An Evangelical Minister Questions Whether Being Pro-Gun Is Consistent With Being Pro-Life
Abigail Disney, Director, The Armor of Light & Reverend Rob Schenck, Subject of the documentary
(San Francisco, CA, Monday, May 2, 2016) – The Armor of Light follows the journey of Evangelical minister Rob Schenck, who is trying to find the courage to preach about the growing toll of gun violence in America. The film tracks Reverend Schenck, a well-known anti-abortion activist and fixture on the political far right, as he breaks with orthodoxy by questioning whether being pro-gun is consistent with being pro-life. Rev. Schenck is shocked and perplexed by the reactions of his long-time friends and colleagues who warn him away from this complex, politically-explosive issue.
Along the way, he meets Lucy McBath, the mother of Jordan Davis, an unarmed teenager who was murdered in Florida and whose story casts a spotlight on the state’s “Stand Your Ground” laws. McBath, also a devout Christian, decides to work with Schenck. Lucy is on a difficult journey of her own, trying to make sense of her devastating loss while using her grief to effect some kind of viable and effective political action where so many before her have failed.
The Armor of Light premieres on Independent Lens Tuesday, May 10, 2016, 8:00-9:30 p.m. ET (check local listings) on PBS. The broadcast will be followed by a PBS Town Hall conversation.
The Armor of Light follows these allies through their trials of conscience, heartbreak and rejection, as they bravely attempt to make others consider America’s gun culture through a moral lens. The film is also a courageous look at our fractured political culture and an assertion that it is, indeed, possible for people to come together across deep party lines to find common ground.
About the Interviewees:
Abigail E. Disney (Director) is a filmmaker, philanthropist, and the CEO and president of Fork Films. Disney’s longtime passion for women’s issues and peace building culminated in producing her first film, Pray the Devil Back to Hell (winner, Best Documentary Feature, Tribeca Film Festival 2008). She then executive produced the five-part PBS series Women, War & Peace. Her executive producing and producing credits include Fork Films supported films 1971, Citizen Koch, Family Affair, Hot Girls Wanted, The Invisible War (2012 Academy Award nominee, Best Documentary Feature), Return and Sun Come Up (2011 Academy Award nominee, Best Documentary Short). Her most recent projects include Fork Films original productions The Trials of Spring, which she executive produced, and The Armor of Light, her directorial debut. Disney is also the founder and president of Peace is Loud, a nonprofit organization that uses media and live events to highlight the stories of women who are stepping up for peace and resisting violence in their communities.
The Reverend Dr. Rob Schenck is an ordained Evangelical minister and president of Faith and Action in the Nation’s Capital, located in Washington, DC. A leader among American Evangelicals, Dr. Schenck is serving his second two-year term as chairman of the Evangelical Church Alliance, America’s oldest association of independent Evangelical clergy.