Meditating on The Passion of the Christ

Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ is one of the most talked about films in recent history. Focused almost entirely on the last twelve hours of Jesus' life, it is a raw, unflinching, and compelling personal testimony by the director about the meaning of Jesus' suffering and death as a sacrifice for the sins of the world (also known as "atonement theology").

This, of course, is not the only way to understand the gospel stories and the cross, but no matter what beliefs we bring to the theater, we can all agree that Jesus is an innocent victim here. The most compelling message of this movie is that in his name, we are obligated to extend our compassion to victims everywhere.

• Read our review of Mel Gibson's film

• Read a modern-day meditation on the Stations of the Cross based on scenes in the movie

• See reviews of Jesus Books: 30 portraits of the man, his teachings, and his mission.