As most of you know, Mel Gibson carries in his pocket a “relic” from the Roman Catholic “visionary” and (eventually) saint Emmerich. Some of the scenes and material found in The Passion of the Christ came from Emmerich’s recording of her visions. Here is the description of the book from its back cover:
THE DOLOROUS PASSION has been inspiring thousands since it first appeared in 1833 “being based on the detailed visions of Our Lord’s Passion and Death as seen by Venerable Anne Catherine Emmerich (1774-1824), a German Augustinian nun, and recorded by Clemens Brentano, a prominent literary figure of the day. A saintly person from her youth and a great mystic and victim soul, Sister Emmerich was privileged by God during almost a lifetime of ecstatic visions to see all the events of Our Lord’s suffering and death, which visions we can now understand in hindsight were a great gift from God to the world. Her account of the Passion and Death of Our Lord Jesus Christ, while faithful to the Bible, is heart-rending, edifying and surprising” because of its intimate detail. THE DOLOROUS PASSION recounts with incredible precision the horrendous sufferings undergone by our Saviour in His superhumanly heroic act of Redemption. Also lluminating is its description of Mary’s participation in the sufferings of her Son, so that this book gives the reader a poignant understanding of why Our Lady is often called our CoRedemptrix and Queen of Martyrs. THE DOLOROUS PASSION is a singular book that conveys a lasting impression of the terrible Agony of Our Lord, of His infinite love for us that motivated His Agony, and how his Passion and Death were brought on by each person’s sins. Here is a book that gives one a holy feeling just to read it. Here is a book that will melt a heart of stone!
Prediction. Fast forward three years. EWTN’s “Coming Home Network” show. Some former “evangelical” woman is on the screen, and she says, “Well, I had never even thought of the Catholic faith, until I saw The Passion film, and I was so taken by the portrayal of Mary that I went looking on the web for more information, and found Anne Catherine Emmerich’s book, The Dolorous Passion, and that is when I realized there was so much more to Mary than what I had been taught. And then I found out sola scriptura isn’t true and then I read Karl Keating’s book and then…(fill in the rest with the standard template conversion story).”
Do not forget John Piper’s new book and the website: www.passion-book.com.
Timely Words from Charles Haddon Spurgeon:
“There it is in the Bible; go and ask my Master why he put it there. I cannot help it. I am only a serving man, and I tell you the message from above. If I were a footman, I should not alter my master’s message at the door. I happen to be an ambassador of heaven, and I dare not alter the message I have received. If it is wrong, send up to head-quarters. There it is, and I cannot alter it.”
Paul’s First Prayer, Sermon No. 16, March 25th 1855
On another front, boy did pointing out Hunt’s error in his current newsletter earn me a few e-mails! Is this what Debating Calvinism is going to engender as well? If so, I’ll need to buy asbestos gloves to wear while reading e-mail! But what was really amazing (and rather sad) was the fact that this person wrote an e-mail complaining about my comments about Hunt, and asking that I withdraw them. Now, note the language:
I’m a layman, but I know enough to know that what you posted yesterday was WRONG. Please consider my request to retract your statement.
As much as you have angered me with your posting, and as much as I have responded in kind, I ask you as a brother in Christ to do the right thing and refrain from contributing to the disinformation that so plagues Christendom today.
Yours respectfully,
Now, that’s not too bad (despite the errors in his argumentation). But he mentioned his “low traffic” website, so, I thought to myself, “I wonder what he said on his site?” So I took a moment and tracked it down (he didn’t give the address in his e-mail). Now, I’m warning you ahead of time, if you go there, prepare to read stuff like this:
When I read something of James White, I want to flush his head down the toilet, and then do it again.
Numerous other insults, the continuous use of “Whitey,” etc., follow. This is the kind of “Christian brotherhood” this fellow promotes. But, here’s a good insight into the kind of person that finds Dave Hunt’s What Love is This? a convincing and useful work: http://www.vesselofhonour.com/
I knew the new book would bring out these kinds of folks, I just figured I’d have a few more weeks before they found my address. 🙂
