Celebrating Faith The ­Hoosier Way

Tracing the history of religion in Indiana, Celebrating Faith the Hoosier Way combines interviews with area professors and rare photos to explore the rise of Roman Catholicism and various Protestant sects during the 19th century. The most interesting segments of this rather slow video look at the phenomenon of the religious "circuit riders"--traveling preachers who tended to their far flung flocks on a 30, 60, or 90 day cycle--and revivalists, such as baseball player turned preacher Billy Sunday. But for the most part, the video jumps from topic to topic, pointing out some of the areas where religion has had an influence (the founding of many of Indiana's universities, for example), but never really exploring what that influence might mean. The program concludes by shifting from documentary mode to preaching mode, exhorting viewers to discover the one good book (i.e. the Bible). A hodgepodge of history and televangelism, Celebrating Faith the Hoosier Way may have some regional appeal, but is otherwise not recommended. (Available from: Threshold Marketing, 8418 Scarsdale Dr., Indianapolis, IN 46256; (317) 845-1945.)