A Propaganda Piece?
The Left has tried to give the impression that "The Reliant" is a propaganda piece. An allegory for the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms.
Nothing could be further than the truth.
The God-given right of the weak and the innocent to be able to defend themselves against the villainous and the strong is a theme of the story, but first and foremost, "The Reliant" is a story. It is a story of redemption, of faith in crisis, of family togetherness, and love in the darkest of times. It is story of forgiving the unforgiveable and the joy of being forgiven. It is a story of hope.
That the Left would so aggressively lie about our film that they haven't even seen just goes to show how threatened they are by it. The most popular of deceptions crumbles like a deck of cards in a hurricane by a single bold ray of truth. And in our culture, nothing shines that ray of light sharper than cinema.
A Cheesy Church Movie?
When some people hear I've written and produced a faith-based movie, I see their eyes gloss over. I know, I feel the same way. I've watched a faith-based movie out of obligation as a faith-based filmmaker, but rolled my eyes at the cheesy Christian cliches, the churchy dialogue, the predictable plot, and the unrealistic action. I watch it once, but enjoy "Endgame" a half dozen times!
One reverend who read an early version of "The Reliant" script said, "You give unbelief too good of a hearing." He was concerned that believers may doubt their faith while watching "The Reliant."
Early on, the largest church in the nation, Joel Olsteen's church in Texas, called and asked to show "The Reliant" at their church! We were honored. But a week after the invitation, we got an R rating from the MPAA and the hate-articles and hate-comments from folks who hadn't even seen the movie started piling up. Now the church won't so much as return my phone call. The film's just a tad bit raw for most church's "Movie Nights" - and that's okay. I didn't want to make a church movie.
We received three nominations from the International Christian Film Festival but didn't win, and after the festival, I was told that the festival leaders received a lot of phone calls complaining that they were even showing our film. It's the main reason I'm not announcing what festivals we're going to featured at. The Left hates "The Reliant." We're simply a tad bit too truthful for polite conversation among the Hollywood elites. And that's okay, too. That's the kind of movie I wanted to make! Almost a third of our First Place film festival awards are from secular festivals, so we certainly don't alienate those who may contend with our worldview. The film is winsome. We have a powerful, unforgettable message, but we don't judge those who disagree with us. We've broadened our target audience and hit the target dead center. (Think "Jesus Take the Wheel" at a Carrie Underwood concert, Alice Cooper talking about repenting of his sin on VH1, or Trump talking about talking about FBI agent Richard Beasley leading prisoner Jon Ponder to Christ in a CNN interview.)
"Real life, real mistakes, real redemption..."
Real life in cinematic format wouldn't make a good comfy church movie either. You don't always get your prayers answered the way you want. The sick protagonist doesn't always save his family, get healed, and ride off into the sunset with the love of his life. The villains survive and the innocent die. Fatherless children cry themselves to sleep at night. This nation is drunk with feel good movies. There's no fear of God anymore. We need a story that resonates deeply with our spirit, that shakes us to the core, that powerfully impacts this nation, and draws away from the murk of lies and back to the heart of God's truth. Our generation needs a timely story that will be an anthem of faith in dark times. Can we trust God when crisis unfolds and our world falls apart? When the rain falls and floods rise?
If we will, we may just walk on water!
It's as one reviewer who read the novel said: "It was real life, real mistakes, real redemption."
If a story is not about redemption, it's hardly a story worth telling.
"The Reliant" is powerfully moving hundreds of film festival-goers, and we can't wait until it moves you! Until then, keep praying for God to use "The Reliant" for His glory. Share our trailer from
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