stuff i think

Rallying Points

There seems to be a lot of writing in the church these days about unity, and that's a good thing. The sectarianism that we've lived with for so many years has served to diversify us, but it's also served to disperse us. We see more and more city-wide events focusing on the things we agree on rather than those that we differ on.

We're not the only ones in unity, though. In fact, at times it seems the unity around those who would counter the cause of God is as strong or stronger. We shouldn't be surprised. King David took notice of it thousands of years ago:

Psalm 2:1,2
Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the LORD and against his Anointed One.

One example of people uniting in their outrage at the things of God might be the public reaction to Mel Gibson's upcoming film, "Passion". ( see http://www.passion-movie.com/english/index.html ). Gibson, a devout Catholic, has produced a film dedicated to an accurate portrayal of the most horrifying story ever lived - the 12 hours preceding the crucifixion of Christ. Word is that the movie is not easy to watch - in addition to it's graphic protrayal, the actors and actresses speak only Latin and Aramaic, and there are no subtitles. Nevertheless, the point is made - at a recent screening in Washington, many were found sobbing in the theatre when the lights came up.

Gibson has been threatened, yelled at, and told he'll never get the film destributed. He remarked recently that "When 'The Last Temptation of Christ' was released, we were told to be open minded....where did all those folks go?" (rough paraphrase - I can't find the exact quote this morning.)

Watch hell on earth break out against this film. And cheer for Gibson like crazy.