Good questions by Jo in the comments re The Passion of The Christ---

Is the movie just preaching to the choir? Is it deepening or changing the faith of Christians who see it? Is it converting those nonChristians who see it?

What do we make of the fact that it is well attended by young men? Has Gibson, as many say, finally given us a manly image of Jesus, to counter the goofy, hippy, peace and love Jesus their parents' generation grew up with? If so, what affect is it having on this group of viewers.

One article I read this morning implied that 11% of the population has seen it out of 34% who plan to see it. Does this mean it could gross over $750M?


I think some of these questions were discussed on Amy Welborn's Open Book and other blogs, especially the ability of the film to convert. I don't think the film is having any effect on non-Christians who see it - I think it is mostly meant for the choir. The film presents perhaps the only manly Jesus many young men have ever seen and this may make the faith more acceptable to them in the future. The best effect so far has been the amount of discussion about Jesus Christ this film has caused. I am not so convinced of the power of the film to change people but I could be wrong. As far as grossing $750 million, I can hope! I can't wait to see how it does in Latin America.