What is truth, and who owns it?

It’s not often that you can say you’re looking forward to a three-hour movie that is a word-for-word adaptation of a religious text. At least, I can’t usually say it. In this case, the text is the Book of John, told from the text of the Good News Bible . And the movie is called, understandably, “The Gospel of John.”

Fact is, I do want to see the film. And the why is pretty easy. More people have been saying, one or two who have even mailed me, that Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ” represents the true message of the Gospels. My response is that it is a message, but the “true” message? Please. It tells only one aspect of Jesus’ life, which, ironically, is the story of His death. It says little, hardly anything at all, about the rest of His life.

But, you see, the rest of His life is important. Because context is important. Without the totality of the story, particularly Jesus’ overall message of love and compassion , the story of his death may be tragic, it may be sad. But it’s clearly incomplete. Maybe “The Gospel if John” will fill in the blanks.