There is a new documentary that is sure to cause waves in the world of Christianity. Just as some of the debate over George Barna’s book Revolution is about to settle down, it is as if someone has thrown a giant boulder into the water to cause waves in the same measure of thought and reasoning as the Barna book. These waves support, in part, the premise of Barna’s book—a premise that many in Christian circles (especially the “organized,” “established,” and “traditional” church) will take issue with.

Rebellion of Thought does more than cause waves, though. It takes us to an understanding of Post-modernism, giving credit to the struggle of people to reconcile the teachings of Christ with what the church has become. In an intelligent, academic, intellectual, moving, and entertaining way, the documentary takes us beyond a point of just looking at church—what that is or should be. It causes us to think and struggle with the concept of where those involved in church are to go now.

Exploration Films and The Brothers Williamson, Kent and Brad, have done an incredible job putting this documentary together. While I am hesitant to mention this as a “Christian” company, I am pleased to say that the quality of filmmaking—the editing, sound, and so much more—is a thing of beauty. I have to admit, I love the documentary form. (I never really quite realized this until looking at my recommendations on NetFlix. But it didn’t take long to see that, yes, for some time now, I have loved this form of filmmaking when done well.) I have also seen many Christian-themed presentations in the past that seemed preachy, poorly done, and so forth. So it was with some reluctance that I viewed Rebellion of Thought. But, let me tell you, I am glad I did. Academy Award Documentary Winner Paul Wagner stated this film was, “Visually and intellectually rich… Exciting and provocative… it will make big waves in the world of faith and spirituality!” While I am often hesitant to give credence to promotional material, I found myself agreeing with these comments.

In my discussion with filmmakers Kent and Brad Williamson recently, I freely admitted that I first thought this documentary (which explores Post-modernism) was somewhat academic, even running the risk of going over my head. There were wonderful interviews that explored the origins of Post-modern thought, but the initial academic style was more like school than a film. This was necessary, though. We needed to understand that Post-modernism is a concept we have heard a great deal about over the years, and it is a form of thought and philosophy that has greatly impacted our society. So the beginning of the film is filled with the language of academia. Various professors from fields such as philosophy, religion, media, communications, and more talk about the role Post-modernism has played on Western culture. I have to admit, if the documentary had stayed there, I and many others may have gotten lost. What transpires before our eyes, though, is one of the beautiful things about documentary filmmaking.

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