The Passion vs Pluralism

 
Written Saturday February 14, 2004 Godarchy Line

The Passion vs Pluralism  

Mel Gibson has given Christians a platform from which to launch a all-out Gospel assault.  Let us draw the sword of the Spirit (the Word of God) from its sheath and allow it to do its awful yet marvelous work.

“When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, telling them, "You are to say, 'His disciples came during the night and stole Him away while we were asleep.' If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble." So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day.” Matthew 28:12-15

Once Jesus rose from the dead, the jealous Jewish leaders that had conspired to kill the Messiah continued speaking the native tongue of their father the devil - lies. To tell a Roman soldier to go report that he fell asleep on guard duty and lost the charge he was supposed to guard would be akin to telling that soldier to commit suicide. The Roman army had a very strict code of discipline. Under Roman law and military code any soldier falling asleep on guard duty would be stood up and killed having his clothing set on fire. Any soldier losing a prisoner or other charge would be given a death sentence. The chief priests gave the 16 Roman soldiers a great deal of money but you can be certain they told their commander a slightly different report than the ridiculous version the priests instructed them to tell. The soldiers took the money and left or in other words, the priests got ripped off in their own lying scheme.

Well Saturday's Wichita Eagle picked up an AP story in another vain attempt to imply that Mel Gibson's epic “The Passion of the Christ” is somehow anti-Semitic or will fuel hatred and violence against Jews. This false charge by those whose real fear is a revival of the Church through an accurate and biblical portrayal of Christ paying for our sins is laughable.

How does a movie about the Jewish Messiah based entirely on the record given by His Jewish apostles to His Jewish disciples and verified by historical record such as the greatest Jewish historian Josephus spread anti-Semitism? The ADL has engaged on a campaign of lies comparable to saying that Alex Haley's “Roots” spawned hatred and violence towards black people.

In the Wichita Eagle's article, “Jews, Christians plan to counter 'Passion'” critics from the ADL and American Jewish Committee state that dramatizations of the crucifixion called Passion Plays were used in the Middle Ages to incite violence against Jews. Okay, here is a historical fact from 600 years ago in small circles during the dark ages but what does that have to do with the past 400 years since the Reformation or today? Nada! It has absolutely nothing to do with today. Would these critics please show us where a Christian went to a Passion Play in the last 100 years then went on a violent rampage against Jews? How about a Christian that went wild and wrote graffiti on a synagogue?

Rabbi David Elcott, the American Jewish Committee's interfaith director, said he doesn't believe Mel's “Passion of the Christ” will unleash “Christian violence” towards Jews but gave these revealing words: "It's part of something larger, which is a hardening of religious conversation. It is such an absolutist movie. It undermines the progress that we've made in this country toward mutual respect and religious pluralism."

There we have the root of the hatred being thrown at Mel Gibson trying to prevent, stop and slur this movie. It is precisely because Mel Gibson has based this movie on the Gospel accounts of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John in the Scriptures that the ADL and a handful of other critics hate it. Since the enemies of the cross cannot refute the crucifixion, burial and resurrection of Christ, they are left with satan's old original line of distorting God's Word. As the serpent told Eve, “Hath God said?” In Rabbi Elcott's case, he is pushing the myth of pluralism.

Christians everywhere need to cleanse their minds and lives of this heretical myth called pluralism. The Lord Jesus left no room for ambiguity when He stated in Matthew 12:30, “He who is not with Me is against Me and he who is not gathering with Me is scattering abroad.” In John 14:6 the Lord Jesus said , “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except by Me.” This is absolute and exclusive. Jesus left no room for a pluralistic Judeo-Christian ethic. It is either biblical truth or it is a lie.

If the Lord Jesus had wanted us to soft pedal the preaching of the Gospel He most certainly could have done so Himself. It is because Jesus spoke of His Father and He being one that the Scribes and Pharisees tried repeatedly to kill Him and ultimately conspired to have Him crucified.

The Apostle Paul, a former Pharisee himself never watered down the Gospel for the sake of “mutual respect” or “religious pluralism” and for this the Jews that refused to believe continually sought to kill Paul.

To tell the truth it must be pointed out that just as it was a minority of Jesus-hating Jews that conspired against Jesus and handed Him over to the Romans to be crucified, so it is a minority of Jews that are opposing the “Passion of the Christ” movie.

Just as the chief priests feared losing their position to the Messiah, ADL president Abraham Foxman and others are beating the drums of anti-Semitism for the purpose of fundraising. The ADL in this regard is just as much a shakedown artist to Jews as Jesse Jackson is to blacks. Both relish the power and attention but mostly the filthy lucre.

Rabbi Daniel Lapin wrote a column for WorldNetDaily titled ‘Mel owes one to the Jews' that decries the damage these critics of Mel Gibson an “The Passion” are causing. Lapin debated a rabbi on Fox News' O'Reilly Factor last September in which this rabbi arrogantly declared it Jews' duty to teach Christians about their Christian faith. These are his words. "We have a responsibility as Jews, as thinking Jews, as people of theology, to respond to our Christian brothers and to engage them, be it Protestants, be it Catholics, and say, 'Look, this is not your history, this is not your theology, this does not represent what you believe in.'"

Talk about arrogance and bigotry! How can these critics accuse Christians of causing hatred or friction between Christians and Jews? It appears to me that this handful of rabid critics is doing any damage that may occur. To be sure the God-haters in Hollywood and the media have joined the mob and are also to blame for causing any strife that arises.

Yet through it all Jesus is still on the throne. As Psalm 76:10 declares, “Surely the wrath of man shall praise You...” They sought to ruin Mel Gibson but “The Passion” will make money for Mel. Movie distributors tried to stop “The Passion” from being made then tried to stop it from being distributed but are now kicking themselves as “The Passion” is selling out theatres a month in advance.

Nothing confuses a person's thinking more than hatred and anger. Those that are obsessed with hating biblical Christianity only end up hurting themselves. It was the great Gamaliel that gave sound advice to his fellow Sanhedrin members when they spoke of killing the apostles for preaching Christ.

“Then one in the council stood up, a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law held in respect by all the people, and commanded them to put the apostles outside for a little while. And he said to them: "Men of Israel , take heed to yourselves what you intend to do regarding these men. For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody. A number of men, about four hundred, joined him. He was slain, and all who obeyed him were scattered and came to nothing. After this man, Judas of Galilee rose up in the days of the census, and drew away many people after him. He also perished, and all who obeyed him were dispersed. And now I say to you, keep away from these men and let them alone; for if this plan or this work is of men, it will come to nothing; but if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it--lest you even be found to fight against God." Acts 5:34-39

Today in Wichita Tiller's mill with this week's killer Shelley Sella is trying to reenact the Valentine's Day Massacre on a rare Saturday open for child murder. Sella usually flies in one day a week from northern California but has been killing innocent babies here all this week. During the week of the Roe v. Wade memorial 20 babies left Tiller's mill alive because of a Christian presence and answered prayer. The very next day Shelly Sella botched an abortion and sent a mother to HCA Wesley Hospital . Christians are present this cold but sunny Valentine's Day morning preaching Christ and seeking to save lives. There is no better demonstration that pluralism is a myth than the local abortion mill. Here you will see that there is either life or death. These death camps will all be gone so bring your Bibles and children to the gates of hell and hasten their departure.

Keep storming the gates for King Jesus!

Steve Mashburn