In an entirely unprecedented move, the body which represents all Pentecostal and Charismatic believers worldwide has issued a warning today. This is in reaction to the announcement by astronomers that a once in a lifetime planetary alignment will occur this Sunday. The alignmentt will induce a feeling of near weightlessness. Due to concerns that believers who dance in church may injure themselves, all believers have been urged to do the following:-

"Pretend you are presbyterians for the weekend and whatever you do DO NOT dance. Clapping and raising hands are not believed to be dangerous" - Rev Dr Andrew Tonto, President of IFPCC

It remains unclear whether every believer will respond to this serious warning.

(More information available here)

Living in the UK as a Christian in 2006 is a strange experience sometimes. Some fellow believers point to a number of events that seem to suggest that we are entering days of hostility to Christians. Events that have come to my attention in the last few months include:

• The growing hostility to the use of the word "Christmas" or Christian images - bizarrely this has led to a statement from something called the Christian-Muslim Forum reminding the politically correct brigade that Muslims (and presumably those of other faiths, too!) are NOT in fact offended by us celebrating Christmas!


• The national airline fighting to prevent flight attendants from wearing crosses - which led to the Prime Minister urging BA to get on the right side of common sense on that matter.


• The arrest of a Christian for giving out leaflets at a gay march.


• The potrayal of a fictional "Christian terrorist" atrocity being planned with the full knowledge of an Anglican bishop in the popular BBC programme, Spooks.


• The increasing religious discrimination on University campuses.



• An active campaign to prevent the selection to stand as a conservative MP of a woman whose only crimes consist of going to a church and being married to a pastor.


• The blatant attempts to link all religion with extremism and terrorism by even respectable newspapers.


• Attempts to pass legislation that many fear will limit religious freedom.

According to some we are not far from entering a police state, and real persecution is not far away. There is, however, as always, two sides to the story. The increasing resurgence in Bible-believing Christianity is throwing our society into clear contrast and leading to some interesting developments. In London in particular, the last few years have seen the emergence for the first time of megachurches, and there are many church plants beginning up and down the country. There is much to be grateful for.

One of these developments is the sudden realisation by the film industry that Christians watch films, too. So, this Christmas, not only is there a terror-ridden film called "Black Christmas" being shown in cinemas, alongside it will be The Nativity Story, which wouldn't be at all out of place being shown in a Sunday School class.

I was thrilled to be invited to watch a preview of this film a few days before it goes into general release. It seemed so strange to me - despite the success of The Passion - to be seeing a film like this on the silver screen. It is a sight we are going to need to get used to. I predict that this film will be far more successful than many might think.

For the truth is that everyone, believer or not, is fascinated by the story of Christmas. And, as Christians, this is a film that I believe we can endorse with confidence, and take our non-Christian friends along to. It is not purely a children's film, but it is suitable in my view for all but the youngest and most sensitive of children. There are a few brief episodes of violence, but nothing that I wouldn't allow my children to see.

There is a long tradition of artistic works being inspired by the story of Christ. Modern filmmakers may believe that they have discovered a new genre and new ways of marketing these kind of films. But is this so very different from the church nativity play - which often takes poetic license - or indeed the traveling plays of centuries ago which taught the Bible to illiterate masses?

These days our society is returning to having a functionally illiterate mass of people and a more literate elite who at least know how to use a Google search to return almost any useful piece of information they require! It should be no wonder that some are turning to the screen to retell the greatest story ever told, and I, for one, believe that the church as a whole should get right behind it - if we all attend this film, it will be another encouragement to filmmakers to produce wholesome material. It would be an amazing vindication of the power of market forces if eventually Hollywood realised that making blatantly immoral material was no longer profitable.

What is interesting is that the filmmakers are already increasingly convinced that producing a film that the Christians will like will mean making a significant profit. Why else would this film choose to be premiered in the Vatican - the first time that the world premiere of any film has taken place there?

This film is no Catholic propoganda, however. Mary (played by Kisha Castle-Hughes, who played the Queen of Naboo in Star Wars III - The Revenge of the Sith) is portrayed as a normal young woman with doubts and fears rather than a sinless saint. The way Castle-Hughes exudes both youthfulness and emerging womanhood is masterful. The story attempts to get inside her mind and the mind of Joseph, and in so doing gives the age-old story a new lease on life. It certainly seemed to work for me.

Director Catherine Hardwicke said, "I had seen the Nativity Story just as we all do - a few simple passages with minimal detail and almost no insight into who Mary or Joseph were as people. But in Mike's script, I saw this opportunity to really get inside the heads, hearts, and souls of this young couple. This story means so much to people all over the world. I thought by humanizing them, audiences could relate to the film on a personal level and find some inspiration to get through their own challenges and difficulties."

Hardwicke goes on to say, "We were looking for epic intimacy. The story is grand and sweeping, stretching across breathtakingly beautiful terrain, yet we want to feel deeply what this couple felt - each of their physical and emotional obstacles - in a very personal visceral way."

There are a number of the makers of this film who profess a Christian faith and claim that they had a sense of calling to produce the film. The writer speaks of being on his church's prayer list throughout production.

The film really does have an authentic middle-eastern feel - with actors who look and sound like I imagine the biblical characters really would have. The truly multicultural cast included actors from Trinidad, Iran, Guatemala, Cameroon, and Jordan - this is no European Jesus story. There is no mistaking one of the points of the film - Jesus really was a Jew born into a cruel Roman-occupied world. The film was shot in the same area of Italy used in The Passion.

A number of plausible, but fictional, events are introduced to the film that cleverly foreshadow significant events of Jesus' adult life - these include the temple cleansing, washing of the disciples' feet, and even the crucifixion. These are subtly done, and you might miss them if you aren't watching for them.

I saw the movie with a room full of "cynical hacks," and yet the film seemed to be affecting them emotionally. At one of the most impactful moments of the film, there was a sudden brief cackle of laughter as a line hit home. To be confronted with what was, to our ears, a humorous line suddenly made you realise afresh just what announcing that she had conceived a child "by the Holy Spirit" must have been like for Mary. The young girl tries to persuade her parents of the truth of her claims to have "broken no vows" by telling them that her cousin, Elizabeth, had a child in her old age. Their retort was simply "But Elizabeth has a husband!" In a matter of seconds, however, it doesn't seem funny any more as you see the villagers preparing to stone her.

The irony is that the sinless one was born into a situation that looked to the outsider very much like it was a most sinful one. To be pregnant before consummation of your marriage might not be a great issue today, but back then it could cost you your life.

When Joseph refuses to accuse her, and stands by her, the attitudes of the villagers are wonderfully portrayed. Suddenly, you realise that Mary would have probably been glad to leave Nazareth for Bethlehem with her new husband.

The film is very much about journeys - the pain and difficulties of traveling in those days before roads and planes are brought home. But more than that, we see the journey of Mary from being a child who is frightened of marriage to a man she barely knows to a woman who falls in love with the protective Joseph and gives birth to a child who Joseph wonders if he will ever be able to teach anything to.

There really are some great artistic touches along the way, and mine were not the only eyes in the house that needed wiping by the end. It remains to be seen how touched the old hacks really were - or how much their editors allow them to be - but this blogger found himself reliving the story as though I had heard it for the first time. The emotional impact was certainly very significant for me, and I will definitely be taking my whole family (with children ranging from 3 to 9) with great anticipation of the joy they will get from the film and what they will learn.

Just in case your children ask you, here are a couple of final facts for you - firstly American Humane made sure that no animals were harmed during the filming, and secondly there are now sufficiently more trees in Tensas National Wildlife Refuge in Louisiana to counteract the films "climate change footprint." For some reason, those two statements intrigued me, so I thought I would share them here!

Other Links about the Film

As I reported last week, Albert Mohler gives The Nativity Story, the thumbs up - he says it is "In season and on message."

Allthings2all on The Nativity Story reports being undone, but points out some minor deviations from the biblical account such as the Magi and shepherds arriving on the same day, but these are easily classified under artistic license.

The Nativity Story Blog also has regular updates on the film.

There is already a Wikki page on The_Nativity_Story which looks like it could do with some expansion.

The Nativity Story, UK and The Nativity Story, US official sites are well designed and there is a generous encouragement of the use of images for church materials

I will leave you with two interviews from a site of video clips about the film that you can embed in your blog if you want to.

Albert Mohler gives The Nativity Story, to be released in the US and UK on 8th of December, the thumbs up - he says it is "In Season and On Message." I have only seen this trailer, and some other video clips, but I have seen enough, together with Mohler's praise (he has seen the whole thing) to strongly recommend that my readers take their kids to see it this Christmas. There is both a The Nativity Story, UK and The Nativity Story, US official sites for more information. I think the least we can do is spread the word among the blogs.

Josh Harris: says ". . . The other day I read a short interview with Tom Hanks about the movie. When asked about the controversy he made a statement emphasizing the fact that it was utter fiction. Of course this is obvious. But it also seems obvious to me that Mr. Hanks would probably never touch a movie based on a fictional story that so misrepresented and essentially slandered any other person or group. Would he star in a film that distorted history and facts to tell the story of Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr. or a well-known homosexual? Could he get away excusing it all as fiction?"

Josh makes no bones about the fact that he is a bit fed up of it, but closes his post by asking for comments - I thought I'd ask you all to join in either here or over at Josh's place!

"Has this book and movie given you opportunities to share the Gospel with anyone? And do you know anyone who has been unsettled by or convinced by the ideas in the Davinci Code? Also do you plan to see the movie yourself? Please feel free to comment. "

After extenstive research, I am sorry to have to break an exclusive story about my blogging buddy Tim Challies.

Perhaps you have noticed that Tim recently began to list sponsors on his website in a move that he always said he wouldn't do - it was this act that first alerted me to the fact that things were changing over in Challiesland.

Recently, I can exclusively reveal, he has become more and more desperate for money following his house-move.

I can only assume that it is this that led him to take the shameful action which I am reluctantly revealing to the blosphere today.

Large number of Christians read Tim and they have a right to know the truth.

Faith in the goodness of a simple blogger like Tim will be rocked by this revelation.

On condition that they could vet his final post, I can now reveal that T4GB friends Mahaney, Mohler, Dever, and Duncan invited Tim to an exclusive interview opportunity whilst he was at the Shepherds Conference.

Our heroes invited Tim to join them in Mahaney's hotel room after one of the evening sessions.

Larger-than-life Dever admitted to Tim in a rare moment of honesty that he was actually faking T4GB blog posts by his buddies - just as Challies was speaking of revealing the charlatan online, Mahaney came back from the bar and offered him a substantial bribe to keep quiet, which Tim accepted.

For how much was our hero willing to loose his integrity?

One thousand US dollars.

Only Challies knows how he can live with his conscience.

Little honest bloggers will unite in disappointment to learn this today of all days!

UPDATE
It seems Tim has retired from the blogosphere in disgrace, whilst another blogger has confirmed my allegations of ghost writing over at T4GB. A campaign to save Challies.com from cybersquatters has begun.....

I thought I would browse for some news about the death of  the actor who plays Leo, when shock of shocks I discovered that my American cousins are axing my favorite series .  There will only be one more series for me to sit glued in front of time after time!  How can it be!  Why do they always get rid of the best TV series?  What will I find to watch?  I guess theres always Doctor Who.....

I have just one thing to say to conservative christians who criticise the Narnia film for teaching an alternative theory of the atonement -

ITS A STORY, NOT A SEMINARY CLASS

We have watched it, and I didnt think about the nuances of the atonement once! The story is a great fantasy story which happens to reflect some aspects of the story of Jesus. One of my children (I think it was Charis) said it was the best film she had ever seen. We all loved the film and were enraptured by it.

I have to confess I was crying in one of the first few scenes when the children were leaving london.

Lewis was a master story teller, and his tales work as well for 21st century kids as they did for 20th. We should be grateful that Disney is making a film like this which openly reflects Christian values. I am praying that watching it may prompt a few people to think again about Jesus.

One of our friends kids said "This film is passion of the Christ for kids" and I guess he's about right.

Aslan Is On the Move on Film says Al:

Like many admirers of Lewis' work, I harbored deep suspicions that the movie would not be faithful to the book. After all, the movie world has robbed and pillaged many of history's greatest works of literature. Furthermore, given the unmistakable Christian allusions in Lewis' work, The Chronicles of Narnia would be particularly susceptible to cinematic subversion.

Those fears were unfounded. The film is a tour de force, combining faithfulness to Lewis' story with a wonderful cast. Watching the film is an exciting and fulfilling movie experience. I am not an expert in cinematography, nor would I pose as an expert on film technique. Still, from the vantage point of a film lover who had reservations about this adaptation, this movie has been worth the wait.

HT Justin Taylor for this fantastic nine minute preview of the film that many of us have been waiting for all year.

Challies Dot Com is complaining about marketing again, but this time its about the new Narnia movie. All I can say is that I wish some marketeer would approach me and our church about sneak previews and other such "evil" things connected to what should turn out to be the film of the year! I am already SO excited about the movie its unreal. Any Narnia marketeers out there, this blog is yours to do with as you choose if you just feed me some cool stuff. But then, over here even the Passion didnt seem to be promoted to churches quite as vigorously. Mind you with 42,000 blog posts and counting, perhaps they feel they dont need to be promoting any more than they already are! We would love to have a strong sense of what this film will be like so that we could recommend it to our readers on more than my hunch which tells me- "it'll be awesome, go for it!"

Marketing Playbook: has a quote from the Toby on the West Wing that I was just watching on my sickbed,

"Was watching a re-run of West Wing and was struck by some stuff that my favorite character, Toby Ziegler said about oratory. He called it the Science of Listener Attention.
'You want the benefits of free trade? Food is cheaper. Food is cheaper, clothes are cheaper, steel is cheaper, cars are cheaper, phone service is cheaper. You feel me building a rhythm here? Thats cause Im a speechwriter and I know how to make a point. It lowers prices, it raises income. You see what I did with lowers and raises there? Its called the science of listener attention. We did repetition, we did floating opposites and now you end with the one thats not like the others. Ready? Free trade stops wars. And thats it. Free trade stops wars! And we figure out a way to fix the rest! One world, one peace. I?m sure I?ve seen that on a sign somewhere.'
Sounds like the art of persuation or marketing to me. Repetition sounds like what we call the Rule of Three (keep your benefits/claims to just three - awesome, awesome, not screwed up). Floating opposites sounds like what we call the Rule of Pardox (e.g. Tastes Great, Less Filling). "

I so love the West Wing. Heard a great quote in one of the most recent ones I watched. CJ is rowing about why she didnt support a colleagues proposal and said "you get my support the same way I get yours when I agree with what you are saying or when I dont care about what you are saying". I think that statement is very interesting, and one to consider the ramifications of in the work environment. Some people call for blind loyalty. CJ here seems to call for such loyalty but only when one is indifferent about the matter- thus if one passionately beleives ones colleague is wrong then loyalty at that point means pointing out the error of his ways. For a Christian the next question is how do we do that and still love the person?

Why is it that I somehow thought that seeing the Passion would answer my questions about it and I would come down either on the side of adulation or hatred for the film?

I guess that things just don't seem that simple for me.

On the positive, it was artistic, reasonably accurate, emotive, and most of all a successful film about Jesus. I mean, I was rejoicing to see bible texts on display in my local cinema. Was it anti-semitic- no not really- Jesus states he is giving HIMSELF up to death in the film. Was it grusome? Well yes and no- it was probably fairly accurate. Yes I cried, and yes I left feeling grateful for what Jesus had done for me- but I was a Christian before I went in.

But, I didnt embrace the film in its entirety. The very concept bothers me a little. The very portrayal of the violence of the crucifixion continues to bother me somewhat. Did the bible refrain from describing crucifixion because it didnt have to (ie its readers at the time knew all about it) or because it didnt need to. Does seeing the violence serve any purpose. I am not sure that a film alone without someone to explain it will save anyone. The word must be preached (or at least gossiped) to you for you to believe. People need to understand that it is not the physical but the spirtual suffering of Jesus in experiencing the full wrath of God against sin that was the most severe thing Christ went through.

This sunday I will be preaching on 'A Passion for Preaching' and restating my committment to this ancient art as the primary means of us encountering Gods grace.

Also, some of the imagery I found disturbing. I was puzzled by some of the demonic images. I found some of the emphasis on Mary uncomfortable (is that because I tend to downplay her roll too much?). There was a hint of a love for the actual blood of Jesus which slightly bothered me also.

But all in all I am glad I went to see it, and glad it was made, and glad so many are seeing it.

I just hope that the people who leave wondering what on earth it was all about will find someone helpful to explain it all to them.

LAughing Giraffe believes: "The Passion of the Christ is not anti-semitic. It is a film about personal choice, forgiveness, the moral triumph of compassion in the face of extreme brutality; another interpretation of an age old story. Given Gibson's graphic portrayal of Jesus' last hours even I, a non-Christian, can see why the woman sat to my right walked out and the man in front was crying between prayers!"

I finally get to see it on Thursday- it has been sold out several times at my local cinema!

Iconoblog reports : "One film critic described it as �the film that refuses to go away, about a Saviour who refuses to stay dead. You may not like what it says, but you can�t avoid the Jesus it portrays�.

Friends have seen it, and said almost everyone was crying and the cinema was silent as people filed out afterwards.

In a sermon entitled Mother's pain, world's gain based on Luke 2:22-35, I discuss the death of Jesus, and the Mel Gibson Film. Have a listen if you like......

Sarah's Stuff!reports: "My cousin went and saw the passion and cried her eyes out- afterwards, she went to church and devoted her life to Jesus Christ. That sounds like a changed life if you ask me."

Of course, not to be too picky, but I guess we would all like to know what kind of Christian did she devote herself to being?

Is this one of those films that we all bring our prejudices to? Does an atheist leave more convinced of the fallacy of Christianity? Does a catholic see Mary's role even more clearly? Does a pentecostal see spiritual warfare?

I am hanging between a part of me that says 'This is SO cool that so many people are getting to see the cross in a realistic portrayal' and the other part that says 'The bible doesnt give details of the crucifixion, and this might not simply be because everyone in the 1st century knew what it was'. Do we need to be brought back to the 1st century understanding of the cross? Do we need to be shocked out of our complacency about it? Perhaps the answer is yes.

I so wish I could see this film and come to my own conclusions, but being in the UK I have to wait.

MArk Roberts has given me more reason to regret that I cannot yet make my own mind up about this film!

"I don't think any movie has ever inspired more emotionally charged and widely varied responses. In this sense at least, The Passion of the Christ is very much like Jesus himself.
Almost nobody who has seen this movie responds to it in a detached manner. Though the responses to The Passion of the Christ have been all over the map, they share one ironic quality: profound passion.
The diversity of responses has been seen, most obviously, in the divide between some prominent Jewish leaders and some prominent Christian leaders. As I'm sure you know by now, notable Jewish leaders have blasted the film for its unhistorical anti-Semitism. While many Christian leaders have denied this charge while praising the film's historical accuracy and spiritual profundity.
But this only begins to scratch the surface of the distinct responses to The Passion of the Christ.
If you look carefully at Jewish responses, for example, you'll see that there's no party line here. While the loudest Jewish voices have condemned the film, many others have praised it and warned Jews against over-reacting to it, for fear of inspiring anti-Semitism through their own over-reactions. And in one of the most stunning responses to the movie, The Orthodox Union of American Jews warned their followers that The Passion of the Christ is a threat to their own Jewish faith. They fear that the powerful portrayal of Jesus in this movie might actually cause Jews to doubt their Judaism and to be drawn to Jesus. (Talk about a backhanded compliment to Mel Gibson!)
We've seen a similar breadth of response among Christians. Of course most Christians have been deeply moved by the film and have praised its cinematic and spiritual power. But some Christians have publicly criticized The Passion of the Christ for being too gory, or too Catholic, or too commercial. Some have even alleged that it violates the Second Commandment by making a "graven image" if Jesus.

Though a few secular movie critics have commended the film, the most prominent have blasted it with language that feels almost as violent as the violence in the movie they so abhor. I'm speaking here of reviewers from Newsweek, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, and most of all, The New Republic, where one reviewer wrote:

"The notion that there is something spiritually exalting about the viewing of it is quite horrifying. The viewing of The Passion of the Christ is a profoundly brutalizing experience. . . . It is a repulsive masochistic fantasy, a sacred snuff film . . . . Gibson's faith is finally pre-theological, the kind of conviction that abhors thought, superstitiously fascinated by Satan and 'the other realm,' a manic variety of Christian folk religion."

Notice that this reviewer is criticizing, not on the movie, but the faith of Mel Gibson, which, as it turns out, is shared by the vast majority of Christians in America today, including me.

This review, like so many, responds not only to The Passion of the Christ, but to the Christ it portrays. Like I said, Jesus Christ inspires the most diverse and impassioned responses of any figure in history. "

blogs4God is listing all the differing Passion reviews (it has been sold-out). I love the paradox that Christians are promoting a film that in the UK will be an 18! I am a bit sad that I cannot really wade into these discussions as in the UK we still await our opportunity to view it. But view it I will, and once all my blogging friends are bored of it I will no doubt decide which side of the fence I am on!

Passion Review by Mark Roberts who has been lucky enough to see the film- joining the pope and Billy Graham on my list of people I am envious of for having seen this. Don't they want a UK blogger to review it???

Having allowed my whole family to watch the new Lord of the Rings film I asked Henry, What did you learn from the Lord of the rings?

Henry's answer- 'Not to go out on my own'

Well, I guess thats one function of letting kids see depictions of evil! Of course the other is to instill in them the age old story of the fight of good versus evil.

Many seem to learn more expicitly Christian messages from the film, such as for example Nick: "Does Lord of the Rings reflect Christian values? I think so. I see the One Ring reflecting our sin, and Frodo's role as the Ring-Bearer one that each of us have to endure."

I think we can go down this road too much however, and interestingly Rick quotes Tolkein himself about what he meant by the story "'The prime motive was the desire of a tale-teller to try his hand at a really long story that would hold the attention of readers, amuse them, delight them, and at times maybe excite them or deeply move them . . . . As for any inner meaning or �message�, it has in the intention of the author none. It is neither allegorical nor topical.'"

Of course, today the very concept of evil itself is being undermined, and when Bush spoke of an axis of evil he was ridiculed by many. If evil is an exclusively Christian concept then the Lord of the Rings clearly illustrates it. That is not to say that the story doesnt excelently illustrate many christian values, but lets not make it too much like a Christian parable, because it clearly wasn't intended to be that.

Stories do shape us however, and I for one am much happier about the way the Lord of the Rings with its clear demarcation between good and evil will shape me and my family than I am say Harry Potter which from what I understand tends to blur the boudaries somewhat.

'Mel Gibson's Passion is faithful to scripture, and that's why critics are angry,' says Bible scholar Darrell Bock. He goes on to say 'This film is extraordinary. I've never seen a film quite like it.'

Can't find much comment about this, although the reviews seem mixed. I might even have to go and see it. It seems this is about an attempt to Sue the almighty for damages for an 'act of God' which the insurance company wouldn't pay out for! According to the BBC, The Man Who Sued God is a hard film to categorise. It's also a hard film not to like, since its so-absurd-it-could-be-true story about a man who decides to sue Him Upstairs for damages is nicely played by all concerned. In his first comedy role on film, aging Scottish madman Billy Connolly plays Steve Myers"

The Jewish Journal Of Greater Los Angeles: "'There are only two parties to what occurred � the Jews, of whom Jesus was one of them, and the Romans,' Hier said. 'Now since the Romans are not here anymore, if you�re upset with how Jesus died, there�s only people left to blame � and that�s the Jews.'"

The heat that is being generated by this Gibson film is quite something. Of course the Jews were to blame for killing Jesus, but so were the Romans, so were the other nationalities who were no doubt in Jerusalem at the time, and so were all of mankind. In a nice touch I understand Gibson underlines his personal guilt in the death of Jesus by using his hands in the scene of Jesus' hands being nailed to the cross.

Mel Gibson seems to have exceeded all expectations with his new film The Pasion. I defy you to watch the trailer at hollywood Jesus without a tear in your eye. This bloody portrayal of Jesus death will shake us out of our complacent overfamiliarity with this story and make us sit up and listen.

Empire Online | The Film Website | News To begin with, Gibson attended Mass every morning whilst shooting The Passion just so that he was 'squeaky clean' while working on the film. And then there's the matter of his muse. Most directors pick a pretty lady as their inspiration, but Gibson went one better, finding an altogether more spiritual guide. 'I'm not a preacher, and I'm not a pastor,' he says. 'But I really feel my career was leading me to make this. The Holy Ghost was working through me on this film, and I was just directing traffic. I hope the film has the power to evangelise.
'Everyone who worked on this movie was changed. There were agnostics and Muslims on set converting to Christianity.'