WHY EVANGELICALS ARE CHEERING A PROFOUNDLY CATHOLIC MOVIE

By David Neff – Christianity Today, February 20, 2004

Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ—shaped by pre–Vatican II Catholic devotion—has ignited extraordinary enthusiasm among evangelicals. Why?

Though steeped in Catholic piety (e.g., reliance on the visions of mystic Anne Catherine Emmerich, emphasis on Mary, devotion to Christ’s wounds), the film powerfully affirms classical Christian truths evangelicals hold dear:

The Reality of Evil

Gibson depicts Satan tempting Jesus in Gethsemane—not as a cartoon villain, but as a seductive, beautiful deceiver (a veiled woman whose robe conceals a serpent). Jesus crushes the serpent’s head—a visual echo of Genesis 3:15. Gibson told pastors: “Evil masquerades. If your antennae are up, you’ll detect it.” He believes the production itself faced intense spiritual opposition.

Personal Culpability and Atonement

When accused of anti-Semitism, Gibson replies: “For culpability, look to yourself. I look to myself.” In a striking moment, Gibson himself (off-camera) hammers the nails into Christ’s hands—symbolizing his own responsibility for the Cross.

The Necessity of Blood Sacrifice

The film’s graphic brutality is not gratuitous, but theological: “In the Old Covenant, blood was required. In the New, blood was required. Jesus could’ve pricked His finger—but He went all the way.” Gibson affirms Leviticus 17:11: “It is the blood that makes atonement.”

Contemplative Engagement

Gibson calls the film “contemplative—not a documentary, but an invitation to remember… in a way that cannot be articulated, only experienced.” Its structure mirrors the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary—encouraging meditation on Christ’s suffering.

For Gibson, the project was salvific: emerging from “emptiness, regret, despair,” he turned again to prayer—and “went to the wounds of Christ to heal my own wounds.”

One viewer summed it up: “I’m sorry. I forgot.”