Philocrites: But before I go...

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Thursday, March 4, 2004

But before I go...

Do visit the newest addition to my Religion Blogs roster, Nate Knows Nada, by a fellow Cantabrigian who just happens to share my passion for faith and politics, but who shares my wife's faith. (I bet we've seen each other at the monastery.) Here's his review of Gibson's cruciflick.

Speaking of which . . . Chutney at MyIrony.com makes my treatment of Gibson seem downright gentle; his commenters, however, take umbrage at the thought that an artist should ever be held even mildly morally accountable for their work. And for a minute there I thought art made a difference.

Previous: On the road again.
Next: Don't settle for a 'Gospel for suckers.'

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3 comments:

CP:

March 4, 2004 10:55 PM | Permalink for this comment

One of the great ways art makes a difference is by causing controversy. And still no acknowlegement that this movie might inspire good ...

Philocrites:

March 5, 2004 04:46 PM | Permalink for this comment

CP, I'd grant that the controversy about the movie might inspire good in some places and in some contexts. (When else do we find John Dominic Crossan, Geza Vermes, Paula Fredriksen, Robert Alter, Jack Miles, and Krister Stendahl given prominent play in the media?) But I give all the credit to the critics and scholars who have taken advantage of Gibson's movie to get their points across. Western civilization has had no shortage of people willing to play Gibson's role; happily, we live in an era when there are also people able to describe the problematic dimension of his provocative art, and the mass media are at least interested in giving them a platform.