American Jesus

Actor Larry Fessenden co-produced this fascinating look at peculiar mutations and iterations of Christianity in the modern United States, focusing on strange examples of "American exceptionalism." Specialty churches and ministries target cowboys, bikers, surfers, and even strippers and porn addicts. Evangelicals have arisen from drug dealers, standup comics, snake handlers, indie rockers, and TV's Power Rangers. Billy Talen, who sermonizes against corporate-consumerism with the persona of a fiery preacher—"The Reverend Billy" (subject of more than one documentary all by himself)—appears here, underscoring how religion changed to cope with an increasingly commercial marketplace, grabbing for niche disciples after children stopped automatically adopting their parents' faiths. This is not necessarily a good thing, and filmmaker Aram Garriga's tone grows alarmist at midpoint, as journalists and apostates (chiefly writer-artist-filmmaker Frank Schaeffer Jr., son of a prominent "hippie" theologian) describe how evangelicals baptized themselves as Republican powerbrokers (the legalization of abortion being a motivating catalyst). Now, the charge goes, the WASP religious right promotes guns, science ignorance, Zionism, and military extremism, hell bent on ushering in Armageddon as soon as possible. Authors interviewed besides Schaeffer include David Dark, Jason Boyett, and Mara Einstein. DVD extras include a “making-of” featurette and bonus interviews with more alt-Christians, including Joanne Cash, the C&W pastor-sister of Johnny Cash. Unquestionably biased (conservatives interviewed here only serve to illustrate the main points), this is nevertheless a thought-provoking documentary. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (C. Cassady)