TORONTO — In the February Interim newspaper, mailed out in January, LifeSite's John-Henry Westen reviewed Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ. Westen wrote that the film is “the most realistic and spectacular portrayal of Christ” as it focuses on Jesus' torturous final 12 hours.
Westen, editor of LifeSiteNews.com, says that The Passion's artistry is “superb,” its power “beyond mere tears.” He recounts that during the screening for pastors and ministry leaders that he attended on January 13, “a gentleman behind me began openly sobbing,” adding, “the effort to resist joining him was real — it took measured breathing through clenched teeth and flexing of muscles.”
The review of the film, which opens on February 25 (Ash Wednesday), praises the “spiritual dimension that begs the viewer on from contemplation of the horrific tortures Christ suffered for our sins, to the realization of the fact that those sufferings came after He divested himself of the glory of His divinity.”
The review focuses on the film itself and mostly ignores the controversy surrounding allegations of anti-Semitism in The Passion. But it alludes to it by implicitly dismissing the idea that the Jews killed Christ. Westen says the film is “a gift of God through His son Mel Gibson, who is the first to admit that it was His sins — not those of the Jews — that crucified Christ.” As a symbol of Gibson's role in the death of Jesus, the review notes “Gibson did play a part in the film. It is his hands that drive the nails into Christ — thus serving as Gibson's admission of guilt for the death of Christ.”
In an editorial, The Interim explores the significance of Jesus' cross and His death. The editorial notes that the job of Christian pro-lifers “is not merely to save the unborn but to save ourselves, to save our country. We can only do this with God and through Jesus Christ. We must never forget the most basic fact, that the source of all life is God. There is no greater affirmation of the value, importance, and dignity of human life than the fact that God made Himself Man. It is something to ponder during the 40 days of Lent.”
See also:
Full Review of The Passion of the Christ and The Interim editorial “The Cross”
(This update courtesy of LifeSiteNews.com.)
