The Mel Gibson Film and the Presbyterian Church in Ireland
Martyn McGeown critiques the Presbyterian Church in Ireland's endorsement of Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ," arguing that visual representations of Christ constitute idolatry in violation of the Second Commandment and Westminster Larger Catechism teaching. The article appeals to Reformed principles of worship and argues for the sufficiency of expository preaching over visual media in communicating the Gospel.
Martyn McGeown The apostle John, at the very end of his first epistle writes, “Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen” (I John 5:21). With all the hype over the film, “The Passion of The Christ,” we need to ask ourselves, Do Irish Presbyterians keep themselves from idols? It used to be that Protestant and Reformed churches (the Presbyterian Church in Ireland [PCI] claims to a Reformed church) abhorred visual representations of God. Those days, it seems, have gone. The review of the...