Responding to the Mel Gibson Mess

A few years ago, most of us spiritual leaders strongly supported Mel Gibson's movie, The Passion of the Christ. Now we have a problem. The creator of this motion picture made some huge moral mistakes.

Not only did Mel Gibson violate the law (drunk driving), but he allowed some very harsh and unsavory words to flow from his lips. It's all out in the press, and he is being attacked on all fronts.

So, what do we as ministers do now? Do we throw out our copies of The Passion of the Christ? Do we publicly rebuke Mel? Do we move into attack mode and condemn him? Do we pretend like it never happened? These are all legitimate questions...all of which I've spent some time thinking through. So...I'm going to attempt to answer each of these questions:

Do we throw out our copies of The Passion of the Christ?
Of course not! That motion picture is simply a compilation of biblical, historical and traditional information concerning the final twelve hours of the life of Jesus Christ. If God can use a donkey to speak for him, He can use Mel Gibson...and me for that matter. The gospel is the gospel, regardless of the source.

Do we publicly rebuke Mel? Do we move into attack mode and condemn him?
I don't think so. He isn't a part of my ministry, and he has already (at the time of the publishing of this article) apologized and requested forgiveness for his sin. Think about this, Jesus didn't even publicly rebuke Peter for publicly cursing and denying him. Peter went on to author part of the New Testament.

Do we pretend like it never happened?
I don't think that this is wise either, but we need to handle the situation with grace. I'm certainly not quite ready to use my church platform and television program to speak out on the issue because there is likely much more that will unfold in the days ahead. Instead, my approach at this time is to talk openly about this issue in small group settings, in my writings, and in personal conversations. People are looking to us for answers, and we need to use the wisdom God has given to us to respond appropriately.

A Closing Thought:
Honestly, I'm deeply disappointed, saddened and feel violated for what Mel did and said. What was in his heart came out of his mouth, and that truly hurts me as a believer and a spiritual leader.

What we must do, though, is to pray for him that God will bring healing to his heart and life through this tragedy. I don't like what he said at all, but he is my brother in Christ.

The Bible tells us that the world will know us (believers) by our love for one another. Will the world see love? Will they be able to identify us as believers as we respond to the Mel Gibson mess?

-----------------------------------------------

For additional views and discussion on this article, go to Monday Morning Insight