Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Review and Giveaway: Father of Lights

My family is always up for a movie, especially one with Christian themes.  And they are generally up for a good documentary too.  So Father of Lights definitely interested me.

We had a tough time finding a point where we were all available to watch, but finally did the other night. 

About Father of Lights
FATHER OF LIGHTS chronicles the journey of filmmaker Darren Wilson and his team as they fearlessly travel the globe, far from the daily existence of the typical evangelical believer in the West. By thoughtfully documenting the stories of extraordinary believers and candidly filming miracles, visions and other supernatural occurrences, Wilson engages viewers in modern day examples of the true nature and character of God. 

Wilson gives honest access to his own spiritual questions as he tackles the religious misconceptions he has struggled with throughout his life.  “I went into making this film by asking the simple question: who is God? I wanted to know His character, His personality, and who He truly is. To answer this question, we had to peel back the many layers of religious garbage that has been passed onto him through generations. That He is angry. Vengeful. Wrathful. And in general, that He doesn’t like you very much. The truth, as you will see vibrantly in this film, is that He is the most loving, compassionate, and wonderful Father you can imagine.”

About Wanderlust Productions
Wanderlust Productions is a video production company focusing on creating content for various media that highlights, informs, and is designed to spiritually stretch our audience.  Created by Darren Wilson, Professor at Judson University, Wanderlust’s focus is on telling stories that inspire and agitate, that are unwavering in their honesty yet are emotionally compelling.  While our content will always be Christian in nature, we are not afraid to explore themes, concepts, or areas that may be considered “risky” by the Christian establishment.  Wanderlust prides itself on its willingness to put the story above the message.  That being said, the message will never waver. 
Our take:

We all enjoyed watching this documentary.  The style of it reminded me of the one Michael Moore documentary I've ever seen, but far less abrasive.  It had the same feel -- filming while going about, following people in what appears to be real time.  You know, it's a little jerky at times like they are walking along with the camera and not like they are professional cameramen trying to wow you with special effects.

For that reason, I found myself listening more than watching.  As I get older, I seem to find that kind of thing making me feel slightly carsick or something.  The rest of my family was totally fine with it though, and I watched when they were more-or-less standing still and filming something.

The documentary deals with quite a few different people in totally different places.  Some of the stories really grabbed me.  Some, well, not quite so much.

One I particularly enjoyed though involved some folks doing street evangelism.  They were frustrated because their "God is Love" message wasn't being received at all, and they finally realized there was another group out in the area preaching a hellfire and damnation type of message.  I was listening to the dialogue about how the 'repent or else' message was keeping them from reaching people, and I was thinking it seemed a bit hypocritical.

And then they totally shocked me by realizing that they were judging/condemning these other Christians without at all trying to understand them, nor were they willing to acknowledge that God loves THEM too.

How often do I do that?  I'm so focused on what I think God is telling me, that I see other Christians giving out completely different vibes, and instead of recognizing that it is possible likely that they are just as sincere about what they feel led to do, instead I focus on how they are making everything harder for me.

Are you interested in seeing this for yourself?  I have a copy to give away...  The giveaway ends Tuesday, Nov. 6 at 10:00 p.m. Mountain Time.


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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

Yes, I would love to see/have a copy of Father of Lights. I have seen Darren's two other films and loved them. I cried my way through Furious Love. Thanks for the opportunity!

debijackson said...

love to win this for my neice and nephew
debbie jackson
djackson1958 at hotmail dot com

Jessica said...

I think it's important for my kids to see movies that aren't cartoons that are Christian. While it's important that they see different viewpoints, they need to know real people have Christ too.