“God Loves Uganda,” but Its Director Doesn’t Love Me

Oh, boy, does he not.

HERE is the Christianity Today version of the remarks I made at Vancouver’s DOXA film festival.

HERE is Roger Ross Williams’s response to it via the Huffington Post (about half-way down).

HERE is my reply, RRW’s riposte, and my rejoinder. (I have now written an e-mail to the DOXA executive who, RRW says, complained to CT about me. At this point, I’m checking to see if the remarks attributed to her are in fact what she wrote. Thus I’m keeping that part of the conversation private, at least for now.)

I put this out here because this poorly made film is being shown by institutions that ought to know what they are in for: propaganda, not serious, disciplined documentary. In fact, RRW has made a point of citing the warm reception he has received at certain notable evangelical schools as if that proves my criticisms are wildly off the mark. Well, I’m pretty sure I know what I’m talking about here, and he may well be mistaking Christian hospitality for endorsement of his work. I hope that’s what has happened at these schools, and not instead a soft-pedaling of disagreement when what he does in this film is actually egregious.

So caveat emptor: This film doesn’t do what it ought to do, and not what you think it might be doing if you’re considering booking it. Show it, sure, but be prepared to have a long, searching conversation about what it says and how it says it. The sober truth it certainly ain’t.