This is the first in a series of four case stories we researched while developing Prenups for Filmmakers and Faith Rooted Partners, commissioned by our friends at Hartley Media Impact Initiative at Auburn Seminary. Customized from our original model, these Prenups draw deeply on the candor and analysis of directors, clergy, impact producers, faith-based groups, funders, and others (sometimes unusual bedfellows) that brought together a controversial evangelical leader and a philanthropist/filmmaker. We are grateful to everyone — quoted or behind the scenes — who shared their wisdom with us.
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In a gripping portrait of courage, director Abigail E. Disney follows the journey of an evangelical minister trying to find the moral strength to preach about the growing toll of gun violence in America. The Armor of Light tracks Reverend Rob Schenck, anti-abortion activist and fixture on the political far-right, who breaks with orthodoxy by questioning whether being pro-gun is consistent with being pro-life. Reverend 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, Rev. Schenck meets Lucy McBath, the mother of Jordan Davis, an unarmed teenager who was murdered in Florida and whose story has cast a spotlight on “Stand Your Ground” laws. Also an evangelical Christian, McBath’s personal testimony compels Rev. Schenck to reach out to pastors around the country to discuss the moral and ethical response to gun violence. Lucy is on a difficult journey of her own, trying to make sense of her devastating loss while using her grief to spark effective political action—where so many before her have failed.
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.
The Armor of Light on Independent Lens
The nonprofit organization Peace is Loud conducted the Armor of Light campaign fee-for-service. Designed and implemented by a five-person team, the campaign ran for two years with a total budget of $750,000.
2015: Theatrical release
2016: National PBS broadcast
2016: Faith leader outreach, community screenings, digital platform
Director, philanthropist and human rights advocate Abigail Disney made the film because she wanted to contribute to “a lasting movement where an evangelical base (church laity and leadership) transformed the gun debate from political to theological and moral.” A seasoned producer and supporter of independent documentaries, she felt that an evangelical leader’s own words and experiences would reach people in ways that shrill arguments never could.
The team sought to reframe gun violence from a constitutional, NRA-led issue to a pro-life, Christian spiritual crisis by:
-Propelling a conservative leader from their own pro-life, faith community to be the messenger and mobilizer.
-Engaging grassroots and faith-rooted organizations in targeted states to join together to advocate for better solutions to gun violence.
Ordained evangelical minister, former anti-abortion activist, and spokesperson for the Christian right, Rob Schenck has pivoted personally and publicly in the past few years. He now heads the Dietrich Bonhoeffer Institute, which focuses on ethical reflection, has written a confessional book about his reactionary past, and is among a very few evangelicals who speak out against Donald Trump. (This new trajectory accelerated when he got involved with The Armor of Light.) “Initially, I didn’t think a lot about the finished product, but rather the process,” he notes. In other words, the very act of arranging these deliberate conversations was important.
Reverend Schenck wanted to:
-Engage evangelicals in discussions related to gun access, gun ownership, gun use, and gun violence in a moral context.
-Model, among pastors and the community, a healthy process for investigation and debate.
Abigail and Rob had several one-on-one meetings to get to know each other, define their respective values, and discuss their motives for working together on a documentary that wasn’t “scripted.” He was used to being defensive around media makers. One of her first questions was: how can you be pro-life and pro-gun?
Rob took time to consider the pros and cons of agreeing to appear in a film over which he had no control. He asked others: “Am I being set up for something?” But Abigail’s transparency about her politics (progressive) and her goals (to question the pro-life and pro-gun dichotomy) won him over. Her demeanor and attitude convinced him that “I’m not being used as a prop.” Rob had recently been in therapy. He asked himself: “How could it do any harm to look at this honestly and transparently?”
Rob’s reputation and access to conservative Christian communities made it possible to set up one-on-one (or one-on-two, if Abigail joined) meetings or dinners, especially in rural communities. The conversations with these Christian influencers helped Rob and Abigail understand the complexity of people’s experiences, and to listen deeply to their responses to the moral questions Rob was asking about gun culture. They didn’t even talk about the possibility of a film at this point. These conservative Christians trusted Rob, and Rob trusted Abigail. (Rob admits that when he approached these skeptics, the Disney name opened doors). This level of trust and relationship-building eventually enabled Abigail to capture emotional conversations among Rob and gun advocates — unprecedented in documentaries on the topic.
“I was skeptical throughout production. I thought, if this is just about me and Lucy, this will be a yawner. But…it was mesmerizing.” – Rev. Rob Schenck
At first, Rob wasn’t even sure that the film would be helpful to evangelicals. He had no role in shaping or editing the documentary. “I was skeptical throughout production,” he admitted. “I thought, if this is just about me and Lucy, this will be a yawner.” And until he was invited to watch the first rough cut, he wondered if Abigail, an unapologetic social activist, could ever produce a film that would resonate with evangelicals. “But she did. It was mesmerizing.”
As they both wanted to have a film that could reach and prompt dialogue among a range of audiences, they worked together to design the impact campaign. Rob is steeped in the nuances, Biblical references, language, and issues that would likely come up among evangelicals. Abigail and Peace is Loud had deep experience in the use of documentaries as catalysts for engagement around complex issues.
They tested their discussion prompts, screening design, and other resources with two or three “pilot” congregations, and adjusted accordingly.
Through their communications planning, they helped people in the film leverage it effectively in their own communities, and prepare for potential backlash. Importantly, both Abigail and Rob acknowledge how they were each transformed by working together. Rob still receives invitations to be on panels after group screenings — often Jewish gatherings — and continues to encourage people to watch The Armor of Light on Netflix.
“A vital colloquy on whether we shape our lives through fear or with love…The unlikely allies shine a burning light on questions that go to the essence of who we are and what it means to value life.” – Sheri Linden, Los Angeles Times
Rob googled Abigail when he received an initial introduction to the project, and of course, they met several times in person. But to understand more about her approach Rob watched one of her previous films, which opened up practical discussions between the two about style, intent, and expertise.
They put their respective beliefs on the front burner. Abigail acknowledged her deeply Catholic upbringing and the conservatism that famously ran in her family. Rob’s spiritual journey was already published, but he spoke from the heart to the Peace is Loud team about his Jewish origins and his vulnerabilities. Stephanie Palumbo, a self-defined Jewish agnostic, acknowledged that under other circumstances, “We might have viewed each other as the enemy.” Their candor and intimacy set the tone for a right relationship.
Abigail and her team kept Rob informed of their progress throughout and after production. And as the impact work advanced, Rob wrote and reviewed materials and participated in a messaging workshop to identify relevant Bible passages to counter NRA talking points.
From a PBS Town Hall: Rev. Schenck and a panel of Christian leaders and pro-life activists from all sides of the gun debate discuss the film and the moral questions of guns in America.
Peace is Loud knew that to meaningfully engage the conservative community, they needed evangelical leaders to help shape and implement the campaign. This included support for additional partnerships, crafting their strategy, and talking and writing about the film in ways that would be credible and resonant. For example, Stephanie noted, the way evangelicals distinguish between “Paulian epistles” and “letters” mattered. Rob recommended a consultant, who as Stephanie noted, “was an evangelical Christian and crucial to the campaign’s success.”
“We surpassed our goal of 25 national pastor endorsements. But collaborating with five pastors actively working with their congregations could have been more influential” – Stephanie Palumbo, Outreach Director
“We aimed too big sometimes,“ Stephanie acknowledges. “We surpassed our goal of 25 national pastor endorsements. But collaborating with five pastors actively working with their congregations could have been more influential” than one-off events with some of the larger interfaith networks. This is pragmatic, tactical thinking: fewer partners in close proximity could have jumpstarted more sustainable action because they could meet more often and build deeper bonds. There were considerations over backlash as well: “If they received pressure from pro-gun evangelicals in the future,” speculated Stephanie, “they’d be more likely to stand strong together.”
Peace is Loud has the benefit of financial resources, recognition, and experience. They channel this privilege into an ongoing assessment of their practice by asking questions and applying their learning to future projects. The question of scale, above, is a good example. For example, “Instead of volume, should we have created a support network for faith leaders who decided to step out and take the risk with the film?” This kind of interrogation — ideally in collaboration with partners — helps advance the field of social justice fueled by film.
How much time does each party anticipate spending on the partnership, on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis?
What are the best methods of communication – emails, texts, phone calls, in-person meetings? How often should they occur?
What will we do if complications arise? For instance, if we’re attacked in the press or by opposing forces? How will we respond if there’s an unexpected development in the work or issue at large?
Where are the areas of synchronicity and difference between our teams? Rather than shy away from the differences, identifying them upfront as places where we diverge helped us navigate sensitive situations and return to the spaces where we found common ground.
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