“Get the hell out of my way. I’m late for church.”
Donning a bumper sticker-covered suit (which includes the above mentioned sentiment), writer/director Dan Merchant set out across the country to explore the cultural divide between Christianity and the secular world in the new documentary “Lord, Save Us From Your Followers.” Using humor and a general irreverence of fundamentalism by skewering both “Left Behind” and “The Da Vinci Code” within the opening credits, my fears were vanquished by the film’s ability to roll with the punches and dish them back out.
Marketed as “Michael Moore meets Monty Python,” the film’s greatest strength is that it bypasses the underhanded tactics used by Moore in favor of creating genuine discussion and portraying people as the human beings they are. Merchant’s journey introduces us to an assortment of figures, ranging from the famous to the unknown. In the scope of the movie, the average Joe on the street is given as much screen time as former Republican Senator Rick Santorum.
For a documentary, the cast itself is impressive. Clips of Bill Maher and George Carlin, as well as interviews with Al Franken and Tony Campolo, are consistently informative and amusing.
Desiring to open up a conversation between faith and culture, Merchant shows to be quite affluent in his presentation of the gospel, though he does not claim to be a theologian. Instead, he simply asks questions and doesn’t insist on having things his way, and by doing so his point of view shines through brightly.
What Merchant does not have, however, is the charm and abrasiveness of a Bill Maher, who, whatever his political views may be, is an entertainer and mines for laughs in any way he can. Merchant takes a less abrasive style, but ultimately the documentary is not as funny with the material as it could be. To be sure, there are moments of humor, but they are few and far between.
The tone of the film is sharp, with the first half hour being highly energetic and original, utilizing literal talking heads to spout off platitudes. But soon after, the energy tapers off and the pacing slows down dramatically.
Going back to his home state of Oregon, Merchant sets up a confession booth in the middle of a gay pride parade in Portland, and invites homosexuals to enter the confessional booth where he did something I was not expecting.
Merchant chose this time to confess his sins to his fellow man. In the booth, he poured out his heart and apologized for the mistreatment of homosexuals by the church and their condemnation for not acting in the AIDS crisis. To his surprise, the disenfranchised and downtrodden accepted his apologies. The response was heartbreaking and very nearly brought me to tears as the amount of pain bubbled to the surface. The beauty of confession opened up old wounds and set forth the potential healing for humanity.
“I don’t care about winning arguments like I used to, and I’m a better listener. And I’m edified by most people I come across because I’m willing to try a little harder to see them … and try and see them maybe how God sees them,” Merchant said. “As lame as my effort is in that area, when you try, you see more. You see something different, and that just changes everything. And I’m just grateful to be in the conversation, finally.”
Now it is time to start talking.
