Look, I'm no theologian, but whatever “the Gospel” is, I know this much – it's free. No one ever has to buy another anything to get closer to God. Everywhere we turn these days, someone is selling us something. And as I understand it, the primary purpose of coming together as believers is to proclaim the Gospel in word and deed. Isn't Jesus, in a sense, the product to end all products? Why can't at least some of our gathering times be a sanctuary from commerce? Why can't the church be the one place lost and hurting people can go to heal and seek shelter from financial exploitation? From being told their lives will remain incomplete without buying this book, this pill, this...one...more...thing? Sure, filmmakers will always have to advertise and shamelessly self-promote their works (like I'm painfully doing on this web site); it comes with the territory. But can't we keep the P.T. Barnum in all of us where he belongs, on billboards and in TV commercials and out of sacraments and doxologies?

 

Is he still going on over there?

I wrote the original script back when The Passion of the Christ was released in February of 2004. As usual, I shared the rough draft with some fellow filmmakers and some “Religiosos” (what my good friend Ben calls church-types like me). The response was strong, on both sides – people found it either incredibly funny or incredibly offensive; so, I reflected…and then I got caught up with some other projects and the script sat on my shelf…until…a few things happened:

One, I spoke at the Biola Media Conference in April 2005 and, while there, learned some of the details of the marketing of the upcoming The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (including a proposed “kiddie meal”). Two, I heard from a friend that he actually saw the trailer for that film during a church worship service.

But again, please hear me, I'm not picking on Narnia or C.S. Lewis – he's one of my favorite authors, by far. And I thank God for Walden Media and Disney rolling the dice and bringing this classic story to the screen. The point is, I don't need to see a movie trailer during a worship service to help me make up my mind…any more than I need to see a plug for a robust Cabernet, Welch's grape juice, or Nabisco before communion.

Be that as it may, number three: I saw a promotional piece for The Passion Recut that reminded me of that script of mine that was doing nothing but collecting dust.

At the same time, I'd been reading more and more articles about film and religion and marketing; so, even though it'd been about a year since the theatrical release of The Passion of the Christ, its impact on the church and media was still being felt and discussed…and multiple “faith-friendly” projects were beginning to pile up and jockey to repeat The Passion's financial windfall…so…I felt the ideas and issues that The McPassion might bring to the surface would be even more relevant now than when I first wrote the script.

And finally, I'd moved to LA by this point so all I had to do was turn and look at Ben and ask, “You wanna direct it?”

 

The Passion of the Christ is a powerful, moving film and it makes sense that a respectful amount of time should pass before a film that combines humor with it should be made. For me, the reason for waiting is in the same vain as the old comedians' adage that basically says, "tragedy plus time equals comedy."

 

Yikes! Where's Evelyn Wood when you really need her?!

 

 

I was visiting my brother in Charlotte, North Carolina, when I wrote the original version of the script, which was actually much longer and included a sales pitch from a pastor at the end (thanks again for wisely cutting it down, Ben). In any event, for the first time in many years, my brother was interested in attending church with me; so, we visited several during the six weeks or so that I was there. At every turn, the pastor or priest was declaring from the pulpit that it was our “Christian duty” or “moral obligation” to buy a ticket to The Passion of the Christ. There were posters, bulletin inserts, movie clips – the works. Many churches even bought blocks of tickets and then resold them, in many cases doing so without ever even seeing the film. Now, all of this didn't happen by accident, obviously, and it got me thinking about marketing through churches and just what the purpose of the pulpit and communal worship is or should be about.

If we're gonna give movie tickets away for free, that's one thing; but opening the church doors and inviting marketers in to come and sell their wares (used cars or cosmetics or movie tickets) seems precarious to me. And that goes for overt marketing or the more “covert” kind (re: study guides, etc.). Another thing: What happens next year, when there are four or five or twenty “Christian-related” movies? Which ones get the extra push from the pulpit? Just the ones with celebrities and/or big money paving the way? Despite stern Biblical warnings, favoritism and celebrity culture continue to thrive in our congregations; all the more reason we should approach these issues soberly and with caution.

Also, do the churches that are willing to serve as marketing vehicles for “big” films also support – in the same way – young filmmakers in their own memberships that are struggling to develop their film craft? If not, why not?

 

Rik said, “Hey, I have this funny idea…ya wanna direct it?” Then we set about refining and adding to the idea. I was pleased to be able to add in a decent amount of jokes too and add to it more of its fast commercial-like feel at the script stage.

 

 

 

Is he done yet? My eyes are getting tired.

I'm counting on it. But after that, I hope and pray that those offended might think about and discuss why The McPassion offended them and then see if there are any ways in which the way we currently “do church” might be offensive.

The issue of “the body of Christ” being used and exploited as a marketing focus group is one of the major ones the church faces today. There are no easy answers, I realize, and I certainly don't mean to oversimplify the situation; but I would like to add to the conversation.

Many argue that if marketing some high-profile Hollywood and/or "Christian market" films in churches is the price to pay for turning the tide in the alleged “culture wars” or changing movie content via delivering big audiences to “church-friendly” movies…well then…so be it. I'm not sure I agree. Where does it end? How do we protect our pulpits from outside influences whose primary goal may or may not be the Gospel? Only God knows hearts and motives, we don't, that's a fact. But, do the pockets we line when we endorse products during worship give back to the local congregations that supported the effort? Should they? Would that even be ethical? These days, the waters we're wading in are getting muddier and muddier...

One thing I do know, the only time Jesus got intensely angry in the New Testament was when commerce got too close to the worship at the temple…adding unnecessary merchandise to the shoulders of those that were already burdened and broken. That's worth paying attention to, I believe.

A final note: I'm absolutely not saying that we shouldn't support artists who are Christian (I am one) or the works they create (please, buy our stuff). I am saying that when it comes to communal worship times, and there compelling congregations to buy into the latest cause du jour with a price tag, we might want to stop, collectively catch our breath, and wrestle with some tough questions that aren't being asked enough right now, in my opinion. If a pastor or priest sees a movie or hears a song and is moved by it and wants to share that enthusiasm, that's one thing; jumping blindly onto a marketing bandwagon, even a noble one, is something else altogether.

 

Sure. The film's intention certainly isn't to offend. I believe that when someone thinks about the film and sees that it's really not ridiculing religion but rather making a statement about commercialism, I think they'll be OK with it.

 

 

I think I'm starting to get hungry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm going out for some fries. You want anything?

Absolutely. Part of the problem is that we've become so overly-familiar, if not outright numb, to just how sacred much of what we commodify truly is. Ultimately, that's the point of The McPassion. Ridiculous as it is, we're not that far from it, in reality.

 

For me, it's kind of a test to see just how open-minded people are, or aren't. If someone is offended by one of the “coming soon” cards in the credits, but not by anything that preceded it; well, that's revealing, I think. We'll see what happens…

 

Another of Rik's good ideas. Together we came up with several that we thought would be funny that highlighted peoples' common conceptions of each religion. The purpose is that it extends the theme beyond just Christianity.