Emotion over Gibsons "The Passion of the Christ" is Nearing Biblical Proportions

Baptist Pastor Speaks Out on Mel Gibsons Movie, Abortion, Homosexual Marriages, Anti-Semitism, and More

(PRWEB) February 24, 2004--"The Passion of the Christ" is an R-rated movie with a story and ending that everyone knows, but it is attracting a massive audience, much to the delight of Christians and to the dismay of others who see it as an attack on Jews.

After viewing the film people will discover something new in their heart which will lead them to questions about their life, about their relationship with God, and their need for change," said Rev. Wiley Drake, pastor of the First Southern Baptist Church of Buena Park, Calif. and nationally involved in moral and family rights issues.

Like the vast majority of Christian clergy across the nation, Drake sees the film as an opportunity to strengthen current church members and attract new ones. He does not see the film as an attack on Jews, as some critics charge.

People who see this film come away with a renewed devotion to Christ, or at least a desire to learn more. It does not inspire hate," said Drake.

"It's very anti-Jewish," Rabbi Leon Klenicki said of the film in published reports. Klenicki, emeritus director of the Anti-Defamation League, has not seen the movie but he said he read the script.

The film follows the accounts in the four gospels as found in the Bible. Those who have trouble with the account in the film are also critics of the Bible," said Drake. They see the Biblical account as being critical of the Jews, when in reality Christianity teaches that we are all responsible for the suffering of Jesus. My sin, your sin, the sin of all of us put him on the cross. No one group of people killed him."

Gibson has succeeded in placing viewers in a front row seat where they can feel as though they were personally present during the last 12 hours of the life of Christ. The film makes it all real, and the reaction of initial audiences has been anything but hate.

Filmed in Aramaic and Latin, with English subtitles, "The Passion of the Christ" focuses on the agonizing and bloody details of Jesus' final 12 hours and it is rated R because of the graphic nature of those events.

Devout Christians shy away from R-rated films, but in this case they are buying up tickets in record numbers. Drake says the violence is necessary in order to understand what Christ really endured for us.

It is one thing to read about it, but now we can experience in a very personal way what Christ went through. We can be there by his side, and when we leave the theater we will have a greater desire to change our lives as a result," said Drake.

Drake is not new to religious issues of controversy. He is nationally outspoken and actively involved in numerous causes and concerns.

He fights constant battles to support homeless people who seek a place to stay and a warm meal offered by his congregation not far from Disneyland. The sight of homeless people in a tourist area has had him at odds with local police and politicians for years.

Drake is also actively involved in ending abortion on demand, and exposing the homosexual agenda he says threatens our children. He is co-organizer of the Congressional Prayer Conference (http://www.CongressionalPrayer.com) in Washington, D.C. and he is opposed to homosexual marriage.

Homosexuality is a sin, and homosexual activists are working diligently to redefine our thinking and convert our children. They make good look evil and evil look good. This is not a civil rights issue," said Drake.

Contact:

Pastor Wiley Drake

Cell: (714) 865-8132

David Bresnahan

http://ThatPRGuy.com

(801) 562-5362