Frederick and Mary Ann Brussat say in their article on The Passion of the Christ (April, page 30)
that Mel Gibson's belief is "that Jesus' mission was to suffer and die
as a sacrifice for the sins of the world." They went on to say, "Many
fundamentalist and evangelical Christians embrace this understanding."
I hope most Lutherans do too! To see Jesus' death chiefly as an example
of love and a show of empathy for those who suffer misses the point. It
was because our salvation was at stake that Jesus surrendered to the
will of God in Gethsemane and went to the cross.
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