In Alexandra Pelosi's new documentary, Friends of God: A Road Trip With Alexandra Pelosi, the evangelical church is presented as a tightly knit group of Americans who view the world in absolutes. Homosexuality is not an option. Evolution is not a reality. And the word of God is absolutely unchallengeable. But this community of believers is not just passionate — they are also intensely focused, impressively organized and highly mobilized. And they're out to change America.

“You can't make a movie about evangelicals without mentioning their relationship to politics, because that's what makes them a force,” said Pelosi, a filmmaker best known for her documentaries Journeys With George, about George W. Bush, and Diary of a Political Tourist, about Democratic presidential candidates. Pelosi herself is the daughter of Democratic Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California, the newly sworn-in Speaker of the House.

“I mean, you could do a documentary about windsurfing, but who cares?” Pelosi continued. “What matters is the outcome: They want to change the country, and that's what makes them relevant. That's what makes them important. You can't ignore them.”

Filmed as a road trip through the red states, Friends of God delivers an unprecedented look into just how strongly members of the evangelical movement (many of whom are led by the outspoken Jerry Falwell) feel about their duty to change the American political and cultural landscape. And for gay Americans — whose rights the evangelicals seek to obliterate — this is quite an alarming wake-up call. Evangelicals meet regularly to campaign against gay marriage and gay rights, which, despite pressing concerns like the war in Iraq and global warming, continues to be one of their most important issues.

“To them … the only political action in the Bible is abortion and gay marriage, and that's it,” Pelosi said. “And then the next thing down is evolution. I mean, the Bible doesn't talk about Iraq. And maybe I'm cynical, but I would say it's because there's no political power in that. The leaders of the movement aren't going to gain political traction by talking about the war in Iraq.”

But exactly what is it about gay marriage that terrifies them? “It's the fear of the unknown,” Pelosi said. “You know they know gay people, but they don't think they do. They think that gay people are in New York and San Francisco. There are obviously gay people in their churches, but they're not out. And that's why these issues work at election time: People are afraid. …‘If gays get married and have children, it's going to destroy my family.'”

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