The Rebellion of Thought Blog

THE COMING EVANGELICAL COLLAPSE

2009-03-11T20:26:00.004-04:00

Here's a snippet from and a link to an interesting article called The Coming Evangelical Collapse...

"We can rejoice that in the ruins, new forms of Christian vitality and ministry will be born. I expect to see a vital and growing house church movement. This cannot help but be good for an evangelicalism that has made buildings, numbers, and paid staff its drugs for half a century."

This goes hand-in-hand with parts of Rebellion of Thought.

Read the whole article here!

A VIEW FROM A VIEWER

2009-01-31T06:59:00.007-05:00

After viewing Rebellion of Thought, Kelly Dominguez wrote...

Towards the end of the documentary of "Rebellion of thought", Brad told of what happened when he went to tell his pastor he was leaving the church. The Pastor ask him a question and he responded with something. Forgive me, I can't for the life of me remember what exactly was said. My memory is really bad. Would you please refresh my memory? I rented the movie through Christian Cinema and already returned it, my bad. I should have watched it again.

Lately, I've been very dissatisfied with what I see in our church. Not more then two days before watching your movie, I had a conversation with a friend about how our neighbors were moving and I didn't know them..............because my family is so "busy" (something I believe comes from the devil) "going to church". So your movie was food for the brain. Thank you.

Brad replied...

Thanks for asking about Rebellion of Thought. I appreciate you taking the time to view it and am encouraged that you find the discussion valuable.

You asked what my response was to my pastor when I told him I was leaving our church (note that I did not leave the 'church', the body of Christ, but a specific assembly that met in a certain building!)

Kent has provided the transcript from that portion of the film, which is great, because I'd have a hard time remembering as well.

When you look at what’s going on it’s seems that maybe the church is part of the problem here.

I’ll go way out on a limb here. This hopefully will be edited out. What the church is designed to do is to seduce believers into thinking that they believe…

Beep! (CENSORED)

Probably the greatest indictment of the church today is that we don’t practice the gospel. We preach it. We teach it. We do all kinds of things with it. We put it on banners. We sing songs about it. We just don’t actually do it. Just go automatically to church every Sunday, week after week and do the same things over and over again. We will never observe what it is that’s going on there and be able to do something different. And then you have the danger of those people who have a vested interest in making sure that we don’t examine the traditions of the church or the North American church because you know we even ______ teaching that that…

...When I left the church that I was with I had been with the church for about, oh, six or eight years. When I was asked why I was leaving I told the pastor, I said I’ve I’m having a problem with the church because it’s not adequate, it’s not sufficient for me to be a part of a church where the gospel is preached. I said the desire of my heart is that I that I’m part of a church where the gospel is practiced.

There you go - I'm still on my quest - and by the way, when I look at the church I left, I would say without question that it comes closer to the mark of practicing the Gospel than any church I have been a part of, and I still felt compelled to leave.

Part of the problem, as you touch on, is that there is a distraction in the church that I am convinced is part of the Deceiver's plan, to convince believers that by being involved in church they are serving Christ. I believe that this is the greatest deception ever conceived against those who would follow Christ, and we are, for the most part, blind to it.

To close, let me fill in the censored part of the script, with a paraphrase of what the distributor insisted we remove.

The organizational church today is designed to do three things:

Seduce believers into being part of the organizational church community with attractive services, songs, programs, 'ministries', and facilities...

Anesthetize the believer with many 'good' things (worship, praise, care of other believers) so that the believer does not realizing that what he or she is doing has little connection to the mandates Christ communicated in the Scripture...

Deceive the believer into thinking that going to church, singing and praising, tithing, and caring for other believers (all truly good things) are what Christ would have us do.

Ultimately, the church is most successful at enabling even mature believers to miss the point, that God called us first to love Him with all our heart, mind and soul, and second, to love our neighbor as ourselves, which turns out to be a whole lot more difficult in our culture than going to church.

So, Kelly, your journey begins. It will not be easy or popular, but you aren't alone. More and more followers of Christ are starting to act on their dissatisfaction with the organizational church. Pray that you will not be discouraged, deceived, or misled as you seek Christ and work to serve Him.

I will pray that you find a small group of like-minded believers who will commit themselves with you to living Christ as you abandon 'being busy' for the sake of the organizational church.

Feel free to write and share you experiences. We'd like to hear from you.

Brad

STAINED GLASS RAINBOWS... CURRENTLY IN PRODUCTION

2008-11-23T07:23:00.003-05:00

It's time to start plugging our next film Stained Glass Rainbows.

For those who don't know, Stained Glass Rainbows is an exploration of the bed wrestle between homosexuality and faith. We've interviewed the left, the right, conservatives, liberals, & moderates. We've filmed at Gay Pride Parades as well as Gay Protests. We've talked with folks that believe people are born gay along with people who were once in gay relationships that through their faith have left it behind... so to speak.

Why this topic???

I believe this is the most controversial subject facing the modern church. The majority of conservatives tend to want to keep their heads in the sand and pretend this issue will go away. Meanwhile, progressive denominations are not only embracing homosexuals, but they are also ordaining them. The recent controversies surrounding Gay Marriage and Proposition 8 are only proof of the volatility and timeliness for Stained Glass Rainbows.

This issue is tearing churches apart. It's tearing denominations apart. And it's tearing families apart. Is there an answer? And if there is, what is it? Is homosexuality a great sin or merely a lifestyle? What does a book written 2,000 years ago have to say about it and should that have any relevance on us today?

Stained Glass Rainbows explores the controversy, dives into the heart of the issue, and gets inside the hearts and minds of people of faith across the country.

Keep an eye out for Stained Glass Rainbows... coming soon!

REBELLION OF THOUGHT ON THE RADIO

2008-05-17T08:41:00.005-04:00

Kent recently was interviewed about Rebellion of Thought by Joe Thomas on WCHV 1260 AM. Listen to the interview here...

REBELLION OF THOUGHT... GIDEON FILM FESTIVAL

2008-03-27T06:01:00.004-04:00

Rebellion of Thought will be screening at the Gideon Media Arts Conference & Film Festival in beautiful Asheville, North Carolina.

DATE: Wednesday, April 16, 2008
TIME: 1:15pm

The film will be followed by Q&A (if the crowd is civil) or Tar & Feathering (if it gets out of hand). If you know anyone in the Asheville, Charlotte, Winston-Salem, Knoxville, or Atlanta areas, tell them to head to Ashville for the screening. In the mean time, start planning your trip... it matters not where you live, cause like Steven Wright would say... "Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time."

FYI, a portion (if not all) of the Brothers Williamson will be on the receiving end of the "Pitching to Producers" event on Tuesday the 15th, where a select group of published authors pitch their latest ideas.

Also, keep your eye out for two new Rebellion of Thought trailers to be released soon...

DEVOTION... WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

2008-03-13T04:56:00.001-04:00

Please bare with me... I feel another rant coming on. Recently, I started chewing on the word "devotion". What does it mean? Where did it come from? etc., when the thought hit me, is this another word the Church has hi-jacked and stripped of it's original meaning and intent?

Growing up in the Church I was continually bombarded with phrases like... have you had your devotions today? How are your devotions going? Are you having a consistent "quiet time"? Did you get your copy of the devotional? Kent, sit still while Mr. S0-and-s0 leads us in a devotion.

Devotion was a word that carried with it much guilt. It was a word with good intentions, designed to encourage me to read the Bible (or a supplement) more, but I remember as a teenager hearing the word and realizing I was a failure. I could never read the Bible more than some of the other kids in the youth group. I could never spend an hour a day reading and praying or even a half hour for that matter or even 15 minutes, because for some reason I would miss Thursday or Saturday or Monday which left me feeling guilty, unworthy, outside of God's perfect will, a loser that couldn't consistently have his devotions.

On days when I might be successful I remember being able to check it off my spiritual to-do list. "Boy, God must be proud of me now!"

Now that I'm officially "getting older" things haven't changed much. Today you can click your way to Amazon and find pages of devotional books and resources to improve and enhance your "quiet time". Now, don't get me wrong, some of these resources may be valuable, but doesn't the mass marketing of "devotion" seem to be a little... tacky?

What does "devotion" mean anyway? Dictionary.com offers these in it's list of definitions...

"profound dedication"

"feelings of ardent love"

"earnest attachment to a cause, person, etc."

True "devotion" is not a noun. It's not something I do but it is something I have... or do I? Am I truly devoted to Christ? Am I truly devoted to seeking Him? Am I truly devoted to picking up the cross daily? Am I truly devoted to the concept of crucifying myself so that He may live through me?

How about you? Are you devoted?

MY ADDICTION TO TRADITIONAL CHURCH

2008-03-13T03:38:00.006-04:00

My struggle (prior to converting to the house church) was that I was (like most of us) a creature of habit. I had a Sunday morning habit/addiction that looked like this...

- wake up
- race around the house getting myself and my kids ready for "church"
- drive 20+ miles (as fast as possible) to a good sized church-building of my liking
- drop kids off at various Sunday School rooms (all the while hoping they'll learn something and simultaneously releasing myself from the responsibility of teaching them)
- teach an Adult Sunday School class (which I often viewed as baby-sitting the grown-ups who wanted their kids to be in a Sunday School class and had nothing better to do for the hour)... did that come across as cynical? Sorry!
- cut my lesson short due to time-restraints.
- race down the hall to the "sanctuary" for "worship" and to fulfill my obligations as a deacon (which mostly consisted of serving the "found" instead of those truly in need of Christ)
- drop a check in the plate (and wonder what really happens to the money besides keeping the machine running)
- wave goodbye to people I didn't really know on any deep and meaningful level, but found myself with week after week

I was addicted to the traditional church. God had to take me all the way to China to get a glimpse of the underground house church to break me of my addiction. I had a habit that at that particular church had lasted for 9 years, but the Holy Spirit broke me of it.

There is hope... He is moving still in the hearts of people. Hopefully he'll keep nudging people toward true community, toward deep and meaningful relationships with other believers, toward the image of Christ without all the trappings of modern day Churchianity.

--------------------------------------------------
This was a response I gave to an article called "Something Different" my good friend Keith Giles wrote over on his [Subversive Underground] Blog.

WILLOW CREEK APOLOGIZES...

2007-11-19T07:23:00.000-05:00

As Brad and I hit on in Rebellion of Thought, the Supersize Me mentality of program-oriented Churchianity in America misses the point of what being a follower of Christ is all about.

Apparently research has come out that even Bill Hybels (founder of Willow Creek) finds “earth shaking,” “ground breaking,” and “mind blowing.”

Here's a snippet...

Willow Creek Repents?
Few would disagree that Willow Creek Community Church has been one of the most influential churches in America over the last thirty years... So what happens when leaders of Willow Creek stand up and say, “We made a mistake”?

Read the full article on Christianity Today's Out of Ur Blog...

I can't wait until the research comes out that says this is true for the majority of smaller, program oriented, non-mega churches as well.

-------------------------------------------

In an effort to promote transparency and full-disclosure it should be known that in the 80's (back when I had lots of hair and little discretion) I was very active at Willow Creek. I attended multiple services on a weekly basis and was involved in the "Video Ministry" where we helped "spread the gospel" to needy jumbo screens via closed-circuit television for youth group Rah, Rah, Rah's.

Ironic that today, twenty years later, my "Video Ministry" includes such lovely pieces as Rebellion of Thought which, when it comes to Mega Church mentalities like Willow Creek, I guess would be "biting the hand that fed me"... Ooops!

Rebellion of Thought... In Stores Today!

2007-11-13T06:44:00.000-05:00

November 13th, 2007... this just in... Rebellion of Thought officially goes on sale today.

Here are a few links to stores where you can purchase it, rent it, etc.

Amazon = $15.99
Barnes & Noble = $20.69
Borders = $??.??
Christian Cinema = $16.92
Crown Video = $??.??
Family Stores = $??.??
Gospel Direct = $19.99
Netflix = Rental
Midwest Tape (via public library system)

Also, in C'ville you can buy it at Splintered Light. Here's a photo of the Splintered Light Bookshop... doesn't that look like a great place to go and browse the shelves?

They're located at 128 Chancellor St. just off the corner in the Center for Christian Study.

HOLLYWOOD JESUS REVIEW OF ROT

2007-11-07T21:02:00.000-05:00

Here are a couple of links to the Hollywood Jesus review of Rebellion of Thought by Mike Furches.

Hollywood Jesus - Rebellion of Thought
Hollywood Jesus - About Rebellion of Thought

Furches says things like "sure to cause waves in the world of Christianity" and "may end up being one of the best documentary films of the year."

Enjoy!

REBELLION OF THOUGHT REVIEW

2007-11-06T22:12:00.000-05:00

Here is a review of Rebellion of Thought that appeared in the November issue of the CBA Retailers Magazine...

"Rebellion of Thought is a superbly made, thought-provoking film. It juxtaposes discussion by leading Christian thinkers, people on the street, and filmmakers Brad and Kent Williamson to examine what postmodern thinking is and how the common idea that there's no absolute truth demands a new response from Christians.

The sheer film-craft beats almost anything I've seen in Christian film. The medium often becomes the message with stunning visuals, creative editing, and excellent (mostly indie) music. The explanation of post-modernism and its effect on culture is well-honed, thought overlong.

The Williamson's challenge–that church is irrelevant when it busies itself with traditional activities but never touches those outside–is undeniably true. The problem comes when they equate this irrelevant church with Hitler's state-run church and make the leap that the only way to relevance is ditching the church entirely, rather than recreating it on a biblical pattern.

This film will appeal to an intellectual and somewhat disaffected audience. Nevertheless, it raises questions that should be discussed (perhaps with a group and the corresponding study guide).

–Sue Grise"

REBELLION OF THOUGHT... NOVEMBER 13, 2007

2007-10-26T07:07:00.000-04:00

The official launch date for Rebellion of Thought is just days away (November 13th). Here's a list of what you'll find on the DVD...

• Rebellion of Thought... the film (imagine that... the DVD will actually have the film on it!)
• Group Viewing Feature

BONUS MATERIAL
• A (Not So) Simple Response (a pastor responds to seeing the film)
• Anchored in the Harbour (my challenge to the church to move beyond the walls & pews)
• More Rebellious Thoughts (where Brad, myself and the experts discuss things like The Hardwired Church, Life Worship, Merchandising the Gospel, and Embracing the Mystery. This section alone is over 90 minutes of additional material)
• Expert Bios of all the cool philosophers and theologians that appear in the film.
• The Soundtrack - 25 songs from bands like Abby SomeOne, Audrey Hatcher Woodhams, Greg Allen, Hugh Wilson, Inner Surge, JJ Plasencio, Stereovolt, Joniqa, Low In The Sky, Michael Handler, Mixtapes for Girlfriends, Verona, and composer Will Musser (This section also includes bios and photos of the bands).
• Trailers & Credits

I'll try and post a list where the DVD can be purchased. In the mean time, go ask for it wherever you buy your movies.

VIRTUAL PEW RADIO INTERVIEW

2007-08-29T22:08:00.000-04:00

Today Brad and I had the pleasure of being interviewed on Virtual Pew Live, a BlogTalkRadio show hosted by Mike Furches. It was an interesting discussion about Rebellion of Thought and our journey through the making of the film.

Listen to the archived webstream or download the mp3.

Here's a quote about Rebellion of Thought from Mike's Blog and MySpace page...

"This is one of the most important, thought provoking documentaries to come about in years. It should shake the very foundation of Christianity and the Church as to the direction society is taking, and the direction of how we reach that society."

Just a reminder to watch for Rebellion of Thought on store shelves November 13th.

REBELLION OF THOUGHT... DOVE SEAL OF APPROVAL

2007-08-17T10:01:00.000-04:00

We just learned that Rebellion of Thought has been awarded the Dove Foundations Seal of Approval. Read the review.

RELEASE DATE... 13 NOV 2007

2007-08-17T09:58:00.000-04:00

Just a quick note to let folks know that Rebellion of Thought is scheduled to hit store shelves on the 13 of November, 2007. Please help us spread the word.

REBELLION OF THOUGHT... THE DVD

2007-07-03T07:27:00.000-04:00

A quick update on the status of Rebellion of Thought...

First, we signed a distribution agreement back in May with Exploration Films to handle north American and international sales for dvd, broadcast, etc.

Second, we've been working like mad to finish all the bonus material, soundtrack, programming, etc. of the DVD. I'm happy to say that it shipped to the kind folks at Exploration last night. I'm sure there will be a few tweaks here and there, but there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Third, the film is currently set for a fall release. When we receive a firm date, we will post it here.

In the mean time... here's a shot of the Scene Selection page from the upcoming Rebellion of Thought dvd...

REBELLION OF THOUGHT... THE DISTRIBUTION DEAL

2007-03-13T06:51:00.000-04:00

For those interested... we are nearing a distribution deal for Rebellion of Thought. We've spent the last couple of months sending out screeners, having conversations and taking meetings.

We've had interest from traditional distribution houses, video-on-demand sources, as well as broadcast opportunities.

I'll post more as we get closer to the deal being announced.

LIGHT AND SALT IN A DARK AND TASTELESS PLACE

2007-01-30T07:17:00.000-05:00

Have you ever been to Lowe's or Home Depot and tried to buy a light fixture? It's not an easy task, because EVERY light in the lighting department is turned on and as a result it makes seeing the light very difficult.

Light was meant for darkness! It's really that simple. Turn on a light in a dark room and the darkness is overcome. You can't help but see the impact of light.

Salt was meant for seasoning and preserving. The very simple act of adding salt to something mysteriously accomplishes both of these things. Salt was never meant to stay inside the shaker.

Can it get more simple than for us to attempt to be salt and light in the world around us?

FILMS MADE BY GOD

2007-01-25T07:29:00.001-05:00

I am continually amazed at how the "pieces of the puzzle" often come together. Take this morning for instance...

When I awoke I checked my email to see if anything work-related developed overnight. A meeting was confirmed, but nothing more, so I took a moment to read my Wordsmith email. I admit that I don't often get the chance to enjoy the "word of the day" and that many times when I do I will skip the word and go straight to the quote at the bottom of the email that has absolutely nothing to do with the word of the day. That's exactly what I did today and here's the quote I found...

Imagine a world in which generations of human beings come to believe that certain films were made by God or that specific software was coded by him. Imagine a future in which millions of our descendants murder each other over rival interpretations of Star Wars or Windows 98. Could anything -- anything -- be more ridiculous? And yet, this would be no more ridiculous than the world we are living in. -Sam Harris, author (1967- )

Now obviously Sam Harris has never had to use Windows 98. I have!... and I can see how it's continual use would lead people to murder! It's not too far fetched (he says as he joyfully types away on his Mac keyboard!).

Seriously though, Mr. Harris' quote is a very interesting glimpse at what a non-believer might think about people of faith. He comments on this ridiculous world we live in... a world where a good number of people believe that a "story" was given to man by God. A simple story in many ways about a God that loves his wayward creation and desires to have communication with them. And a very complicated story about the punishment of sin being death and the shedding of blood being required to satisfy the debt. And a very mystical story about a man dying a physical death and being resurrected on the third day.

And that brings us to the next "piece of the puzzle", for you see, after I read the quote I went and sat in the early morning quiet of my living room (which is only quiet when my herd of kids are sleeping) and I finished my slow reading of a book written by a man named Mark. Of which the last couple of chapters contain the hard to believe, mystical part of the story.

In many ways the gospel story is much more far-fetched than Star Wars. A film like that is so much easier to understand and grasp. The foreshadowing it contains is paid off within 2 hours, whereas the foreshadowing within gospel hasn't been fulfilled in 2 millennia. A piece of fiction is so easy for our world to believe as just that... fiction. But to a culture raised on post-modernism that doesn't believe in Truth, how can a story over two thousand years old be seen as anything but fiction?

How do we cling to that which we believe? In one sense I'm glad modernism is on the way out, because the modern believers felt the need to convince non-believers that the gospel is truth. Whereas believers in the post-modern age are much more willing to leave that job of convincing others up to the Holy Spirit (where it belongs) and instead just live out the elements of gospel.

If we took truth out of the equation and we're left with just a story about a God reaching out to mankind in an effort to be known by them and compared that to a story about some primordial ooze that evolved into walking and talking blobs of goo, I have to tell you, I'd still choose the first story. Simply because its a far more beautiful story!

Factor Truth back in and it becomes all the more compelling. The foreshadowing of the old testament to the new, and the new to the next, and the crazy, hard to understand parables, and the simple sayings like "love your neighbor", and the mystic nature of a bodily resurrection and the hard to believe future of a second-coming... these are pieces of the puzzle and pieces of an amazingly beautiful story that's worth trying to believe in.

CHILDREN AT RISK - CONFERENCE

2007-01-23T20:58:00.000-05:00

A good friend of mine, Keith Giles, is busy promoting a new conference and asked that I help spread the word...

Here's what he says...

"I wanted to let you know about an important conference coming up that I'm a part of called "CHILDREN AT RISK" featuring author Os Guinness, pastor Tri Robinson, worship leader David Ruis, Bert Waggoner (National Director of Vineyard USA), Rick Muchow (Worship leader at Saddleback), and many others.

Please attend if you possibly can, and even if you can't, please help me to spread the word and let others know about this important event to help children who are at risk here in America and around the world.

Basic information-
Arms Of Love International Presents:
CHILDREN AT RISK-(Strategies for Global and Local Impact)
March 9 & 10, 2007 - Anaheim Vineyard

MORE DETAILS & REGISTRATION ONLINE AT
www.children-at-risk.com

FEATURING OS GUINNESS AND INTERNATIONAL REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE UNITED NATIONS, WORLD VISION, VIVA NETWORK AND DOZENS MORE.

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS:
*Os Guinness- (Author of more than 20 books including Unspeakable)
*Dr. Phyllis Kilbourn- (President of Crisis Care Training International)
*Olara Otunnu- (Former UN Special Representative for Children & Armed Conflict and former Chairman of the UN Commission on Human Rights)
*Bryant Myers- (Professor of International Development at Fuller Seminary and former VP of International Program Strategy at World Vision)
*Johan Lukasse- (Founder and Director of Rescue & Restore Urban Missions and YWAMs Children At Risk School in Brazil)
*Bert Waggoner- (National Director of Vineyard Churches)
*Tri Robinson- (Pastor and author of Revolutionary Leadership)

WORSHIP LEADERS:
*DAVID RUIS (Vineyard Music)
*RICK MUCHOW (Saddleback Church)
*JOHN THOMAS (Soul Survivor)

Join leaders from 12 nations and a variety of international ministries. Choose between 28 different breakout sessions and workshops.

FIND OUT MORE AND REGISTER ONLINE AT:
www.children-at-risk.com."

LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD

2007-01-15T08:03:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite passages of late is in a book called Mark where Jesus responds to the religious scholars who asked him, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?"

He tells us the top two... to "love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength" and to "love your neighbor as yourself."

To me there is amazing beauty in these words, but recently I read them in a version by a different translator where they jumped off the page at me. Jesus replies "love the Lord God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence and energy" and to "love others as well as you love yourself."

Do the people you gather with help you accomplish this? Do you see it in their lives? Do you help bring it out in them and do they help bring it out in you? If not, why not?

HINTON AVENUE SCREENING

2006-12-06T11:21:00.000-05:00

The screening Sunday night was good. Probably about 80 people in the audience including three area pastors and an elder from another area church that I know were there.

Pastor Hopkins of United Methodist Church started the evening by telling the audience a story that he had told me a week or two earlier... it goes something like this... "I saw six films at the Virginia Film Festival. Five of them I liked. Rebellion of Thought wasn't one of them. But Rebellion of Thought was the one I couldn't get out of my head!"

He went home that Saturday night and tore up the sermon he had written for next morning and started over. He told me later that he didn't sleep a wink that night. That's how much the film impacted him.

Following the screening Sunday night we had much discussion... great, tough questions and I did my best to answer them, admitting that I myself don't have the answers, that I'm just a man on a journey and this is the view I'm granted along the way.

After the show Leslie and Josh did some on-camera interviews with people leaving... An atheist asked, "why do you need God at all if you are going to go outside the church?" I wish I could have been there to respond to her...

First, I would have said that I rely more on God outside the traditional church than I ever did inside. But more importantly, I would have said that we are not trying to go "outside the the church." Part of what we are about is trying to do is get the church to get outside of the church. Meaning to get believers to truly begin living their faith in the streets outside the walls of the church where it can have an impact of a post-modern culture!

I don't know if "fun was had by all" at the screening but I do know that it seems that many people are hungry for the dialogue that this film promotes... now let's see if we can get broader distribution... in the mean time, if you would like to arrange a screening in your area, please contact us.

REBELLION OF THOUGHT... ANOTHER SCREENING

2006-11-14T17:05:00.000-05:00

For anyone who couldn't get a ticket to the premiere of Rebellion of Thought I'm happy to announce that the next screening will be December 3rd right here in Charlottesville. It will be a FREE event and open to the public.

A local pastor happened to be in attendance at the Virginia Film Festival screening and unbeknownst to him he had the most bizarre connection to a film that I've ever heard. I won't give his story away, because he will probably share it that evening, but I will tell you that you won't want to miss it. It's so amazingly, unbelievable that we've decided to interview him for inclusion as promo material and as a possible bonus segment on the DVD.

Anyhow, he has graciously invited us to screen Rebellion of Thought at the Hinton Avenue United Methodist Church. He called me the other day and told me that this film has rocked him. He can't get it out of his mind. He preached on it the week after he saw it. He told me that he doesn't agree with everything in the film but that the conversation is so important that he wants his congregation to be a part of the dialogue.

Please join us for the film with a disussion to follow...

Sunday, December 3rd, 2006 at 7pm
Hinton Avenue United Methodist Church
750 Hinton Avenue
Charlottesville, Virginia
MAP/Directions

REBELLION OF THOUGHT... THE PREMIERE

2006-10-31T07:58:00.000-05:00

We have successfully premiered another film. Rebellion of Thought screened Saturday at the Virginia Film Festival to a sold out crowd. Nervous, anxious and exhausted, Brad and I arrived in time to mix and mingle a bit prior to the screening. We and the team had worked 18 hour days the entire week prior, which culminated with an all night editing race to prep the film for its premiere. With less than an hour of sleep on the editing room floor and another 45 minutes on the carpet of the soundstage I thought I might literally fall asleep during the showing, but fortunately the adrenaline kicked in and got me through it.

The moderator announced the screening, the lights dimmed, the crowd settled in and the Paladin Media Group logo took over the screen... and then for the next 75 minutes the crowd was forced to “drink from a fire hose” in the non-stop assault of the heart, soul and mind that is Rebellion of Thought.

It was an interesting mix of a crowd, including friends, family, old professors, colleagues and strangers. I’ve always thought Rebellion of Thought is a very difficult film to watch, because it is a talking-head picture about a rather esoteric subject. Plus, it’s non-stop with very little room to digest the material during the film. It’s like no film I’ve ever seen in that regard.
Anyhow, the 75 minute screening passed quickly and the credits started to roll. That’s when I noticed that no one moved. Not one person stood to make their way to the exit in the entire theatre. An eerie feeling was in the room as everyone stared at the screen and watched the credits while Will Musser’s music pushed them along. Finally the film faded to black and the Paladin logo signified the very end at which point a rather awkward applause broke out. I imagine people probably uncertain to clap because they liked the film but didn’t agree with everything it promotes or perhaps just glad to have survived the experience. Regardless, it was over and time for the most bizarre Q&A I’ve ever been a part of. This was followed by close to an hour of conversations with a host of people who came down front to talk. Obviously, it is an engaging film about a topic that people want to discuss.

Following the screening Brad and I took our parents, my family, James (our editor), Leslie, (our office manager) and her husband Jimmy to the LimeLeaf restaurant for a celebratory dinner. Great memories were made as we concluded this great premiere.

FYI... yesterday I received an email from the program director of the RiverRun International Film Festival. She was in the audience on Saturday and she requested a screener for consideration at their fest next spring in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. We’ll keep you posted.

REBELLION OF THOUGHT - FIRST SCREENING!

2006-10-30T16:48:00.000-05:00

It's Monday afternoon - not unlike the usual Monday at work, catching up on all the Monday things that have to be done, but different in the sense that a huge burden has been lifted from our shoulders.

Rebellion of Thought has shown publicly for the first time!

Last week was a flurry of activity as we scurried to pull together all the pieces that would make Rebellion of Thought a compelling film. Three editors, James Burgess, Matt Uncapher, and Josh Mcgonigle labored through the night, literally, time and time again to cut and cut some more as we refined the look. Our office manager, Leslie Wood, held the project together by making sure we ate occasionally and had ample supplies of editor fuel - Red Bull, Coke, water, chocolate, mixed nuts, and various and sundry assorted munchies.

All this was confounded by the Brothers Williamson's mutual decision to completely recut the film in a different sequence on Monday, five days before the screening. But despite all the barriers, the technical breakdowns, the discouragment and criticism that we seemed to encounter in spades, we managed to put together a pretty convincing piece by 9 am Saturday morning. The relief was evident as we started dumping the film to tape, since Matt, Kent and I had been up since the morning of the previous day. By noon the film was on tape, and ready for transfer to the cinema for the screening.

Kent and I caught a quick catnap while others tested the film and the projector at the theater. We woke up groggy, but dressed in our best filmmaker uniforms, and raced to the Regal theater on the Mall in Charlottesville.

The theater was packed, a sell out crowd, and the greetings of a few friends we recognized help ease the strain of waiting for the titles to roll. A moderator introduced the film, and then the house lights went down, as the first frames marched across the big screen.

It is hard to describe the emotion of the next 75 minutes. This being our second film, we felt like old hands at dealing with the butterflies that accompany the public presentation of any creative effort. But it was only a few minutes into the film when I realized that I couldn't believe that it was ME up on the screen, and that I was actually saying the things I was saying. I could only sigh and wait for the tarring and feathering.

But suffice it to say that the presentation was a success by almost any measure. Our team had done a wonderful job pulling video, audio, and the musical score of Will Musser together into a piece that exceeded even my expectations for the week we had to refine it. It looked great, sounded better, and carried a message that touched almost everyone in the audience.

Only one person left during the screening, many stayed for the half-hour question and answer period after, and enough stayed after the Q&A that it took 45 minutes to get through all the personal discussion. And the most significant thing, of all the questions that we dealt with during the evening, there was only one of a technical nature. Almost without exception the discussions that followed were about the content, which was what Kent and I had hoped for from the beginning.

We still have tons of work to do to complete the film, finish the bonus features, and put the DVD together, so if you didn't see it Saturday, you'll probably have to wait until the spring for the DVD, or at least for a while 'til it appears at a theater near you. Kent and I will be out promoting it, and if you ask nicely, maybe we can come by your way.

In the meantime, stay tuned here, and remember...

...a new conversation has begun.