Thousands of people have already watched “The Passion”, filling up auditoriums and selling-out theaters. But some people who viewed the portrayal of the last 12 hours of Jesus’ life may still not know who Jesus is. That’s why many ministries are offering educational resources as a guide to getting the most out of the film, including the meaning of Jesus’ death.
Many of the Bible Studies are planned according to a 6-week period, which marks the period of Lent, 40 days before Easter.
Here’s what a few ministries are offering:
Campus Crusade for Christ (CCC): In addition to a six-week Bible study that provides handouts to both leaders and students in Bible study groups, CCC also offers written material to hand out. One of the books provided by the campus ministry gives readers a look into the other 33 years of Jesus’ life, entitled “More Than a Carpenter,” written by Josh McDowell. Many university campuses with CCC chapters are ordering the resources and distributing them to college students. Other links to other information such a Passion Tool Box can also be found on the site.
“We believe there will be many students and people around the country who will go see the movie because of the hype,” says Tony Arnold, the national media director of CCC in the US. The resources are designed to “help the people move from the hype of the heart of the message. The idea behind that is many people will see the movie will perhaps have never read the bible or have before-knowledge of Jesus, and this is to help them to understand the context of the movie and understand the person of Jesus.”
Link to the CCC Passion Resource Page: http://ccci.org/passion_movie.html
Intervarsity Christian Fellowship (IVCF): The number six also seems to be a trend as IVCF offers not a six-week but a six-part Bible-study guide. Other resources on the fellowship’s Web site also include: a movie review, a list of questions to provoke thought before watching the film, and a discussion guide for "debriefing" afterwards.
Scott Wilson writes on the Web site: “In InterVarsity we constantly encourage people to understand and love Jesus Christ with their heart and mind. This new film is an opportunity for many to take further steps on that journey. In response to the movie InterVarsity staff have prepared a variety of resources to help those who want to learn more about the film or more deeply understand Jesus Christ.”
Link to IVCF Passion Resource Page: http://www.intervarsity.org/news/news.php?item_id=1068
The Navigators: The Bible studies here are all written by one person, Robert S. Walz Jr. There are 6-week Bible study formats for Individual studying and 6-7-week Bible study formats for group studying. But there’s plentiful resources offered at The Navigators Web site, ranging from Individual to Group Bible study formats. Collectively, the resources is called “The Crux of His Story.” One of the meanings of the word “crux” is the main point. Downloads for other goodies such as bookmarks and flyer are also available.
Link to The Navigators Passion Resource Page: http://www.gospelcom.net/navs/cpr/hiscrux/
Youth for Christ (YC): Targeting discussion in small groups, Youth for Christ gives students a “film guide” about how to watch the movie and understand it afterwards. The four-session long educational guide was written by Trent Bushnell and Dave Rahn. The session include topics: How Not to Watch this Movie, Debriefing the Viewing Experience, What Really Happened and So What?.
Among local campus ministries, group outings to watch the film are also arranged. Some fellowship leaders report that those attending the group viewings of “The Passion of the Christ” are encouraged to bring along a friend.
One thing is sure, the efforts put forth by the campus fellowships have been centered on one goal. According to The Navigators’ motto: To know Christ and to make him known.
