A NEWS ANCHOR'S PERSPECTIVE ON "THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST"   
Monday, February 23, 2004

Following are words expressed by Jody Dean, as Dallas/Ft. Worth anchor with CBS after he saw the Mel Gibson movie - "The Passion of Christ".

"I want you to know that I started in broadcasting when I was 13-years-old. I have been in the business of writing, performing, production and broadcasting for a long time.  I have been a part of movies, radio, television, stage and other productions – so I know how things are done. I have also seen an enormous amount of footage from Gibson’s film, so I thought I knew what was coming.

But there is nothing in my existence – nothing I could have read, seen, heard, thought or known – that could have prepared me for what I saw.

This is not a movie that anyone will ‘like’. I don’t think it’s a movie anyone will ‘love’. What it is, is an – experience –on a level of primary emotion that is scarcely comprehensible. Every shred of human preconception or predisposition is utterly stripped away. No one will eat popcorn during this film. Some may not eat for days after they’ve seen it. Quite honestly, I wanted to vomit. It hits that hard.

There are no ‘winners’. No one comes off looking ‘good,’ except Jesus. But everyone falters. Caiphus judges. Peter denies. Judas betrays. Simon the Cyrene balks. Mark runs away. Pilate equivocates. The crowd mocks. The soldiers laugh.
The centurion still carries out his orders. And as Jesus fixes them all with a glance, they still turn away. Romans, Jesus’ friends – they all fall. Everyone, except the Principal Figure. The complacency of all creation is eternally shattered. There was no sound after the film’s conclusion. No noise at all. No one got up. No one moved. The only sound one could hear was sobbing. In all my years of public life, I have never heard anything like that.

Christ was obedient, all the way to the Cross - we are called to that same level
of obedience. With Jesus humanity so irresistibly on display, you understand
that we have no excuse. There is no place to hide.”

Excerpted from “A News Anchor’s Perspective on The Passion of The Christ”
by Jody Dean, Dallas/Ft. Worth,
Anchor, CBS News

To order advanced tickets call toll free
1-888-794-5875 or go to the web at www.orderpassiontickets.com.