Film is Pwn

Lord, Save Us From Your Followers  is documentary that takes a humorous swipe at the divisive political and social perception of Christianity and God in general.  The film isn’t a salvo in the culture wars by any stretch of the imagination; rather it is an exploration as to why there is a culture war, if there is a culture war, and why “the Gospel of Love” has become such a contentious topic.  One of the critic quotations used in the trailer hits the nail on the head: “A peace offering, not a battlecry.”  I know, it’s not protocol to site other film reviews in your film review, but Film Is Pwn possesses no standard operating procedure, so let’s move on to some new quotes, shall we?

The director and central figure is Dan Merchant, a self-professed Evangelical Christian and marketing guy with a paper-thin filmmaking resume, who does a splendid job.  He’s charming, likeable, and funny, with the basic premise that he’s going across America trying to have conversations rather than arguments, making friends rather than making points.  Merchant talks to the man on the street, celebrities, religious leaders, agnostics, and atheists basically just getting their opinion and engaging them on why they believe what they believe.

Merchant is more than willing to give left-wingers like actor, comedian, and current Democratic Senator Al Franken equal time with right-wingers like Republican Senator Rick Santorum.   Amusing and enlightening soundbites on the topic are culled from every source imaginable, from Stephen Colbert to SNL skits to Rev. Rick Warren.

Merchant doesn’t shy away from recognizing the worst of Christianity (nutjobs standing outside gay and lesbian events ranting on megaphones about how they are all going to hell) and challenging believers to be better.  Along those lines, Lord, Save Us From Your Followers  opens with a great quote from Christian writer Philip Yancey, “No one ever converted to Christianity because they lost the argument.”  So, why argue?  At the same time, Merchant shines a light on some of the unsung, unpublicized good that Christians are engaged in on a regular basis, from helping AIDs victims in remote African villages to rebuilding houses in the wake of Hurricane Katrina to homeless ministries.

While I think it’s safe to call this “a Christian movie” (I’m a Christian who reviews movies, so I think I’m qualified to make that assessment), it’s not a “convert heathens to Christianity movie and promote our worldview.”  The central theme is the question: “Why can’t we work together on the things we all know are problems, like poverty and disease, and have civil discussions about the things we don’t agree on?” 

I really enjoyed Lord, Save Us From Your Followers.  It’s thought-provoking and aggressively non-judgmental.  Merchant has created an enjoyable, fascinating, ostensibly “Christian” film that is shockingly not boring, far from the work of partisan hackery, and equally challenges believers and non-believers.

Great job, Dan Merchant, I hope everybody goes and checks it out.  (As I caught the movie at the Charlotte Film Festival and it’s not on DVD yet or in wide-release, checking it out might be tricky, but the movie’s official site is right here.)