Filmmaker Rik Swartzwelder has crafted a blunt, mocking rebuttal to the commercialization of his faith that he witnessed in the marketing blitz surrounding Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ. His four-minute video, "The McPassion," is available online, though the site's navigation is a little clumsy. [To watch the video, click "Watch" at the bottom of the page, then scroll down and select format and speed.]

Shocking and occasionally wince-inducing, the video is also really, really funny. Swartzwelder has said that his goal in making the short was to inspire debate, and I'm glad he's doing it. Churches are sacred places, and using them to push a commercial product or political agenda is a dangerous thing. The purchasing hype surrounding Gibson's film was disturbing, especially the upsettingly casual merchandise.

There's a world of difference between telling people to vote with their conscience and heart versus telling them that one political party is doing the Lord's work while the other is catering to atheists and abortion doctors. Similarly, using the pulpit to turn a profit makes me queasy; I know you want people to go see The Passion or The Chronicles of Narnia, but be careful not to sound like you're doing PR for the studio.

Swartzwelder sums up his position: "We're on the brink of prostituting our pulpits beyond recognition. When we start showing movie trailers during worship services and telling the faithful it’s their duty to buy tickets to the Cineplex … or to buy anything … I believe that’s as offensive as anything in 'The McPassion.' I'm not judging anyone's motives; by and large, I think people's hearts are in the right place … but I believe it's time for a fresh look at this issue."

I'm glad Swartzwelder's doing this, though I disagree with him that crapfests like End of the Spear can be considered progress for faith-based filmmaking. That film makes Left Behind look like, well, a slightly less crappy version of Left Behind. Anyway, I hope Swartzwelder's short stirs up debate.