simply felt sad that three young men from New York would exploit a very troubled family in what seemed to me to be a very malicious way.  Rewarding this film would be to reward human behavior that is contemptible.           

Fair Game

Saw this move yesterday and highly encourage others to do the same. It is important that Americans remember how we ended up in Iraq.

JPANet: We Can't Wait for Superman @WaitingSuperman #education #unitedchurch

Action Alert From Justice & Witness Ministries of the United Church of Christ

Everybody is talking about “Waiting for Superman,” a Hollywood movie that endorses charter schools as the primary solution to the education struggles of children in our nation’s poorest schools.  All the evidence suggests instead that we need to turn attention and resources on the public schools society has left behind, rather than turning over the future of our poorest children to charter schools. We must provide the same opportunities for children in rural and urban schools as we do for children in more privileged suburban settings.

As a people called to love our neighbors as ourselves, we in the church look for school reform that balances the needs of each particular child and family with the need to create a system that secures the rights and addresses the needs of all children.  “Waiting for Superman” misrepresents the scale of public education, an institution that serves 50 million children and adolescents across the United States. Charter schools serve only 4 percent of students, and evidence shows that most children including those who are poor or who have special needs will remain in traditional public schools. Further, a prominent Stanford University study demonstrates that only 17 percent of charter schools are better than comparable public schools. 

In July, seven civil rights organizations released a profound statement that contradicts the movie’s contention that charter schools should be the primary tool for school reform. The writers express serious “reservations about the overrepresentation of charter schools in low-income and predominantly minority communities. There is no evidence that charter operators are systematically more effective in creating higher student outcomes… And there is even less evidence that charters accept, consistently serve, and accommodate the needs of the full range of students.”

In the church we have steadfastly declared a set of values to guide public school reform when Congress reauthorizes the Elementary and Secondary Act.  Send the letter below to remind Congress, the President, and the Secretary of Education of these principles:

• Federal policy must address public school inequality. Congress should allocate federal resources for equity and use its power to press states to close opportunity gaps.
• Federal policy must reduce reliance on standardized tests as a primary “school improvement” strategy.Children need fewer tests, and those that are employed should be better designed to improve teaching, measure real performance, and encourage exploration and critical thinking.
• Federal policy must support and improve, not punish, public schools in America’s poorest communities.  The federal government must help struggling schools with support for excellent teaching and leadership and support for out-of-school enrichments like preschool, medical care, and after school and summer enrichment.
• Federal policy must improve public education as the bedrock of our democracy and public schools as the anchors of communities.  Only a just system of public education has the capacity to secure the rights and address the needs of all children, and only if citizens are attentive and work to make it so.

Click here to send a message to the president, Congress and the Secretary of Edcuation.

Star Trek: A Review

No one reading this blog is going to be shocked to find out that I’m something of a Star Trek fan and have been since I was about six or seven. Some have termed my enjoyment of the show obsessive. Let me elaborate on that. Star Trek wasn’t on the air in Montgomery, Alabama when my family lived there (around 1976) but I found out that the television station where my father worked as the program manager owed the syndication rights. Upset that my own father wouldn’t put the show on the air I went door-to-door throughout the neighborhood collecting signatures on a petition demanding that my dad bend to the will of people and put Kirk, Spock and McCoy back on television where they belonged. My father caved under the pressure of the organizing campaign and the Enterprise once again took off at warp speed. The only problem: he put the show on during what must have been the 11 o’clock or midnight time slot – well after my bedtime. I had been foiled by the man.

But Star Trek lived on and I kept watching and my dad even took me to see the first Star Trek movie in 1979. Other Star Trek films and television series came and went and I grew to love them all. As a young kid in South Carolina and Alabama I took notice that an African-American woman was not just a character but an officer on the bridge. The idea of a future where Russians and Asians worked alongside Americans and Europeans intrigued me. Gene Rodenberry, the show’s creator, wanted viewers to envision a future where humans set aside their differences for the common good and set out in space to find new worlds and new civilizations. In time, even the enemy Klingons would become allies with Earth and all the various planets that made up the United Federation of Planets, an intergalactic United Nations.

The show hasn’t appeared in television series form for several years (it was time for a break). But director J.J. Abrams has brought Star Trek back to life in a new film that my wife and I, along with several friends, went to see tonight. It was brilliant, exciting and even emotional at times as we watched an entirely new cast take on iconic roles (though Leonard Nimoy – a man my father once interviewed for a news program – made a significant cameo appearance).

Movies, like literature, art and music, are meant to inspire us, challenge us, and provide us mirrors of our own existence. Star Trek has done all that. The franchise has also provided reason for hope in the face of great difficulties. “I don’t believe in the no-win scenario,” Capt. Kirk says. Neither do I. Even though this incarnation of Star Trek has a tragic plot line the writers, director and excellent actors leave you with a sense that in the end – with all hands on deck – the future can always have the potential of being better than the past.  We can solve our problems if we set aside our differences. Star Trek has been around for 40+ years now and this new film will surely be remembered as one of the high points of the series.

Come What May: I'm Invited To Screen "Pro-Life" Movie

Will President-elect Obama and Congress "make life more difficult for the unborn?"  That's the charge made by Household of Faith Community Church, which is promoting a new "pro-life" film entitled "Come What May."

The Oregon-based congregation sent my office an invitation to a screening of the film.  Read their hyper-partisan invite and my response calling on them to support common ground approaches advocated by the president-elect to reduce the number of abortions and to support families.

Response from Rev. Chuck Currie to Household of Faith Community Church.    

(Note how they assume all pastors are men).

Update:  I should have done a little more homework.  It turns out this film was made before the election.  It was hoped it would become popular enough to sway voters, according to Christian Film News.

Willamette Week today (12/03/08) posted a small article about my letter to Household of Faith Community Church.  Read the story here.

Bobby

Tonight I watched the award winning film Bobby. The movie chronicles Robert Kennedy’s final day in 1968 and the lives of some of those he touched. RFK has always been a political hero and (unfairly perhaps) I judge other candidates for public office by his leadership. Of course, I was not yet born when the senator was killed. But in reading of his history what has always impressed me most was his willingness to change course and to try new ideas when policies and ideas failed the challenges of the moment. He was an early architect of the war in Vietnam who became a chief critic. During his brother’s administration he was uneasy about the political impact of the civil rights movement but by the time of his death he had become the moral heir of Martin Luther King, Jr. He campaigned in 1968 to bring an end to a disastrous war and to bring reconciliation to a nation deeply divided along racial and economic lines. Our time echoes his. The most cynical among us will say that politicians cannot bring change but I believe differently. There is still a chance that our political system can produce leaders capable of inspiring the nation to heal the rifts that continue divide us and to end another immoral war. What will it take? All of us. The people of the nation. Once again we need to look past our own cynicism and engage in the political system knowing that it is broken and with a goal of fixing it. Soon I plan to add my voice to one of the presidential campaigns. It won’t be because I think the candidate I have chosen is perfect but because I believe that candidate has shown some of the same moral courage that Robert Kennedy, another imperfect person, did. And it won’t be because I think a president can solve every problem. Hardly. In fact, I think the issues we face today are as much a spiritual crisis as a political one. But democracy will wither away unless we all participate. So I will participate and hope that the forces of progress win this time.  I hope everyone who has been disappointed in the past will join the fight again in 2008.  There is so much at stake.

IRD: The Movie

Talk to Action notes that a new documentary is out about the Institute on Religion and Democracy, the group set-up by far-right political groups to fight the Gospel-centered advocacy efforts of mainline churches in the United States.  IRD, unlike Biblical Christianity, argues for economic policies that benefit the wealthy at the expense of the least of these, favors military intervention to solve nearly every problem, and opposes efforts to protect the environment.  This is a group so far to the right that Neo-Nazis once republished their materials bashing gays.

Related Post:  Institute on Religion on Democracy Report Written By Bush Campaign Worker

What is the difference between Chuck Currie and Chucky Currie?

Chucky is faster on his feet. 

Roundup

We had a good turnout tonight for the showing of THE GROUND TRUTH at Parkrose Community United Church of Christ. The film lets veterans tell their own stories about combat and their difficult journeys re-entering American society. All of us were struck by the imagines of dead children and other "non-combatants." It breaks your heart to watch children die.

It is fair to say that most who watched this film left with anger and with a sense that we have all been called in these times to be peacemakers.

Tomorrow I'll be leaving for The Dallas, a city along the beautiful Columbia River Gorge. The reason for my trip: the fall gathering of the Central Pacific Conference of the United Church of Christ. The Rev. Dr. David Greenhaw, president of Eden Theological Seminary in St. Louis, MO., is our keynoter and I've been asked to introduce Dr. Greenhaw.

Saturday night I've been invited to play poker - a rare treat for me - and will make it back to Portland in time for that.

Then I will be back to preaching this Sunday morning.

On Sunday afternoon, I will also be guest of Air America's State of Belief program. Visit their site for additional information.

Thursday Night In Portland: The Ground Truth

Parkrose Community United Church of Christ (4715 NE 106th Ave) will host a special screening of the new film THE GROUND TRUTH on Thursday, October 12th at 7 pm and we are extending an invitation to other churches and people in the community to join us. Please pass this invitation around to those in your congregations and to other friends.

“THE GROUND TRUTH stunned filmgoers at the 2006 Sundance and Nantucket Film Festivals.

Hailed as "powerful" and "quietly unflinching," Patricia Foulkrod's searing documentary feature includes exclusive footage that will stir audiences.  The filmmaker's subjects are patriotic young Americans - ordinary men and women who heeded the call for military service in Iraq - as they experience recruitment and training, combat, homecoming, and the struggle to reintegrate with families and communities. The terrible conflict in Iraq, depicted with ferocious honesty in the film, is a prelude for the even more challenging battles fought by the soldiers returning home – with personal demons, an uncomprehending public, and an indifferent government. As these battles take shape, each soldier becomes a new kind of hero, bearing witness and giving support to other veterans, and learning to fearlessly wield the most powerful weapon of all - the truth.”

To RSVP for the film please click here.

Or call 503-253-5457.

To see a preview of the film visit: http://www.thegroundtruth.net/

A discussion will follow the screening.

The screening of this film is co-sponsored by the offices of the United Church of Christ Justice and Witness Ministries. Visit www.ucctakeaction.org to learn more about their work.

Parkrose Community United Church of Christ is a neighborhood church. Worship services are held on Sunday mornings at 10 am. All are welcome.

Watch "The Ground Truth" In Portland

Parkrose Community United Church of Christ (4715 NE 106th Ave) will host a special screening of the new film THE GROUND TRUTH on Thursday, October 12th at 7 pm and we are extending an invitation to other churches and people in the community to join us. Please pass this invitation around to those in your congregations and to other friends.

“THE GROUND TRUTH stunned filmgoers at the 2006 Sundance and Nantucket Film Festivals.

Hailed as "powerful" and "quietly unflinching," Patricia Foulkrod's searing documentary feature includes exclusive footage that will stir audiences.  The filmmaker's subjects are patriotic young Americans - ordinary men and women who heeded the call for military service in Iraq - as they experience recruitment and training, combat, homecoming, and the struggle to reintegrate with families and communities. The terrible conflict in Iraq, depicted with ferocious honesty in the film, is a prelude for the even more challenging battles fought by the soldiers returning home – with personal demons, an uncomprehending public, and an indifferent government. As these battles take shape, each soldier becomes a new kind of hero, bearing witness and giving support to other veterans, and learning to fearlessly wield the most powerful weapon of all - the truth.”

To RSVP for the film please click here.

Or call 503-253-5457.

To see a preview of the film visit: http://www.thegroundtruth.net/

A discussion will follow the screening.

The screening of this film is co-sponsored by the offices of the United Church of Christ Justice and Witness Ministries. Visit www.ucctakeaction.org to learn more about their work.

Parkrose Community United Church of Christ is a neighborhood church. Worship services are held on Sunday mornings at 10 am. All are welcome.

The Ground Truth

The United Church of Christ is partnering with others across the nation to premiere The Ground Truth, a new film that tells the stories of American soldiers returning from Iraq.

The Ground Truth stunned filmgoers at the 2006 Sundance and Nantucket Film Festivals. Hailed as "powerful" and "quietly unflinching," Patricia Foulkrod's searing documentary feature includes exclusive footage that will stir audiences. The filmmaker's subjects are patriotic young Americans - ordinary men and women who heeded the call for military service in Iraq - as they experience recruitment and training, combat, homecoming, and the struggle to reintegrate with families and communities. The terrible conflict in Iraq, depicted with ferocious honesty in the film, is a prelude for the even more challenging battles fought by the soldiers returning home – with personal demons, an uncomprehending public, and an indifferent government. As these battles take shape, each soldier becomes a new kind of hero, bearing witness and giving support to other veterans, and learning to fearlessly wield the most powerful weapon of all - the truth.

Learn more about the film here.

The Passion Of Mel Gibson

Mel Gibson wrote and directed one of the most anti-Semitic movies of all time.  This week the man behind The Passion of the Christ was arrested for drunk driving.  Gibson has long maintained that his movie (a favorite among the Religious Right) was not anti-Semitic and neither was he.  But guess who got blamed for his arrest?  Jews.  The website TMZ.com reports (link via a CNN story):

Once inside the car, a source directly connected with the case says Gibson began banging himself against the seat. The report says Gibson told the deputy, "You mother f***r. I'm going to f* you." The report also says "Gibson almost continually threatened me saying he 'owns Malibu' and will spend all of his money to 'get even' with me."

The report says Gibson then launched into a barrage of anti-Semitic statements: "F*g Jews... The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world." Gibson then asked the deputy, "Are you a Jew?"

The deputy became alarmed as Gibson's tirade escalated, and called ahead for a sergeant to meet them when they arrived at the station. When they arrived, a sergeant began videotaping Gibson, who noticed the camera and then said, "What the f** do you think you're doing?"

A law enforcement source says Gibson then noticed another female sergeant and yelled, "What do you think you're looking at, sugar tits?"

Gibson apologized for the incident today and issued this statement:

"After drinking alcohol on Thursday night, I did a number of things that were very wrong and for which I am ashamed. I drove a car when I should not have, and was stopped by the LA County Sheriffs. The arresting officer was just doing his job and I feel fortunate that I was apprehended before I caused injury to any other person. I acted like a person completely out of control when I was arrested, and said things that I do not believe to be true and which are despicable. I am deeply ashamed of everything I said. Also, I take this opportunity to apologize to the deputies involved for my belligerent behavior. They have always been there for me in my community and indeed probably saved me from myself. I disgraced myself and my family with my behavior and for that I am truly sorry. I have battled with the disease of alcoholism for all of my adult life and profoundly regret my horrific relapse. I apologize for any behavior unbecoming of me in my inebriated state and have already taken necessary steps to ensure my return to health."

Alcoholism is a terrible disease that changes people in terrible ways.  But it doesn't make you anti-Semitic...or racist...or sexist...or homophonic.  I suspect what officers heard was Gibson's true passion coming out.    

Read the comments on this post from Street Prophets:

Superman Returns: I'll Be There

Since our kids were born (nearly two years ago) we haven’t been to many movies. Over the last year the only films we’ve caught have been Walk the Line (great) and X-Men 3 (so-so). Sometime next month we hope to see Superman Returns. I’ve always been a Superman fan. One of my favorite television programs as a kid was The Adventures of Superman. When the first Superman movie with Christopher Reeves came out I spent hours in line to see the film again and again. How could you not love a hero who fights for truth, justice and the American way?

Crazy people have been debating whether or not Superman in this film is gay and / or Jesus. But Worldwide Pablo will tell you that the superhero from Middle America is really just a good old United Methodist. I concur.

What is on your list of films to see this summer?

An Inconvenient Truth

One of the critical moral and political questions facing Christians today is the care of creation (or the environment).  Mainline Christians and some conservative evangelicals have called on the United States and other world bodies to do more to stop global warming (use these links to see how the Christian community is addressing these critical concerns).  But is anyone listening to that message?  They might after seeing Al Gore's new film.  An Inconvenient Truth opens soon in selected theatres:

Humanity is sitting on a ticking time bomb. If the vast majority of the world's scientists are right, we have just ten years to avert a major catastrophe that could send our entire planet into a tail-spin of epic destruction involving extreme weather, floods, droughts, epidemics and killer heat waves beyond anything we have ever experienced.

If that sounds like a recipe for serious gloom and doom -- think again. From director Davis Guggenheim comes the Sundance Film Festival hit, AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH, which offers a passionate and inspirational look at one man's fervent crusade to halt global warming's deadly progress in its tracks by exposing the myths and misconceptions that surround it. That man is former Vice President Al Gore, who, in the wake of defeat in the 2000 election, re-set the course of his life to focus on a last-ditch, all-out effort to help save the planet from irrevocable change. In this eye-opening and poignant portrait of Gore and his "traveling global warming show," Gore also proves himself to be one of the most misunderstood characters in modern American public life. Here he is seen as never before in the media - funny, engaging, open and downright on fire about getting the surprisingly stirring truth about what he calls our "planetary emergency" out to ordinary citizens before it's too late.

With 2005, the worst storm season ever experienced in America just behind us, it seems we may be reaching a tipping point - and Gore pulls no punches in explaining the dire situation. Interspersed with the bracing facts and future predictions is the story of Gore's personal journey: from an idealistic college student who first saw a massive environmental crisis looming; to a young Senator facing a harrowing family tragedy that altered his perspective, to the man who almost became President but instead returned to the most important cause of his life - convinced that there is still time to make a difference.

How important is this film?  Big oil (friends of GWB) is running television advertising attacking the claims made in the film.  They reject that global warm is caused by human actions.  Scientist disagree and Gore's film provides a platform for their voice to be heard.

This is a film everyone should see.

Check out the film's blog for more.

"The Saint of 9/11"

I don't know about you but it rips my heart out to see the clip from that new movie about United Flight 93.  So many emotions for all of us are still raw from September 11th.  You have to wonder if there will ever be a time when the memories will fade.  I hope not.  On that day a group of radical fundamentalists betrayed their God - our God - with a terrible act of violence.  Muslims, Jews and Christians have all killed and been killed by those who think their actions are sanctioned by God.  What fools God must think we all are.  Even now our president - who seems to believe he is on a divine mission - wages war and justifies his actions by invoking God. 

Will you see this movie about the United flight?  I'm not sure I ever will.  People keep asking if it is too soon to make a movie out of the events of 9/11.  I'm not at all concerned about the timing of the film.  The people on that flight really were heroes.  All of them must have been terrified and known that their efforts would end in death.  They knew, however, that if no one took action and many more people would die.  Whenever I go to Washington, DC now and see the Capitol Building and the White House I remember what those citizens did for our nation - what they gave.  A movie that reminds us of their heroism should be welcomed by us all.  It just breaks my heart to think about watching it.

There is another 9/11 - related movie coming out:  The Saint of 9/11.  This is a documentary about one more hero from that day.  Father Mychal Judge was a Roman Catholic priest and a chaplain for the New York Fire Department.  He was killed after rushing into the World Trade Center with other fire fighters.  Judge was listed as the first casualty of 9/11 and is regarded by many as a saint.  Others, because of his unconventional style and because of his homosexuality, view(ed) him quite differently. 

A profile in New York Magazine from November 12, 2001 reads in part:

"There's a very old postcard of a giant Jesus looking in the window of the Empire State Building in those long, long robes," says McCourt, in a brogue as thick as potatoes. "And that was Mike Judge in New York. He was everywhere. Over the city. And ooohhh, how good it was to know he was there."

Judge was gregarious, mischievous, a luminous presence; he thrived on movement and kept a preposterous schedule, as if he'd found a wormhole beneath the friary on West 31st Street that allowed him to be in six places at once. On any given evening, he might be baptizing a fireman's child, ministering to an aids patient, or listening to Black 47, a Celtic rock band that had a regular gig at Connolly's on West 47th Street. Judge got 30 to 40 messages a day on his answering machine. Every six months, he'd wear another machine out.

"He was the busiest person alive," says Joe Falco, a firefighter with Engine 1-Ladder 24, the company across the street from Judge's home. "He'd come back at all hours of the morning, blowing his siren so we could park his car. No one knew how he did it. No one understood how he maintained his energy."

The firemen loved him. He had an encyclopedic memory for their family members' names, birthdays, and passions; he frequently gave them whimsical presents. Once, after visiting President Clinton in Washington, he handed out cocktail napkins emblazoned with the presidential seal. He'd managed to stuff dozens of them into his habit before leaving the White House....

Obviously, Mychal Judge was not what one might call a conventional priest. But he was, arguably, a typical New York Franciscan -- earthy, streetwise, thoroughly engaged with the characters and chaos of the city. If times required it, Judge would hold Mass in the most unlikely places, including firehouses and Pennsylvania Station. This drove certain literalists in the clergy crazy, but no matter -- Judge pressed on. (To one of his antagonists, a certain monsignor in the chancellery who frequently phoned to admonish him, Judge once said: "If I've ever done anything to embarrass or hurt the church I love so much, you can burn me at the stake in front of St. Patrick's.")

The other pillar of Judge's spiritual philosophy was Alcoholics Anonymous. Once, at the White House, he told Bill Clinton that he believed the founders of AA had done more for humanity than Mother Teresa. "He was a great comfort to those with troubles with the drink," says McCourt, who usually saw Judge twice a month at AA. "He'd always say, 'You're not a bad person -- you have a disease that makes you think you're a bad person, and it's going to fuck you up.' " McCourt pauses a moment. "He had no compunction about language. Not with me, anyway."

Back in the early eighties, Judge was one of the first members of the clergy to minister to young gay men with aids, doing their funeral Masses and consoling their partners and family members. He opened the doors of St. Francis of Assisi Church when Dignity, a gay Catholic organization, needed a home for its aids ministry, and he later ran an aids program at St. Francis. Last year, he marched in the first gay-inclusive St. Patrick's Day parade, which his friend Brendan Fay, a gay activist, organized in Queens.

Cardinal O'Connor wasn't exactly a fan. "I heard that if Mike got any money from the right wing," says McCourt, "he'd give it to the gay organizations. I don't know if that's true, but that's his humor, for sure."

We lost all kinds of people on that day.  Democrats, Republicans, the rich, the poor, Christians, Jews, Muslims, gays, straights. 

All God's children.    

What should be the overarching lesson from that dark day in 2001? 

Don't let the fundamentalists - wherever they are - rule.  They always seek to divide and God calls us to reconcile. 

Movies are great and powerful tributes.  Standing up - as Father Judge did - for God's peace is even better.   

Photo credit: The St. of 9/11 -  Reuters   

Son Of Man: How Do You See Jesus?

Since Frances and Katherine were born we've only made it out of the house three times to see movies (and only one of those, Walk the Line, was worth the time). But I'm always interested in hearing about new flicks and my interest doubles if the movie deals with religion in some way. So this story from Ecumenical News International, republished in UCCNews, caught my eye.

Has anyone seen this film yet or know much about it?

A new film from South Africa eschews an often-popular image of a meek, white European Jesus and replaces it with one of a strong-willed, black African Jesus who preaches hope to the poor and questions political authority.

The film, "Son of Man", has been showing at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah where it premiered on 22 January. Its creators are seeking worldwide distribution of the movie.

Filmed mainly in the black townships of Cape Town, "Son of Man" places the story of Jesus in a shantytown and brings a political flavor in depicting the Gospel narratives. It is a collaboration between director Mark Dornford-May and Dimpho Di Kopane, a theatre company from the South African town of Stellenbosch.

Dornford-May says that in other portrayals of Jesus, "Christ has been hijacked a bit - he's gone very blond-haired and blue-eyed," adding that the initial response to the film among church audiences in South Africa was favourable. "We wanted to look at the gospels as if they were written by spin doctors and to strip that away and look at the truth," Dornford-May told the Reuters news agency in an interview. "The truth is that Christ was born in an occupied state and preached equality at a time when that wasn't very acceptable."

The image of a black Jesus had emerged in the 1960s and 1970s with the development of black theology in the United States and Africa. The film adheres to black theology tenets - including the depiction of Jesus as a champion of the powerless.

"It feels a bit like apartheid, people living in fear that soldiers could come into the house at any time and kill children," said Pauline Malefane, who plays Jesus' mother, Mary, and is also the movie's associate producer, in an interview with South Africa's Mail and Guardian newspaper.

But the film also depicts the authorities Jesus opposes as black. To some, that might evoke comparisons with the government of President Robert Mugabe in South Africa's neighbouring Zimbabwe, Malefane told the Mail and Guardian.

How we literally see the image of Jesus shows the tremendous differences in how we understand our Christian faith. Every culture adopts Jesus. In the United States, Jesus is a superhero and most often portrayed as white with blond hair. In other parts of the world he is seen as black, or Asian, or even in images that depict him as female or powerless to affect events as he hangs from the cross. Some people see Jesus as gay and others as a brash - even sexy - warrior.

Whatever from you pick for what you think Jesus looks like speaks volumes about what your own theology sounds like. There are those afraid of all these differences. You hear them protesting at films that Jesus could never have looked or acted the way the film suggests. After all, we've created Jesus in our image so we should know what he acted like (or looked like).

Such a debate over Jesus doesn't make me frightened. We know a lot about what the historical Jesus might have looked like based on our understandings of human looks from that time in history. But the post-Easter Jesus speaks to a much broader audience than the historical Jesus did. It makes sense that Jesus would speak differently to people from one context to another. And it makes sense that we in the US, for example, have a lot to offer and a lot to learn from people in Southern India who have experienced and imagined Jesus differently than we have. God is still speaking to all cultures and we should be taking part in the conversation.

A movie like this makes us ask questions.

What are the images of Jesus that you grew up with?
How have those images changed?
Have your life experiences, readings of the Scriptures, or interactions with other cultures changed the ways in why you understand Jesus?
Would it matter if Jesus were a black African rather than a white American?

Don't be surprised to learn the Religious Right is already at the gates ready to fight the film. The Republican Party-aligned Institute on Religion and Democracy recently took aim at the director of the film:

"We wanted to look at the gospels as if they were written by spindoctors and to strip that away and look at the truth. The truth is that Christ was born in an occupied state and preached equality at a time when that wasn't very acceptable."

- Mark Dornford-May, director of Son of Man, a movie which retells the passion of Christ by placing Jesus in a modern African state in a state of civil war.

IRD placed Dornford-May's statement on the "Outrageous Quotes of the Week" section of their web site. IRD's Jesus is one who read the Republican Party Platform word for word during the sermon on the mount (forgetting all the parts about love and justice). IRD supports war, opposes anti-poverty programs, and charges that Christians that disagree with the President's Iraq war are un-American. IRD' staff and board are made up of many prominent Republican activists and funders.  They don't want anyone to ever mess with their Repubican Jesus.   

I'm looking forward to seeing this film. We just need a babysitter.

The Passion of the Christ: How To Make Up Your Own Gospel Story & Blame The Jews In The Process For How The Story Ends

The re-release of Mel Gisbon’s interpretative film on the death of Jesus is out in theatres this week. The Passion of the Christ made lots of money for Gibson and his associates but it was a flawed filmed that took the four basic gospel stories and made them into a composite story– and then added extra-Biblical material never heard in the Bible. The Passion story has been used for thousands of years to blame Jews for the death of Jesus and Gibson’s film promoted that anti-Semitic viewpoint. The National Council of Churches USA has information on their web site that will help viewers of the film and churches assess the theological message Gibson has been working to spread. Click here to learn more.

Catholic League: Hollywood Controlled By Jews Who Hate Jesus

The same national group that labeled this blog “anti-Catholic” because of my advocacy on behalf of women in the church has now claimed that the “Passion of the Christ” won’t win an Oscar because Hollywood is controlled by Jews. Frank Rich reports in the New York Times:

Will it be the Jews' fault if "The Passion of the Christ," ignored by the Golden Globes this week, comes up empty in the Oscar nominations next month? Why, of course.

"Hollywood is controlled by secular Jews who hate Christianity in general and Catholicism in particular," William Donohue, president of the Catholic League, explained in a colloquy on the subject recently convened by Pat Buchanan on MSNBC. "It's not a secret, O.K.?" Mr. Donohue continued. "And I'm not afraid to say it. That's why they hate this movie. It's about Jesus Christ, and it's about truth." After the show's token (and conservative) Jewish panelist, Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, pointed out that "Michael Moore is certainly not a Jew" and that Scorsese, Coppola and Lucas are not "Jewish names," Mr. Donohue responded: "I like Harvey Weinstein. How's that? Harvey Weinstein is my friend."

How’s that? Weird. Sad. Another example of the anti-Jewish sentiment stirred up by this film. Why anyone takes the Catholic League seriously is a mystery to me. Unfortunately, they have become a leading champion of conservative Catholics.

When the film was released Father John T. Pawlikowski, Professor of Ethics and Director of the Catholic-Jewish Studies Program at the Catholic Theological Union and Rabbi David Sandmel, Crown-Ryan Chair of Jewish Studies at the Catholic Theological Union, wrote:

Gibson has embellished the Gospel text in order to intensify Jesus' suffering. But in so doing, he draws on his own imagination and a variety of non-canonical sources, including the visions of a 19th century German nun who lived at a time when anti-Semitic homilies were a common tool for rallying mobs against the Jews.

The Holocaust compelled many Christians to examine the historic role of churches in fomenting anti-Semitism. Christian sensitivity in these areas has fostered significant changes in traditional church doctrine and practice on the part of both Roman Catholics and Protestants, such as those stemming from the Second Vatican Council's landmark Nostra Aetate (1965), and the Declaration of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America to the Jewish Community (1994).

A primary focus of this investigation is a single verse in Matthew (27:24-25): "So when Pilate saw that he could do nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took some water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, 'I am innocent of this man's blood; see to it yourselves.' Then the people as a whole answered, 'His blood be on us and on our children!'" (NRSV)

In the history of Christian anti-Semitism, this verse serves as biblical warrant for holding all Jews at all times responsible for the death of Jesus. Augustine, John Chrysostom, Thomas Aquinas, and Martin Luther all use it in this way. Yet the verse occurs only in Matthew. It is not found in Mark, Luke, or John, and is thus not essential in depicting Jesus' death.

After a group of Catholic and Jewish scholars objected to the presence of the verse in an early script, Gibson said he would take it out. But the film as screened on Tuesday, January 21, 2004 here in Chicago and the following night in Orlando includes the verse, thus repeating for millions of movie-goers around the world a classical indictment of the Jewish People for deicide….

Important Christian leaders such as Pope John Paul II have forcefully condemned anti-Semitism as a sin. The release of Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ challenges Christians to address this topic frankly from the pulpit. Christians, especially, must honestly confront the history of anti-Judaism that is tied to the Passion. This challenge must be at the forefront of any evaluation of Mel Gibson's film.

Donahue’s words are a clear reminder that anti-Semitism is alive and well within some Christians (Catholic and Protestant). His words and the actions of the Catholic League must be condemned in the strongest possible terms.

Christopher Reeve

Hearing the news about Christopher Reeve was really disheartening. He was one of my real first movie heros and posters of Superman littered the walls of my boyhood bedroom. Reeve showed amazing courage after his accident and became a powerful advocate for stem-cell research. He was a Unitarian-Universalist and his faith grew with his experience of being disabled. Lots of people go the other direction and understandably loose their faith during such times. Make sure you visit his foundation web site to learn how you might support his work. John Kerry was also a friend of Reeve’s (he actually mentioned him during the last debate) and the senator has a good statement up on his web site about Superman’s passing.

Bush’s Brain: The Karl Rove Story

A new documentary is coming to a theatre near you (at least in Portland and 12 other cities) and is available on DVD. Bush’s Brain follows the life and times of Karl Rove, the chief political advisor to the president. Rove is a legend for his dirty campaign tactics. Many independent observers have noted his close association with the contributors and producers of the so-called Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. The promoters of this film, which is based on a book by journalists James Moore and Wayne Slater, provided me with an advance copy. It is worth viewing. Knowing the history of how George Bush has run his past campaigns and who is behind them is key to understanding the viscous nature of his 2004 effort.

Casino ejects Ronstadt over 'Fahrenheit' praise

LOS ANGELES, California (Reuters) -- Singer Linda Ronstadt was thrown out of the Aladdin casino in Las Vegas on the weekend after dedicating a song to liberal filmmaker Michael Moore and his movie "Fahrenheit 9/11," a casino spokeswoman said Monday.

Ronstadt, who had been hired for a one-show engagement Saturday night at the Las Vegas Strip casino, dedicated a performance of "Desperado" to Moore and his controversial documentary, which criticizes President Bush and the U.S.-led war in Iraq.

That dedication angered some Aladdin guests who spilled drinks, tore down posters and demanded their money back, said casino spokeswoman Sara Gorgon.

Full story

This kind of corporate censorship of artists is a worrisome sign that signals the decline of open democracy in a free society.

Messages are pilling up on her homepage attacking her. You might considering visiting the site and leaving a message of your own defending her patriotism.

#1

'Fahrenheit 9/11' breaks records

Waiting for Babies

Our doctor has scheduled July 9th for Liz to have a caesarian section to deliver the twins. Both babies are still breach and that doesn’t look like it will change (hence the need for a c-section). Of course, Liz could still go into labor on her own before July 9th (just two weeks from today), but we’re hoping the girls stay put a bit longer to grow as strong as possible. They’ll be at 37 weeks around the time we deliver.

In the meantime, we continue our movie going marathon as we wait for the babies. We figure we won’t be able to see movies again for at least another 18 years after they arrive.

Today we saw Fahrenheit 9/11. Go see this movie! It was the first film we’ve seen this summer that has a) been packed for a matinee b) received long applause at the end. Bring any of your friends / family who are on the fence about the war and George W. Bush.

Update: See Liz's picture at 35 weeks.

Fahrenheit 9/11

Friday we’re planning on hitting the theaters for Fahrenheit 9/11, Michael Moore’s new film which recently won the Best Picture Award at the Cannes Film Festival. Republican operatives have launched a campaign to scare theatres into not showing the movie. The Fahrenheit 9/11 web site bills this film this way:

One of the most controversial and provocative films of the year, Fahrenheit 9/11 is Academy Award-winning filmmaker Michael Moore's searing examination of the Bush administration's actions in the wake of the tragic events of 9/11. With his characteristic humor and dogged commitment to uncovering the facts, Moore considers the presidency of George W. Bush and where it has led us. He looks at how - and why - Bush and his inner circle avoided pursuing the Saudi connection to 9/11, despite the fact that 15 of the 19 hijackers were Saudis and Saudi money had funded Al Qaeda. Fahrenheit 9/11 shows us a nation kept in constant fear by FBI alerts and lulled into accepting a piece of legislation, the USA Patriot Act, that infringes on basic civil rights. It is in this atmosphere of confusion, suspicion and dread that the Bush Administration makes its headlong rush towards war in Iraq - and Fahrenheit 9/11 takes us inside that war to tell the stories we haven't heard, illustrating the awful human cost to U.S. soldiers and their families. Lions Gate Films will release the film nationwide on June 25th.

Click here to watch the trailer for the film. MoveOn.org is asking people to pledge to see the film on the opening weekend so that those on the right trying to shut it down don't win their fight (thanks to Heather Hyland for pointing out the MoveOn.org link).

The Hunting Of The President

A new documentary has been released on the Clinton years and what is billed as a “ten year campaign to destroy Bill and Hillary Clinton.” The Hunting of the President is based on a book by the same name by Joe Conason and Gene Lyons which was first published in 2000. The film isn’t playing yet in St. Louis, but I read the book when it was released and if the film is anything like the book it will be worth viewing. The authors outline a web of right-wing activists with ties to white supremacists, Republican Party operatives, and the office of the Independent Counsel that were clearly bent on destroying the presidency of Bill Clinton. Was there really a right-wing conspiracy? At the very least there was a concerted effort unlike any partisan campaign in recent times. Watch the film and read the book.

"The Day After Tomorrow"

The new fictional disaster movie "The Day After Tomorrow" comes out on Friday and we’re planning on seeing it ASAP (we need to get in all the summer movies before the twins arrive). The film details what would happen if global warming continues to go unchecked. Is the science behind the film sound? My guess is no. But at least the film might get people to start asking more questions about the impact global warming has on our weather and the environment in general.

The Indianapolis Star notes the film comes out just as Congress is set to vote on legislation that “would regulate carbon dioxide emissions and other man-made gases that some blame for the shift in climate patterns.” James Patterson writes:

Senators received a letter Wednesday signed by an unusual alliance of environmentalists, clergy, Nobel laureates and presidents of national scientific associations urging reconsideration of the Climate Stewardship Act, which would establish the nation's first regulatory system for carbon dioxide emissions.

"Among the predicted consequences of climate change are more frequent occurrences of heat, waves, drought, torrential rains and floods; global sea level rise of between one-half and three feet; increase of tropical diseases in non-temperate regions; significant reduction in biodiversity," the letter states.

It is co-signed by 30 prominent American academics and clerics, including professors from Harvard, Stanford, Cornell, Rice, Duke and Princeton universities, the California and Massachusetts institutes of technology and the universities of California and Michigan.

Other signatories to the letter, titled "A Plea From Religion and Science for Action on Global Climate Change," represent the National Council of Churches, U.S. Catholic Conference of Bishops, Jewish Theological Seminary of America, United Methodist Church, the Union for Reformed Judaism, Episcopal Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

You can read the letter here. Congress can be contacted here.

Growing Numbers Hold Jews Responsible For Jesus’ Death

In the wake of Mel Gibson’s film The Passion of the Christ there are a growing number of people who believe Jews are responsible for the death of Jesus. Roman authorities actually executed Jesus, but Gibson’s film includes scenes not written in the New Testament that attempt to place blame on the Jewish people.

Those who have seen the film, according to polling done by The Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, are more likely to consider Jews responsible than those who have not seen the film.

Generally, there is a correlation between seeing the movie, and expressing an intention to see it, with holding the view that Jews were responsible for Christ's death. This is especially the case among younger people. Of those age 18-34 who have seen the movie, 42% believe Jews were responsible for Christ's death. Similarly, 36% of those age 35-59 who have seen "The Passion of the Christ" express that view.

This data points to a need for improved Christian education programs targeted at young people. We cannot afford to allow a generation of Christians to hold false opinions – fostered by theological conservatives like Gibson – holding Jews responsible for something they did not do.

Lord of the Oscars

The Return of the King, the final film of the three-part Fellowship of the Rings, is winning a lot of Oscars tonight. Peter Jackson was just named Best Director. And now the film has been named Best Picture. Wow. What a night for Mr. Jackson and company. These films represented something special in film making.

Watching The Passion Of The Christ

Today I saw The Passion of the Christ. It was, at times, moving. I was most taken with how the film portrayed Mary’s witness to the death of her son. On the whole, however, I agree with critics who charge that Pontius Pilate was depicted as reluctant to harm or kill Jesus. It was only the Jewish leaders and their crowds of followers who forced Pilate to crucify Jesus. Not to crucify him would have meant a Jewish rebellion. In Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ it is clearly the Jews who are at fault for Jesus’ death. This film is not an accurate portrayal of the Gospel stories or history.

A note on the violence in the film: it is gratuitous. The New Testament accounts of Jesus’ death are obviously violent. But this is Gibson’s made up version. It is his vision of what occurred. You can tell the star of Lethal Weapon wrote and directed this film.

Who Likes The Passion?

The author of the OCA's new anti-gay ballot measure - that's who. Big surprise.

The Boggs Blog: 'The Passion' & me

Rabbi Michael Lerner's The Gospel of Love

Rabbi Michael Lerner has an excellent essay in Tikkun urging Christians to respond to Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ with what he calls the Gospel of Love. Lerner takes the view that the issues raised by the film are much broader than just anti-Semitism.

So let's understand that the attempt to revive Christian enthusiasm around the part of the story that is focused on cruelty and pain is not only (or even primarily) a threat to the Jews, but rather a threat to all those decent, loving, and generous Christians who have found in the Jesus story a foundation for their most humane and caring instincts. It is these Christians who are under assault by Mel Gibson's movie, and by the particular form of Christian evangelicalism that it is meant to stimulate. Yet, in a deeper way, the Gibson movie is likely to stimulate a broader assault on all of us who seek to build a world based on caring and love, cooperation and generosity, by giving strength to the part within each of us that despairs, the voice within each of us that tells us that cruelty is what is "really how the other is, really how the world is," the voice inside each of us that feels that there is no point in struggling to transform the world because it is too hopeless and too dominated by craziness (and that is the point of the Jews in the Gospel calling for Jesus to be killed, because it is saying "even the Jews, his own people" do this, because evil is dominant in the world and always will be, and the only way out is to believe in Jesus and find salvation in another world, and despair of changing this one). So, part of the struggle is to reclaim and reaffirm the Jewish Jesus, the Jesus who retains hope for building love right here, the Jesus who unabashedly proclaims that the Kingdom of Heaven has arrived (which is to say, that it is here on earth, that the world right now can be based on love and kindness, and that we don't have to wait for some future time or "the end of days" as described by Isaiah, because it is here now, we can make it happen right away by the way that we live our lives). And it is this voice of Jesus that The Passion movie seeks to marginalize or make invisible.

This is another article worth the read.

Statement by the Rev. Dr. Robert W. Edgar

Statement by the Rev. Dr. Robert W. Edgar
General Secretary, National Council of Churches USA
New York, N.Y., February 20, 2004

Speaking on behalf of the National Council of Churches, I condemn in the strongest terms the recent anti-Semitic remarks of Hutton Gibson, father of film producer Mel Gibson, including his bizarre assertion that the Holocaust did not occur. The Holocaust is a tragic historical fact.

The elder Gibson’s comments are offensive in the extreme, not only to Jews, but also to all persons of good will. I understand that Hutton Gibson has made similar remarks in the past. However, the controversy surrounding Mel Gibson’s film “The Passion of the Christ” now has attracted substantial media attention to his father’s vitriolic tirade and it must not stand unchallenged.

The leadership of the Council’s 36 member denominations, who are the spiritual leaders of some 50 million U.S. Christians, deplore hate speech of any kind. Along with them I work toward a nation in which interfaith harmony and understanding among all our people may grow and flourish.

"A Jewish and Christian Response to Mel Gibson’s The Passion"

"A Jewish and Christian Response to Mel Gibson’s The Passion"

Featured speakers:

Rabbi Mark Shook
Senior Rabbi, Temple Israel-St Louis

Dr. Steve Patterson
Professor of New Testament, Eden Theological Seminary

Thursday, March 11, 2004 * 7:00 p.m.

Eden Theological Seminary, Schroer Commons, 475 East Lockwood Avenue

Sponsored by

Interfaith Partnership of Metropolitan St. Louis
4144 Lindell Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63108

Eden Theological Seminary
475 East Lockwood Ave., Saint Louis, MO 63119-3192

Did You Watch Dateline's "The Last Days of Jesus?"

Tonight NBC’s Dateline aired their program “The Last Days of Jesus.” I was at a church gathering tonight discussing John John Dominic Crossan’s book Who Killed Jesus and only caught the last 15 minutes of the program. From what little I saw Crossan and Marcus Borg did a good job of discussing some of the myths involved regarding the role of the Jewish people in Jesus’ death. I’m getting a lot of hits tonight from people looking for information on the program. If you saw it please leave a note in the comment section and tell us what you thought.

Gibson's Dad: Holocaust Was Fiction

Mel Gibson’s dad, Hutton Gibson, made new comments today arguing that the Holocaust either never happened or was greatly exaggerated.

In his interview on WSNR radio's "Speak Your Piece", to be broadcast Monday, Hutton Gibson, argued that many European Jews counted as death camp victims of the Nazi regime had in fact fled to countries like Australia and the United States.

"It's all -- maybe not all fiction -- but most of it is," he said, adding that the gas chambers and crematoria at camps like Auschwitz would not have been capable of exterminating so many people.

Gibson's father had made similar claims in remarks published in a New York Times article in March last year.

In a television interview with Diane Sawyer that was broadcast Monday on the ABC network, Mel Gibson accused the Times of taking advantage of his father, and he warned Sawyer against broaching the subject again.

"He's my father. Gotta leave it alone Diane. Gotta leave it alone," Gibson said, while offering his own perspective on the Holocaust.

The elder Gibson went on to charge that Jews were plotting to create a world religion and a world government where they would control all facets of life.

Hutton Gibson and Mel Gibson are both “Traditionalist” Catholics who have rejected reforms in the Church that began with Vatican II. Those reforms included statements making clear that Jews were not at fault for the death of Jesus. Critics claim Mel Gibson’s new film may inflame anti-Semitic feelings.

NBC: The Last Days of Jesus

NBC’s Dateline program this Friday will be on “The Last Days of Jesus.” Could be good. Could be bad. But one good sign: John Dominic Crossan is interviewed. The show comes shortly before the release of Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ.

National Council of Churches Guide On The Passion

[Episcopal News Service] A reflection guide to Mel Gibson's movie "The Passion of the Christ," offered by the National Council of Churches USA, has been endorsed by the Episcopal Church's ecumenical and interfaith officer as a helpful guide to parishioners and congregations viewing the controversial film.

The guide is available on the NCC's web site at http://www.ncccusa.org/pdfs/passionfilmguide.pdf

"This study guide is very good and consistent with our approach to such matters," said Bishop Christopher Epting, deputy to the Presiding Bishop for ecumenical and interfaith relations. "We don't believe in censoring such things, or advising our people not to view them, but to reflect on them within the community of faith. I would encourage Episcopal congregations to consider making this material available."

"The Passion of the Christ," set to open Ash Wednesday (February 25), already has generated both rave reviews and controversy. The NCC Interfaith Relations Commission, which issued the guide, does not comment on the film but offers Christian viewers a framework in which to see the film and to discuss it in their families and congregations.

Tragic history

According to the NCC, the guide recognizes that the story of Christ's Passion is deeply meaningful to Christians and that dramatic depictions of the Passion story can be a powerful experience of faith--but that such depictions also have a tragic history, sometimes leading to labeling of Jews as "Christ-killers" and to acts of violence against Jews.

"Many Christian and Jewish leaders are concerned that this movie might set back decades of Jewish-Christian relations," the guide notes. The NCC Interfaith Relations Commission expresses its concern about the possible rise in anti-Semitism and its desire to foster genuine and constructive Christian-Jewish dialogue.

The guide addresses the question "Who killed Jesus?" and reminds its readers that Jesus was born a Jew and lived as a Jew to the end. It encourages Christians to read at least two Gospel accounts of the Passion along with commentary on the religious and political context of the gospel writers.

When Jesus prayed from the cross, "Father, forgive them, they know not what they do," what did he mean? the guide asks. Movie viewers are asked to discuss how the movie portrays Jews, and to consider specific steps to build or strengthen relationships with Jewish people and institutions.

(Thanks to WWP for sending along this story. Other NCC resources on the film are available here.)

Gibson: "I Want His Intestines On A Stick"

So far I haven’t been able to find a transcript of Mel Gibson’s interview with ABC that aired last night. Plenty of people have been visiting my site looking for it. If anyone saw it post a comment and let us know what you thought.

Some comments that Gibson has made recently are drawing renewed concern over his intentions in making the movie. Here are a few examples of his view on the Second Vatican Council and his Christian beliefs.

"[Vatican II] corrupted the institution of the church. Look at the main fruits: dwindling numbers and pedophilia." - Time, January 27, 2003

"[Scholars] always dick around with [the Gospels], you know? Judas is always some kind of friend of some freedom fighter named Barabbas, you know what I mean? It's horseshit. It's revisionist bullshit. And that's what these academics are into. They gave me notes on a stolen script. I couldn't believe it. It was like they were more or less saying I have no right to interpret the Gospels myself, because I don't have a bunch of letters after my name. But they are for children, these Gospels. They're for children, they're for old people, they're for everybody in between. They're not necessarily for academics. Just get an academic on board if you want to pervert something!"
- The New Yorker, September 15, 2003

"There is no salvation for those outside the Church…I believe it."
- The New Yorker, September 15, 2003

"Why are they calling her a Nazi? …Because modern secular Judaism wants to blame the Holocaust on the Catholic Church. And it's a lie. And it's revisionism. And they've been working on that one for a while."
- On criticism of Anne Catherine Emmerich, a nineteenth-century nun whose writings influenced his portrayal of Jesus' death. The New Yorker, September 15, 2003

"I want to kill him…I want his intestines on a stick. . . . I want to kill his dog."
- On New York Times reporter Frank Rich, who wrote an early article about The Passion of the Christ. The New Yorker, September 15, 2003

You can read more of Mel Gibson In His on Words by clicking here.

Pro and Con On The Passion of The Christ

Beliefnet.com has a new section on their web site with information pro and con about Mel Gibson's new film The Passion of the Christ.

You can also read my other posts on the film.

Newsweek: Who Really Killed Jesus?

Newsweek is offering their take this week on The Passion of the Christ with a controversial cover story.

For Christians, the Passion—from the Latin passus, the word means "having suffered" or "having undergone"—is the very heart of their faith. Down the ages, however, when read without critical perspective and a proper sense of history, the Christian narratives have sometimes been contorted to lay the responsibility for Jesus' execution at the feet of the Jewish people, a contortion that has long fueled the fires of anti-Semitism.

The article by Jon Meacham is drawing fire from conservative evangelicals – but does a good job of placing the death of Jesus in an historical context.

Update: My cousin Bryan asked a good question: who are these conservative evangelicals who object to the Newsweek story? I should have provided links. Albert Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, is one of those objecting. You can read his article here. Focus on the Family is another group upset. Read their website story. There are plenty of others if you search Google.

Albert Mohler: Jewish Voices Don't Count

Albert Mohler, the Southern Baptist seminary president, has become one of my favorite people to read. He is the Pat Robertson of his generation: a Christian who has aligned his theology with the extreme right-wing of the Republican Party. Mohler attacks gays, women, Democrats, and anyone else who might disagree with his interpretation of Scripture. Reading his commentaries gives you a glimpse into the darkest parts of religious America.

One of his new targets is Jewish leaders in America who have raised questions about Mel Gibson’s new film The Passion of the Christ. He writes:

The Passion has offended the usual parties--those who accuse the Gospel of anti-semitism. Abraham Foxman of the Anti-Defamation League wrote Gibson a public letter raising "serious concerns about the film you are making about the last hours of the life of Jesus." Foxman also asked "to be assured that it will not give rise to the old canard of charging Jews with deicide and to anti-Semitism." Similar concerns were raised by officials at the Simon Wiesenthal Center.

The issue of anti-Semitism is not even really relevant to the discussion. It tell(s) us far more about the despisers of Christianity than about Christianity itself.

Mohler speaks for a large number of evangelical Christians. He has used Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, where he serves as President, as a training ground for conservative activists opposed to modern society – even modern scholarship.

Braveheart doesn't care what liberal theologians think of his film--nor should he. Those who accuse the New Testament of anti-Semitism deserve no place at the table. They represent the academic enablers of anti-Christianity. Their Jesus bears little resemblance to the true Jesus of the gospels, but looks remarkably like an open-minded liberal ready for tenure at the Harvard Divinity School.

Viewers beware: The Passion of the Christ is a movie made for people like Albert Mohler. It may have little to do with the reality of Jesus.

Council of Centers on Jewish-Christian Relations "Passion" Statement

Statement on the Controversies
Surrounding Mel Gibson’s
The Passion of Christ

from the Council of Centers on Jewish-Christian Relations

There has been growing discussion in the media and among the general public concerning Mel Gibson’s film, The Passion of Christ, scheduled for release in February. We, directors or personnel of the twenty-five member organizations of the Council of Centers on Jewish-Christian Relations, have been monitoring this developing conversation for many months. We wish to offer assistance to our communities as they struggle with the difficult questions that this film is raising.

These questions arise because, while the events of the Passion are central to Christian faith, elements of their portrayal, particularly in popular Passion Plays, have often been theologically and morally problematic. Specifically, their portrayal of Jews collectively as killers of Christ has historically fomented hatred and violence toward Jews. In the wake of the Holocaust, the Roman Catholic Church and all major Protestant denominations have officially rejected the claim of deicide and collective Jewish guilt for the death of Jesus. In a world where antisemitism is on the rise, these teachings take on new urgency.

We call on Christian leaders, in the United States and throughout the world, publicly to affirm their churches’ teachings on appropriate portrayals and interpretations of the Passion and to make these teachings readily available to the general public. And we ask that all people seek to model the behaviors of justice, honesty, and compassion that have led to the enormous progress in Christian-Jewish relations in the past forty years.

A study guide has also been developed by the Council for those who plan to see the film.

Gibson Won't Let Reporters See "The Passion"

How do reporters write stories on The Passion of the Christ without first seeing it?

That’s the question being asked by the Religion Newswriters Association. So far the film has mostly been screened by conservative evangelicals who have been forced to sign a confidentiality agreement that restricts viewers from making anything another other than positive statements about the film.

"We would like to see it for ourselves," said Michael Paulson, a four-year religion reporter for The Boston Globe. "Not rely on the opinions of hand-picked viewers."

Only three journalists are known to have seen the film. One of those, from the conservative Washington Times, recounted her experience:

Julia Duin, a religion reporter for The Washington Times, tells a bizarre tale of being invited to a screening at a church in Orlando, Fla., on Jan. 21 by Gibson's publicist. At the event, she says she was forced to sign a confidentiality agreement promising not to reveal anything about the film, was kicked out before the film started, and eventually snuck back in to view all but 25 minutes of the movie.

"Paranoia is a good adjective to describe it," she said of the experience. "I did not enjoy it." When asked about the film, she said it was "not very complimentary to the Jewish leaders of the time, but I didn't think it was anti-Semitic. I don't think you come away from it thinking that Jews are all bad for all time."

The agreement Duin had to sign stated that "'The Passion of the Christ,' is a work in progress, not yet ready for public scrutiny." It also required screeners to agree to "hold confidential my exposure, knowledge and opinions of the film and the question and answer session with Mr. Gibson."

The statement added that a media embargo for reviews and articles about the film's contents would be in effect until the week the film opens, but "pastors and church leaders are free to speak out in support of the movie and your opinions resulting from today's experience and exposure to this project."

What is Gibson trying to hide? You can read all my updates on the film by clicking here.

Lutherans Urge Caution on "Passion" Film

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has issued a good statement on Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ and guidelines for Lutherans to consider when watching the film.

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has committed itself to "live out our faith in Jesus Christ with love and respect for the Jewish people" (1994 Declaration to the Jewish Community). Our Guidelines for Lutheran-Jewish Relations include reminders that "the New Testament . . . must not be used as justification for hostility towards present-day Jews," and that "blame for the death of Jesus should not be attributed to Judaism or the Jewish people." In keeping with these commitments, we view with concern recent public reports regarding the forthcoming film on the Passion by Mr. Mel Gibson.

Recognizing his stature and influence as a film producer and celebrity, we can expect that Mr. Gibson's project will shape or reshape understandings of this central Christian story for millions of viewers. It is imperative that such influence be exercised with due regard for the powerful heritage of the Passion as gospel truth for Christians and as human tragedy for many Jews. It is possible to use the occasion of this major media event to build understanding and goodwill among Jews, Christians, and many others.

This statement is an important one for the Christian community.

The Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism has also put up a new section on their web site offering readers updated information on the film. The Religious Action Center is an important voice in social justice and their site covers a range of current topics.