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5B RELIGION/tEllc Charlotte Tuesday, December 23, 2003 Gibson movie on Christ continues to be flashpoint as debate rages on Continued from page 8B Those who come to the movie without a strong reli gious background will be given plenty to ponder, and many will be sent scurrying back to the New Tfestament to compare the movie with the ancient Gospel texts. TheyTl soon discover that the Bible is far more restrained than the gory HoU3wood treatment. Scripture discreetly states that Jesus was scourged, spat upon and struck on the head. But the Gospels pro vide no elaboration on the Romans’ abuse of Jesus, which the movie turns into a meditation on human cruel ty- Jesus (Jim Caviezel) is sav agely whipped by sadistic Roman soldiers wielding metal chains. Blood splat ters and oozes. After the Nazarene is dragged away, mother Mary (Jewish actress Maia Morgenstem) stoically mops up the sacred blood from the pavement. On Golgotha, Mary^s face and robe are smeared with blood as she kisses Jesus’ feet and cradles his corpse. This isn’t Michelangelo’s pretty Pieta. In one non-bib- lical, gruesome touch, a bird pecks out the eyes of the bad thief crucified with Christ — nature’s retribution for mocking Jesus. Gibson, who directed, funded and co-scripted the film, explained in e-mail responses, “I tried to make it as realistic as possible. I wanted the audience to feel like they were really there, witnessing the events as they had actually hap pened.” Megachurches make big deal of production Continued from page 8B California, megachurches’ holiday extravaganzas cost hundreds of thousands of dol lar and involve hundreds of"' cast members and volun teers. ‘'When a normal 300- to 400-person church has a Christmas pageant, the Sun day school class parades through and sings songs and does a re-enactment of the birth of Jesus,” said Scott Thumma, a Hartford Semi nary researcher who studies megachurches. "'And every one says, ‘This is a wonderful thing.’ ‘Well, a megachurch can’t do it at that scale. They do it at a scale that is 10 to 50 to 100 times larger. It very much becomes this grand performance,” he said. "This is just a megachurch doing megaministiy.” At the 28,000-member Bellevue Baptist Church in Cordova, Ifennessee, just out side Memphis, 165 vocalists sing fi*om 11 tiers built into a 46-foot (14-meter) Christmas tree. Joined on stage by a “Sanc- tuaiy Orchestra” and a "'Vic- tory Marching Band,” the singers stand amid 1,800 feet (540 meters) of garland, 1,050 ornaments, 69 wreaths and more than 7,500 computer- controlled lights. It’s an eye-popping sight that even the unchurched can appreciate. “It’s to glorify God and help people find a relationship with God in the person of Jesus Christ,” said the Rev. Larry Thompson, Bellevue’s minister of communications. A few Sundays before Christmas, the Prestonwood parking lot is as fuU as the shopping mall down the street. Poinsettias and decorated trees aboimd as families in their holiday best sip Star- bucks coffee sold at the church, wait in the buffet line at the church’s Main Street Cafe and browse through one of two Christian bookstores. The Dallas Cowboys’ game plays on the big screen in the main dining hall. It’s about an hour before the Sunday matinee perfor mance of the Christmas festi val. Tickets sell for $17 to $24 at the church box office. Most of the 13 performances this year sold out; the last one was Dec. 14. Prestonwood won’t divulge its production costs or rev enues, but the performances drew more than 70,000 peo ple. At the minimum price, that amounts to $1.2 million. Church officials say the sheer magnitude of the pageant demands charging for it. Plus, they say, the price is about one-third of what someone would pay to see a major theatrical production in Dallas. “A lot of times, if you don’t charge for something, people don’t think it’s any great value to go see it,” production manager Cyndi Nine said. “I wiU tell you, we have many, many members who buy tick ets and give them to fiiends.” From dancing gingerbread men and a Santa rocket to a toy machine that makes life- size Raggedy Anns, light- heart moments mark Act I of the three-hour production. Act II features a medley of Christmas songs by the 500- member Prestonwood choir, giving way to Act III and the Gospels’ stoiy of Jesus’ life, complete with a high-tech light show heralding the res urrected savior’s ascension to heaven. Walter Dean, a 58-year-old Methodist, paid $24 for a floor seat. He nudges the guy beside him when three 2,000- pound (900-kilogram) camels trek up a stage ramp special ly designed to handle their weight. “I bet that’s the first time you’ve seen camels in a church, isn’t it?” he whispers. Or a donkey. That’s what Mary rides as she and Joseph make their way to Bethle hem. Make it easy on yourself for the holidays! Have The Charlotte Post dehvered to your home every week. Or better yet, make it a gift for that special someone. To place your subscription, call the Circulation Department at (704) 376-0496, ext. 102 Memorial Presbyterian Church Christmas Eve Worship 7:00pm Celebrate The Birth Of Christ Holy Scripture And Music of the Season Mrs. Jocelyn P. Thompson, Director of Music ^ Ms. Francis L. Harris, Asst. Dir. of Music " Rev. Edward B. Newberry, Pastor 2600 Beatties Ford Rd. • 704- 392-4752 Wishinff^bu (Srier jftmeral ^erfattc - Since 1930 - “Serving the Family with Dignity and Personal Understanding” Funeral Services... Pre-Arrangements... Pre-Need Planning Cremation Services... Out-of-Town/Country Shipping John A. McCarroll, President, General Manager, Funeral Director James B. Humphrey, III, CEO, Funeral Director and Embalmer 115 N. Cloudman St. Charlotte, NC 28216 704-332-7109 Fax: 704-332-5273 704 Walkup Ave. Monroe, NC 28110 704-283-5423 Fax: 704-282-4197 (pj ISJSISJ5J5J5J5f5J]SISf5iSf5ISJ5IS|SJSJS®ISJSJSI5JSI]3JSIMSISJSSI MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH Wdftli Nwlit Servto Wedmtkv N/ijlit Dccemkr 31, 2003, lOfm 1600 Norris Avenue Charlotte, NC 28206 For Information Call, 704-375-9650 Website: stlukembc.org Pastor, Rev. Clifford ]Matthews,Jr. ADVERTISE!! lives in her own place with her own stuff. (/Ssjceie helps to make it possible. “Margaret is 85 and sharp as a tack. But her health makes it tough to get around. Trade wants to help out in her community, but she has a busy job. Faith in Action brought them together. It’s people of different faiths who volunteer to shop, cook, drive, or just check in on some of the millions of Americans with long-term health needs. if you’re like me and have wondered how you can make a difference, volunteer with Faith in Action. Find out more at (877) 324-841 I or vvww.faithinaction.org. A neighbor’s independence depends on you and me.” ^ ^ f -j- 0 — Della Reese. Entertainment Legend. IN ACTION Faith in Action Believer. ADVERTISEMENT THE PROPHET’S COLUMN INC. 9626 FELDBANK DRIVE CHARLOTTE, NC, 28216-2131 DECEMBER NEWSLETTER - PART THREE J. M. LITTLE - TEACHER My friends, as a deceived heart, the greatest thing that can happen to you is for the Hoiy Spirit to awaken you to the fact you are a lost sinner (Eph. 2:1). If you are never awakened to your lost condition by the Holy Spirit, when you die, you will be awakened to spend eternity in Hell, if you cannbt go back to the time you were awakened to your lost condition, and tell what God saved you from, and what God saved you to, then you are not saved. I visited in more than one Bible study and Christ is not known in those Bible studies. They speak of Christ like they speak of George Washington, far away and historical. Christ is not a living reality to those church members, including the pastors. That is the tragedy we face today in religious circles. Is Christ real to you, my friend? He is to me. Every day I think; “what if the Lord had not awakened me to my lost condition and saved me by His grace?” I’d be going on in the religious world and on the road to Hell, or in Hell. But I’ll never cease to praise the Lord for redeeming me by His Blood. What a Lord! What a Saviour! Has the Lord redeemed you? But when a soul does not know Christ he has to have something tangible to hold to like this pagan worship called Xmas. You re going to hold to something in this world because you do not know Christ. You are religious, attend church, work in the church, teach, preach, and sing in the choir. But you do not know Christ as a living reality to your heart. Don’t call me judging, and don’t say I’m being smart. I am Just setting the truth before you about the tragical and deceived state you are in, my friends. I was there for years. I know what I am talking about. If You’re Invited To The Inaugural Service of God's Meeting Place Christian Fellowship Sunday, January 4, 2004 Sunday Morning Worship - 9am Charles Wesley Reid Founding/Senior Pastor Steele Temporary Location: ;le Creek Elementary School 4100 Gallant Lane Charlotte, NC For Information Call, 704-825-4017 Galatians 6: 9 - And let us not be weary in well doing for in due season we shall reap if we faint not. ■ WELCOME - You are encouraged to bring non-perishable commercially prepared food items to be given to the Loaves & Fishes Food- Drive, There is great need for canned meats, peanut butter, canned soup, and canned fruit. ‘IT’S YOUR TIME - WALK INTO YOUR SEASON” IL-
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