Showtime for the Sheep? The Church and the Passion of the Christ

After screening Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ, T. A. McMahon set about writing a book evaluating the enthusiasm generated for the film among evangelicals. The movie was touted as the greatest opportunity for witnessing since the death of Christ. Could that be true? Or could the church be enthralled with something that might have a host of problems beyond just a popular motion picture about Jesus Christ? McMahon observed a connection between The Passion and trends taking place among professing Bible believers such as the increasing use of entertainment in presenting the gospel, the ecumenical relationship between Catholics and Evangelicals, the use of imagery verging on idolatry, and the major drift away from the objective Word of God in favor of the subjective, feelings-oriented treatment of the Scriptures.