Jesus' General

Follow the gourd

This has been a tremendous year for Christians. First, Hollywood gave us Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ. Now, they're releasing a second Christian film, one told from the perspective of a Jew named Brian Cohen, a contemporary of our Lord and Savior.

The movie, Life of Brian, is very similar to The Passion. Both films are based on the Gospels, yet they aren't afraid of drawing on other sources to tell the story. Where The Passion feeds on the work of a 19th century nun, Sister Anne Emmerich, Life of Brian is shaped by the visions of the spanish inquisitor, Monty Python.

Like The Passion, Life of Brian's extra-biblical perspective provides us with new insights about the Savior's work. Take the Sermon on the Mount for instance. Until now, I did not know that Christ blessed the cheesemakers. Perhaps that's what's keeping Him from raining fire onto France.

There are also differences in the way the films tell the story. Unfortunately, Life of Brian is not nearly as violent as The Passion. Not once, are we treated to scenes of flesh being savagely ripped from Jesus' ribs or the sounds of His bones being crushed beneath the torturer's boot. Because of this, the voyeuristic closeness to Jesus that is so excellently evoked by The Passion is lacking in Life of Brian.

Still, it is a movie that can be used as a witnessing tool. I urge you to take your church groups, neighbors and friends to see it. They'll leave the theater with a new appreciation for our Lord.

They'll also be whistling Bright Side of Life. It's infectious.