So, we watched Diane Sawyer interview Mel Gibson last night, regarding The Passion. I generally dislike interviewers like Sawyer. Actually, I pretty much dislike news shows, especially when they cover topics related to religion. It gives them a chance to trot out loonies,er "scholars" like J.D. Crossan, and there is the ever-present tone of condescension towards people who actually believe in "that Jesus stuff." Anyway, I thought Mel handled her questions pretty well, although his constant twitching was a bit unnerving. Actually, it was pretty surreal watching Lethal Weapon talk about his faith in Christ. Cognitive dissonance, anyone? But I was impressed by his lament over the self-destructive tendencies of his earlier life and the overall state of spiritual and emotional bankruptcy that accompanied his being at the pinnacle of worldly success.

Then again, he almost negated all that with his statements to the effect that "You don't have to be a Christian to get into the kingdom of heaven, but it sure helps." Of course, I wasn't expecting anything less, so it wasn't too much of a shock. ;)

But one of the most intriguing aspects of the special had nothing to do with Mel or his movie. Towards the end, there was a blurb about an upcoming (after Easter) special on St. Paul. I'm not sure what to think, since they didn't give any indication what angle they were going to take. Obviously, I'm bracing for the usual "Paul-really-invented-Christianity" line. But maybe they'll actually line up some decent pro-Christian scholars for a change. Like N.T. Wright. :)

Oh, and apparently, ABC has a movie about Judas. "The Real Story." What's up with that, anyway? Ever since I can remember, I've always come across people who are intent on painting Judas as a tragic figure. Like, he was falsely accused, or he was really helping Jesus out, or something like that. Where does this come from, anyway?