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'Let There be Light': Sean Hannity Stands for Christianity with New Film
CBN News 10-24-2017
Sean Hannity is taking on Hollywood.
He recently executive-produced a faith-based film called "Let There Be Light," which will be released October 27th.
Hannity joined Kevin Sorbo in making the film.
Watch the trailer here:
Sorbo is known for his role in "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys," as well as the Christian movie called, "God's Not Dead."
"Liberal Hollywood has increasingly moved the bar, making simple and honest films with solid faith and family values harder to find," Hannity told Variety.
Sean Hannity joins Pat Robertson on Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2017 - 700 Club to talk about his role in bringing "Let There Be Light" to the big screen, and why he wants to be involved in making more quality films.
Sorbo reportedly approached Hannity about shooting the film, and Hannity decided to sign onto the project within an hour of his visit.
"It's been likened to 'Ghost' meets 'Heaven Is for Real,' with a dash of 'God's Not Dead,'" Sorbo said about the film.
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"America will stand by followers of Christ in this hour of need," U.S. Vice President Mike Pence told the World Summit in Defense of Persecuted Christians, the recent conference on the topic of persecution held in the nation's capital.
"Our administration is fully committed in bringing relief and comfort to believers, not only across the Middle East but across the world," he said.
People from 130 countries were represented at the summit, which was organized by evangelist Franklin Graham and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.
So what is happening to Christians around the world that is worrying so many people?
Clarion Project's new film Faithkeepers uncovers the horrific reality faced by so many simply for being who they are.
In the Middle East, the birthplace of Christianity, Christians and other minorities are being violently persecuted, driven out of their homes, and killed," the Faithkeepers team says. "Their places of worship are being destroyed, and their history is being erased."
Across the world, but particularly in the Middle East, Christians and other religious minorities are persecuted for their faith. Most of this persecution is meted out at the hands of radical Islam, although by no means all of it.
In Iraq and Syria, ravaged by war, Christians, Yazidis and other minority groups are suffering grievously under the yoke of terrorist groups like the Islamic State. Christian communities that fall under their control are given a simple choice: convert to Islam, pay the jizya, a humiliating protection tax, or die.
Thousands of Yazidi women and girls were kidnapped into sex slavery and sold in the markets of Mosul and Raqqa. They have suffered unimaginably.
"Faithkeepers gives face and voice to the humanitarian crisis and genocide affecting millions in the Middle East as a result of religious and ethnic persecution," the Faithkeepers team added.
"The film is a testament to the stories of the persecuted and an inspiring portrait of the human spirit. Faithkeepers—the movie and movement— will awaken, enlighten and inspire all people of faith to stand up and take action."
In an exclusive interview with Faithkeepers Producer Paula Kweskin by Elliot Friedland, obtained by ASSIST News Service (www.assistnews.net), she was asked why she's so excited about her latest movie, which premiered on May 23.
"It brings much-needed attention to the horrific persecution faced by Christians and other minorities in the Middle East," she said.
What is the goal of Faithkeepers?
"We would like to awaken the Christian community and all people of conscience to understand and be empowered to take action on behalf of Christians and other minorities in the Middle East who are experiencing genocide. We feel there is a real lack of information and this is first and foremost a film to educate people and wake them up about this humanitarian crisis."
Asked what efforts is the U.S. government doing to protect Christians in the Middle East and is it enough? Kweskin said: "Congress has taken a number of steps to protect Christians and other minorities in the Middle East.
"House Concurrent Resolution 75, which passed the House of Representatives in March 2016, correctly states 'the atrocities perpetrated by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) against Christians, Yezidis, and other religious and ethnic minorities in Iraq and Syria constitute war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide.' The bill is currently awaiting passage through the Senate but if passed it will push the U.N. and other international bodies, working with U.S. leadership, to establish war crimes tribunals for ISIS leaders and take other more robust steps to tackle ISIS. There are other proposed bills, including one which would expedite the asylum process for Christians and other minorities fleeing ISIS persecution.
(Editor's Note: HR (House Resolution) 390, 'The Iraq and Syria Emergency Genocide Relief and Accountability Act' passed the U.S. House of Representatives on the evening of June 6 by unanimous consent).
"In addition, President Trump has increased the number of soldiers deployed to Iraq and Syria to fight ISIS and earlier this year he gave Defense Secretary Mattis the authority to set troop levels in Iraq and Syria. This means the U.S. military has the freedom to commit the forces it needs to eliminate ISIS, working with local partners on the ground."
"We have a three-pronged call to action: awareness, advocacy, and aid. Visit our website for more information on how exactly to help (https://clarionproject.org ):
Awareness: Spread the word by posting the trailer on your Facebook page or sending it to family and friends – each one of has the capacity to do that and awareness leads to action.
Advocacy: Speak to elected officials and make sure they are engaged on the issue and are supporting steps to end the genocide and help these communities.
Aid: We are collecting funds to distribute to selected charities and organizations in the region doing critical work on the ground."
What needs to be done to help Christians and other minorities who are now returning to villages and towns that were devastated by ISIS?
"First and foremost, there has to be strong security in place. But we can't just protect them, we also have to help them rebuild. Right now they're going back to destroyed churches and homes and are in a terrible situation. We need to give them the support to restore their devastated communities, whether that is politically, economically or in other ways. But I don't think it will be possible for them to return unless there is a strong effort from the international community to assist them, not just in the short term but in the long term."
How do you respond to people who say the United States has already wasted too much blood and treasure in the Middle East and that it's not our problem to fix?
"This is a humanitarian mission that goes beyond any one country. I see a genocide happening and I feel compelled to act. Minorities in the Middle East are a stabilizing and moderating force in the region.
"A strong, peaceful and diverse Middle East is definitely in America's interests."
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A still from Ray Comfort's film 'Audacity.' (YouTube)
Ohio Factory Worker Fired For Recommending Faith-Based Film to Lesbian Co-Worker
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Producers of the recently-released faith-based film Audacitywere contacted last week by Chris Routson of Middletown, Ohio, who wanted to share with them his story of recommending the film to two lesbian co-workers and subsequently being fired after 13 years as a well-regarded employee.
"I have had good reviews from my supervisors for the past 13 years at my job, and I have always been outspoken about my faith to other employees and have never had any problems up until the last week of my employment," Routson said.
Routson was told that he was terminated not because of his faith, but for making his co-workers "uncomfortable." He was first told to stop doing this after he friended one of his lesbian co-workers on Facebook, and recommended the film Audacity to her on his own time from home.
She didn't seem bothered by this, but the next day Routson was informed he had made a co-worker uncomfortable and he was to stop. He said that he couldn't stop sharing his faith, and his supervisors said it wasn't about his faith, just about making co-workers "uncomfortable."
Two days later, Routson shared his personal testimony with a different co-worker, telling her "Every new person I meet I want to share the gospel with them and if they still want to be my friend then I have gained a friend."
Later he recommended the film Audacity to her and she never seemed uncomfortable or like she didn't want to discuss the topic with him, even sharing about her own family discussion on homosexuality.
It was not long after this that Routson was called into his manager's office and told that he was making an employee uncomfortable and would need to go home. He was told to report the following morning at the usual time, but then was called early the next morning to come in several hours later. Upon his arrival, he was terminated, asked to take his belongings and leave immediately. Routson is seeking legal counsel.
Whether the recommendation of the movie Audacity itself is what made Routson's lesbian co-workers uncomfortable or not, that was never the filmmakers' intention.
"Audacity was produced particularly to show that Christians don't hate homosexuals," Executive Producer Ray Comfort said. "We deliberately didn't stereotype or vilify homosexuals even slightly. Before it was released, one reviewer said that it had the potential to bring reconciliation between the LGBT and Christians."
In fact, Comfort has received positive feedback from two members of the homosexual community who have already seen the film:
"I am a lesbian. I watched your movie Audacity on YouTube. Very powerful. Thank you for not hating us."
"I have to say, as a gay woman who watched Audacity, I agree that the topic was handled with love and compassion which was refreshing to see..."
Since Audacity is now freely available online at www.AudacityMovie.com, viewers can decide for themselves whether or not they think the film would be worth firing someone over—especially a 13-year employee with two kids at home.
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Miss Clara, one of the characters in 'War Room' (Facebook)
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Outside of evangelical circles, the names Alex Kendrick and Stephen Kendrick are likely to be met with blank stares.
But thanks to low-budget hits like Fireproof and Courageous, the brothers have transformed themselves into Steven Spielbergs of Christian cinema. Their names above the title are enough to open movies that are firmly pitched to the faithful.
This drawing power was firmly on display when War Room, a celebration of the purpose-driven life, stunned box office watchers by nearly dethroning Straight Outta Compton as the weekend's highest-grossing domestic release with its $11 million debut. That's particularly impressive given that the religious drama was playing on a third of the number of screens as the N.W.A biopic.
"It's a great example of the power of a brand," said Chris Stone, founder of the consumer advocacy group Faith Driven Consumer. "The Kendrick brothers' films have an authenticity with this audience. They have consistently delivered a good product that resonates with the community."
Don't count reviewers among the fans. War Room has a woeful 18 percent "rotten" rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics like the Los Angeles Times' Michael Rechtshaffen dismissing the film as "mighty long-winded and wincingly overwrought."
Alex Kendrick, a former pastor who handles directing duties on the brothers' films, said the filmmakers are accustomed to the rough notices.
"Critics in Hollywood are rough with us," said Kendrick. "They don't understand why we make our movies or our worldview. But our target audience gets them and that's who we want to draw closer to a walk with God."
War Room, the story of a disintegrating marriage rescued by intense prayer, was produced for a slender $3 million and distributed by Sony's Affirm division. It is on pace to be among the Kendrick brothers' biggest hits, rivaling the $34.5 million brought in by "Courageous" and the $33.5 million generated from Fireproof. It also continues Sony's success with the genre—the studio scored with Soul Surfer and Heaven is for Real, as well as fielded the Kendricks' films.
Credit for War Room's ticket sales surge goes to its cast of African-Americans. That allowed the film to draw from pools of black and white moviegoers, an essential ingredient in its success given that polling shows that African-Americans are more religious than the U.S. population as a whole.
Nearly 90 percent of African-Americans describe themselves as belonging to a religious group, with six out of ten coming from historically black protestant churches and 15 percent hailing from evangelical churches, according to a survey by the Pew Research Center. For War Room, that translated to a racially diverse opening weekend crowd that was 36 percent African-American and 42 percent Caucasian, according to exit data.
Dramatic necessity, not commercial considerations, was at the root of the decision, Kendrick claims.
"When we were working on the plot it just seemed more powerful and passionate when told through the perspective of African-Americans," said Kendrick. "I'm not sure it would have been as heart-grabbing if we hadn't done that."
Getting the word out about the picture involved a massive grassroots effort. Facebook was particularly active, as the film's page attracted more than half a million fans, though its presence on Twitter was only marginal. More important was the work that the Kendricks did to raise awareness. The brothers shot set videos to keep audiences informed about the production and prepared packets that they sent to churches that included materials that could be incorporated into sermons prior to the film's release.
"For the Kendricks, the dialog is ongoing," said Rory Bruer, Sony's distribution chief. "The word gets out there and people are talking about the movie for many months before it opens. It all results in a cool crescendo."
Sony largely steered clear of wider-reaching platforms such as television and paid email marketing, and opted for a more conservative release pattern. Instead of debuting the film on 2,500 screens or more, as it would a typical wide-release, the studio launched it across 1,135 theaters that were heavily weighted toward the South and Midwest, where the populations are more religious.
"Films like this have an intense appeal across a narrow demographic," said Seth Willenson, an industry consultant. "You can reach a targeted audience."
War Room is hardly the first faith-based film to break out. Recent releases like God's Not Dead and Heaven is for Real have routinely affirmed the power of this audience. But when Hollywood has tried to commodify what the Kendricks do, by steering clear of the Biblical literalism and trying to make religious stories palatable for secular crowds, the results have been mixed. Noah made money but kicked up a firestorm of controversy with its departures from the Old Testament, while Exodus: Gods and Kings, an attempt to refashion the story of Moses as a Gladiator-style adventure, flopped.
"We're certainly always grateful for themes of redemption and faith in films," said Kendrick. "Where we have problem is when they take our most respected scripture and twist it in a way that is at odds with our beliefs."
Kendrick hopes that studios will take less artistic license with upcoming religious epics such as Ben-Hur and Risen, the story of a Roman centurion tasked with investigating reports of Jesus' resurrection.
"We're hopeful that these will be faithful to scripture or to the original story, and if they are, we will flock in droves," he said.
