The Passion and It's Evangelistic Impact

The results are in for "the greatest evangelistic tool in the last 2000 years."  According to George Barna:

Despite predictions that it would become one of the greatest evangelistic tools of all time, Mel Gibson's "The Passoin of the Christ," failed to capitalize on the opportunity, even though ticket sales made it the eigth highest-grossing domestic film of all time.

When Barna did his interviews, most of those who had seen it had a profound reaction immediately upon seeing it, but they had already seen several movies since then, lessening the effects.  This led Barna to conclude:

One of the lessons from this situation, Barna said, is that major transformation is not likely to result from a one-time exposure to a specific media product.

“In an environment in which people spend more than 40 hours each week absorbing a range of messages from multiple media, it is rare that a single media experience will radically reorient someone’s life,” he said. “The greatest impact through media seems to come from constant exposure to a consistent message that is well-presented and is personally meaningful or useful.

“The ‘Passion’ was well received and stopped many people long enough to cause them to rethink some of their basic assumptions about life. But within hours those same individuals were exposed to competing messages that began to diminish the effect of what they had seen in Mr. Gibson’s movie. That does not negate the power of the movie or the value of the message it sent, but it does remind us that a single effort that is not adequately reinforced is not likely to make a lasting impression.”

However, Barna did note that many people who were already religious did make some adjustments to their lives and changes in behavior as a result of seeing the movie.  Many who saw it began praying more and attending church more.

Barna concludes that the movie's lack of evangelistic impact is not a failure of the movie itself, but rather should be a warning to overblown hype about the possible evangelistic impact of the movie:

Overall, one out of every 10 viewers of “The Passion” (10 percent) indicated that they had changed some aspect of both their religious beliefs and practices in response to the movie.

Those figures, he said, translates to 11 million to 13 million people making some sort of change because of the film’s content.

“That’s enormous influence and you cannot fault ‘The Passion’ for not satisfying religious agendas that some people assigned to it,” Barna said.

A couple of thoughts come to mind here.  I think the evangelistic results of the Passion are typical for any outreach opportunity.  Plenty of studies have been conducted to show that when a Billy Graham Crusade goes into the city there is a lot of activity but even of those who make a profession of faith, very few remain in the faith.  If a crusade where the Bible is used and the gospel is proclaimed has such little evangelistic impact we can't expect much more out of a movie.  Christians are usually strengthened by crusades and things like that, but not there just aren't all that many people coming to Christ through them.  By the way, I know someone will read this and say that they came to faith through a Billy Graham crusade and for that I am thrilled, just as I am thrilled for the very small number of folks who came to Christ indirectly through the movie.  I'm just quoting words and stats that come from the Graham ministry itself.

This also reminds me of a comment from a prof in seminary.  When talking about the traditional theistic proofs for the existence of God he said that they had been almost universally denied by atheists and almost universally embraced by Christians.  His point is that the theistic proofs are useful for strengthening the faith of believers, but have very little effect in persuading unbelievers.

As for me, I'm not knocking evangelism.  I think we ought to be involved in it and our church is deeply involved in evangelistic outreach.  I think George hit on something here though.  You can't expect a one time exposure to the gospel to do the trick, and especially not in the form of a movie.  The gospel takes root through incremental and repeated exposure over a period of time in the context of relationship and/or community.

Hat Tip: NT Gateway Blog and Laura's Mind.

Comments

[Jeff]

David,

Good points. How did the movie affect you personally, then and now?

Have there been any lasting affects in your own experience?

There have been for me ... especially when taking communion ... not that I am necessarily replaying flashbacks from the movie, but the experience of visually processing Christ's sacrifice deeply touched me ... it is hard to put into words.

[William Meisheid]

>but rather should be a warning to overblown hype about the possible evangelistic impact of the movie

Or the impact of any single event in our current culture of constant noise and amusement.

[Adrian Warnock]

I am back, and have blogged about this post!

[Jeri]

Yet it is a commentary on the shallow cultural mores of evangelicals that the primary concern over a *film* is its prominence as an evagelical tool. Oh, Evangelicals don't like it, and even many Calvinist Evangelicals will say I am being too narrow, but in the Bible, there is only ONE evangelistic tool that is sanctioned and blessed by God, and that is the forthright preaching of the Gospel. God is pleased by the foolishness of preaching to spread Christianity to every land.

If THE PASSION had no more effectiveness as an evangelistic tool than a bottle of shoe polish, that's fine, because THE PASSION is an artistic work. And many Evangelicals may think such a remark diminishes the weight of serious consideration and reflection that THE PASSION gave so many of us. But the reverse is true. When I recognize that THE PASSION is a work of art, then as a Christian I am freed to enjoy it as a part of human expression and heartfelt response to what Christ did for us. It remains the moving, thought provoking, uplifting declaration of the magnificence of Christ's suffering. When I try to make it do what a sermon has been intended to do, I start putting it in a context where it is less appreciated and less powerful, and it will soon vanish from the scene.

What I am saying leads to this conclusion: Barna shows that THE PASSION had only limited effect as an evangelistic tool. Well, so what? We can relegate it, in terms of being an evangelistic took, to that big cabinet full of other only-slightly successful evangelistic tools: gospel comic books, buttons, finding out you have cancer, etc. A lot of incidentals have been used by God to bring peopel to Christ. But the reliance of our expectations must be on the straightforward preaching of the Gospel. THAT is the means God has ordained to spread Christianity. Conversion of the soul does not come about by emotional high or low, or intellectual recognition, but by the work of the Holy Spirit.

On the other hand, as a cinematic work of art, THE PASSION has made a lasting and profound statement about the meaning and significance of the passion of our Saviour. Evangelicals just need to get clear about what makes a work of art significant, and it's not (and never will be) the evangelical impact of the art. That's what Preaching is for. Art is for something else.

[David Wayne]

Welcome back Adrian - we've missed you.

Jeff - I actually didn't see the movie. I had a bit of a 2nd Commandment crisis of conscience over the whole thing. I didn't want to be seeing Jim Caviezel in my mind whenever I prayed or thought about the crucifixion or thought about the Lord's Supper. It wasn't so strong that preached against seeing the movie - the things that held me back was that I know I am inconsistent in that I don't really get all hot and bothered by children's Sunday School curriculums and things like that with pics of Jesus. But, I just wasn't sure it was the right thing to do to see it so I didn't.

[dopderbeck]

Good post, David. I think you're right on concerning the relational aspects of evangelism.

On a personal note, answering Jeff's question, the movie affected me profoundly. I watched the movie with some friends and then immediately thereater drove down from New Jersey to Maryland for a meeting. While I was watching the movie, I felt sort of blase. I remember thinking, "this is well done, but nothing I don't already know"; I also remember trying, perhaps a bit smugly, to spot some of the Catholic-mythos elements I had read so much about.

On the drive down to Maryland, however, alone in my car late at night on Route 95, somehow a taste of the reality of what Christ had done for me and the weight of my own sin hit me like a ton of bricks. Tears streamed down as a I found myself searching through some deep seated attitudes I needed to confess and repent of. It was a real time of renewal that I often think back to now when I revisit, as I so often do, those well-worn paths of selfishness and pride that I had been convicted of that night.

[Terry]

Our greatest technique for evangelism is not film or events but prayer. That does not mean we need more prayer and less film. It does mean we need to understand that there is no silver bullet. A silver bullet as an analogy is one weapon that does the whole job. We can depend upon it alone. Of course a multidemensional approach needs to be used to communicate our message that we have received from heaven above. Blogging is one of those mediums of communicating that message. Radio is another. Video and film another. I would be interested in comparing the spiritual health of the various Christian mediums; print, music, audio, video, digital, live performance, preaching.

[Simon Anakrino]

In thinking of "The Passion" I am reminded of 1 Corinthians 3:6 "I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth." While Paul was referring to believers there, would not the same apply to the communication of the good news of the Kingdom of the Heavens to non-believers? What soil was softened? What seeds were planted? What growth was caused? Farmers know that seed germination takes quite awhile and that much activity goes on unseen before "signs" of life occur. So also it seems true in God's workings to draw us to Him.

That the movie was over-hyped seems inarguable, but I doubt that Mr Barna's research (though I am very thankful for what he does) can show a true picture of the Father's workings through this film. That the movie actually came out of Hollywood (albeit torturously) and gave opportunity for even ONE person to be redeemed seems more a cause for rejoicing than we have for disappointment over our expectations not being met.

"What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? "When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. "And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!' "I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.
(Luk 15:4-7)

[dan kirton]

"The Passion" is a dark creepy version of the Gospel. The christian community could have easily turned against this film but most of us were forced to defend it against charges of anti-semitism before we even saw the film.Why so many prominant leaders praised it is beyond me. It has numerous errors in the film which far surpass 'artistic license'.Speaking for myself, I'll be much more cautious before trumpeting the next Jesus film. See 'The Gospel of John', it's great.

[Tim]

It is my contention that The Passion was not evangelism because it never presented the Gospel. It may have been outreach, but not evangelism. Evangelism cannot be seperated from the evangel (Good News) which did not make an appearance in the movie.

Also, I'm not so sure of Barna's stats. If you run the numbers you'll see that he got 1 person who indicated he became a believer through the movie. Of course such is the nature of statistics, but I think it's hard to draw much in the way of conclusions from a mere 1 person.

[D McDee]

This is the impact the movie had on me. This is an excerpt from a comment of mine over at Adrian’s place.

“It’s funny, when the folk were hollering about all the violence in Mel Gibson’s movie, Passion, the scene that had the most impact on me was when the hand drew a line, in the dirt in the ground. I thought to myself, which side do we stand on? There is a line at the foot of the cross. Which side of the hill will I stand on?”

The film did not change my life! Impact? Yes!........But, Christ changed my life, The Bible changed my life, God changed my life. Everything that brings us to the point of conversion is a tool or an instrument, the real change comes from the conversion/submission to the will of God.

Why did people flock to churches after 9/11 or why do they talk about prayer after a tragedy or even attend church a couple of times after seeing an emotional movie or hearing inspirational music. Those events are short lived unless there is conversion and acceptance that Christ is your Savior.

It was a movie folks! How many columnists or media type were out in front of the theater when the crowd emptied out on the sidewalk after seeing the “Lord of the Rings”…..”ah sir, did the Lord of the rings have an impact on you sir? I mean do you think your life will ever be the same sir?”…….er, No?......”Wow! Movie was a real failure huh?

“How about The 10 commandments…..did you see that sir?”……….

Look! If there was going to be a single event to evangelize the world or to change the immediate audience, then why not the “Sermon on the mount” or the Crucifixion itself. The Bible doesn’t tell us that all were converted to Christianity at that time. It wasn’t the plan, or Jesus wouldn’t have sent out the 12 to spread the Word. Or maybe it was 70.

Madison Avenue says it takes 8 Views of an advertisement before the consumer begins to retain the impact of the ad. So maybe you would have to see “The Passion” 8 times for full conversion to Christianity. We continue to try to bring salvation to others through secular means, when in fact it comes through the Holy Spirit, repentance and the Word of God.

We can devise all types of formats, different media devices, and all the intelligence and creativity that can be packed into a “sound room”. But, if His will and the power of the Holy Spirit aren’t moving the message then there won’t be conversion or it will take place at another time.

We are a results oriented people. We have to know our efforts have been worthwhile; Why?...... If God called you to do something--whose counting?

The way we live our Christian lives is the “evidence of things not seen”.
There in lies the evangelistic challenge…….to live like a Christian!

Church is important, preaching is significant, but if you leave the temple and go home and smack the wife and kids around….while your neighbor is watching…………Do you think you can reach out to him with Christ’s message of love and salvation? Maybe, just take him to a movie!

[D McDee]

This is the impact the movie had on me. This is an excerpt from a comment of mine over at Adrian’s place.

“It’s funny, when the folk were hollering about all the violence in Mel Gibson’s movie, Passion, the scene that had the most impact on me was when the hand drew a line, in the dirt in the ground. I thought to myself, which side do we stand on? There is a line at the foot of the cross. Which side of the hill will I stand on?”

The film did not change my life! Impact? Yes!........But, Christ changed my life, The Bible changed my life, God changed my life. Everything that brings us to the point of conversion is a tool or an instrument, the real change comes from the conversion/submission to the will of God.

Why did people flock to churches after 9/11 or why do they talk about prayer after a tragedy or even attend church a couple of times after seeing an emotional movie or hearing inspirational music. Those events are short lived unless there is conversion and acceptance that Christ is your Savior.

It was a movie folks! How many columnists or media type were out in front of the theater when the crowd emptied out on the sidewalk after seeing the “Lord of the Rings”…..”ah sir, did the Lord of the rings have an impact on you sir? I mean do you think your life will ever be the same sir?”…….er, No?......”Wow! Movie was a real failure huh?

“How about The 10 commandments…..did you see that sir?”……….

Look! If there was going to be a single event to evangelize the world or to change the immediate audience, then why not the “Sermon on the mount” or the Crucifixion itself. The Bible doesn’t tell us that all were converted to Christianity at that time. It wasn’t the plan, or Jesus wouldn’t have sent out the 12 to spread the Word. Or maybe it was 70.

Madison Avenue says it takes 8 Views of an advertisement before the consumer begins to retain the impact of the ad. So maybe you would have to see “The Passion” 8 times for full conversion to Christianity. We continue to try to bring salvation to others through secular means, when in fact it comes through the Holy Spirit, repentance and the Word of God.

We can devise all types of formats, different media devices, and all the intelligence and creativity that can be packed into a “sound room”. But, if His will and the power of the Holy Spirit aren’t moving the message then there won’t be conversion or it will take place at another time.

We are a results oriented people. We have to know our efforts have been worthwhile; Why?...... If God called you to do something--whose counting?

The way we live our Christian lives is the “evidence of things not seen”.
There in lies the evangelistic challenge…….to live like a Christian!

Church is important, preaching is significant, but if you leave the temple and go home and smack the wife and kids around….while your neighbor is watching…………Do you think you can reach out to him with Christ’s message of love and salvation?..... Maybe, you could just take him to a movie!