Controversy has been almost non-stop over Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" released in February. Nearly every media outlet has denigrated the film, and various "religious" organizations have decried the "hatred" and "violence" supposedly stimulated by the graphic nature of the events. It is interesting that the regular diet of TV and Hollywood productions—far worse in many ways than the information depicted in Mr. Gibson's work—is rarely scrutinized or subjected to such criticism. One wonders: is there another reason for the passion?

The Passion of God

God has a rather "passionate" view about His character and His unique authority in the Universe.

I am the Lord, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me: That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the Lord, and there is none else. . . . For thus saith the Lord that created the heavens; God Himself that formed the earth and made it; He hath established it, He created it not in vain, He formed it to be inhabited: I am the Lord; and there is none else (Isaiah 45:5-6,18).

ICR is Very "Passionate" About God's Word

There are many details that we do not and can not know about the great work of God in creation and on Calvary. What is very clear, however, is that the God who created the worlds (Hebrews 1:2) is the same One who died on the cross (John 1:1-3; Colossians 1:16-17). It is nothing short of blasphemy to attribute to the omnipotent and omniscient God of love and grace, the horrific, purposeless, waste-filled and age-long death of billions of living things prior to the rebellion of Adam (Romans 5:12). The naturalistic and evolutionary scheme of atheistic men is contradictory to God's written Word and to His revealed character. ICR is absolutely committed to what God has said—whether the majority are "passionately" against it or not.

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