AFA Staff
AFA Journal staff reviews movies, books and other resources
October 2013 – Certainly not one to shy away from a good row, evangelist Ray Comfort has made another excellent, hard-hitting film and in the process has given the theory of evolution a fat lip.
And defenders of the theory are livid.
The producer of two other acclaimed documentaries, 180 and Genius, Comfort created Evolution vs. God to probe the theory of evolution by going on college campuses and interviewing some of the professors who teach it and the students who believe it.
“The film is unique in that in most creationist documentaries, we take our expert and we explain what is wrong with the evolutionary worldview,” he explained on American Family Radio’s Today’s Issues. “With this film, it is 38 minutes and there are no creationists interviewed. It is only evolutionists.”
Comfort took a camera to the campuses of University of Southern California and University of California-Los Angeles, and interviewed four evolutionists and a host of college students. Then, as he put it, he “held their feet to the fire.”
He said, “I demanded they give me evidence – scientific evidence – for Darwinian Evolution. None of them could.”
The evolution community has been apoplectic. For example, Richard Dawkins, a well-known and aggressive atheist who frequently insults Christians, called Comfort an “idiot” during an interview on CNN.
Comfort isn’t backing down. In fact, he intends to distribute a million copies of the Evolution vs. God DVD on a thousand college and university campuses. Why? Because Comfort says he is particularly concerned about what the theory of evolution is doing to America’s young people.
Evolution “is catching on like wildfire and … multitudes, especially young people, are leaving the churches in droves,” he told AFR.
Part of the attractiveness of evolution, said Comfort, is that the theory frees people to follow their sinful impulses. “Because, if there is no God, there is no accountability,” he said. “That means fornication and pornography are not fornication and pornography. They are not sins. They are merely you and I as primates seeking to procreate our species. Evolution gives license to sinners to follow their raging hormones.”
AFA president Tim Wildmon said the new film is amazing. “We were very impressed with this documentary,” he said. “Ray always produces impressive films, but this is particularly powerful.”
Order at evolutionvsgod.com. Learn more about Ray Comfort’s ministry at livingwaters.com.
Review by Ed Vitagliano
Run
Having spent the night celebrating their third anniversary, Sara and Chris return home to find an intruder hiding in their bedroom. From that gripping first scene, novelist Kathryn C. Lang weaves a fast paced story of a young woman’s journey from pain to healing, loneliness to relationship, and unbelief to faith in Jesus Christ.
Chris is shot by the intruder, and as he falls, he pulls Sara down with him, saying, “Run!” Trying to drag Chris’s limp body with her, she realizes he is not moving and runs out the door to her neighbor’s house.
The police investigation goes cold, and Sara leaves town, changing her name with hopes of hiding from the pain and finding peace. But the past soon catches up with her.
Dialog is often humorous, and the story unfolds in stages, keeping the reader eager for more. Run is available online and at bookstores.
Review by Debbie Fischer
Grace Unplugged
Larry is a great worship pastor in Grace Unplugged. He loves Jesus and he loves music, but that hasn’t always been the case. Years ago, he was a one-hit wonder. Mossy, his old agent, now urges him to revive his old song and hit the road again. Larry declines, but Grace, his talented 18-year-old, looks at Mossy with stars in her eyes.
Grace runs away to Los Angeles where she soon faces the demons that often come with success. She reaches a pivotal point where she must choose between advancing her dream career by throwing away everything she ever believed in or trusting God to be both supplier and fulfiller of her dreams.
While this is an uplifting and redeeming story with a compelling soundtrack and a cameo by Chris Tomlin, parents need to know there is alcohol use, including under-age Grace drinking to excess, and discussions of sex and drug use. It is rated PG and will be in theaters October 4.
Review by Teddy James
Jesus is Greater Than Religion
In 2012, Jefferson Bethke uploaded a spoken word video titled “Why I Hate Relgion but Love Jesus.” That video quickly went viral and now has more than 25 million views. Bethke has written Jesus is Greater Than Religion, a book to elaborate and explain his heart behind the video. This isn’t you’re average, clichéd “It isn’t a religion, it’s a relationship” type of book.
In down-to-earth, conversational language, Bethke gives readers a candid look at his own life, faith and struggles. In every chapter, he challenges readers to examine their spiritual lives, to evaluate what is Christ-like and what isn’t. He does not shy away from hard biblical truths, but he intertwines a message of grace into every passage. The book will be available online and in bookstores October 7.
Review by Nicholas Dean
After the Fall
After the Fall is mountain climber Craig DeMartino’s personal account of falling 100 feet from a cliff in Rocky Mountain National Park. Both legs were broken, and there was internal bleeding plus a lot of blood loss. Experts say if you fall 20 feet, you have a 20% chance of dying, 30 feet, a 30% chance and so on. It was five hours before DeMartino could be airlifted to a hospital. His gripping story relates the miracle of his recovery and the hardship it created for his wife and young children.
Today, five years and one amputation later, DeMartino is the first amputee to climb Yosemite’s El Capitan in a single day, and he has won five gold medals climbing in the Extremity Games. More importantly, he has founded After the Fall Ministries to help other trauma survivors. Available at bookstores and online.
Review by Randall Murphree
