"For the Bible Tells Me So" Review

One of the phrases that repeatedly pops up in discussions of Daniel Karslake's gays and scripture documentary For the Bible Tells Me So is "preaching to the choir." There are two reasons for this. One, film critics are notoriously weak when it comes to bad puns. (Yes, Gene Shalit, I'm talking to you.) And two, there is often a preconception that people simply will not watch a movie dealing with a topic that they don't already agree with or have a vested interest in.

Even if this is the case here, it doesn't make For the Bible Tells Me So any less powerful or worthwhile. In this brisk 90-minute documentary, Karslake explores the intersections of faith and homosexuality through several distinct approaches and the result has the power to inspire anyone ... whether they sing in the choir or not.

The movie operates on several different levels. The film's journalistic sensibility is clear from the opening image of anti-gay spearhead Anita Bryant taking a pie to the face, which instantly places the discussion into a context of social and political history. For a theological perspective, it consults scripture scholars and holy personages ranging all the way up to Archbishop Desmond Tutu who weigh in with their beliefs that the Bible in no way encourages Christians to be intolerant or cruel to gays.

And on the emotional level, five deeply devout families share the experience of learning that they have a gay child, and how they came to varying degrees of resolution regarding faith and sexuality.

Individual viewers will respond to the varied approaches differently, but it's hard to imagine that anyone could walk away from the film not moved or informed in some way, even if it is simply to be reminded of the horrible pain that the rift between sexuality and faith can cause gay people and their families.

The segments on interpretation of the scripture are in the end just that: interpretation, which, of course, can be dismissed or challenged. But it's a side of the argument that rarely sees the light of day and is invaluable to gay people who have never seen well-regarded religious people challenge claims that homosexuality is an offense to God. This is true of almost every gay person since most of us have heard religious bigotry used against us, but it is particularly true for gay people who were raised in faith communities from which they have since distanced themselves.

Too often the only side of the argument widely seen is that of the teeth-gnashing evangelists and the lunatics who invoke God's name as they protest the funerals of hate-crime victims, or blame gays for causing wars or terrorist attacks. Even as someone raised in a Catholic community who had very few negative encounters with the devout faithful, I was pleasantly surprised at the number of clergymen and scripture scholars who come forward on film to encourage a gay-inclusive reading of the Bible ... and not just because it's humane, but because it's simply what scriptural context suggests.

The suggestion that Biblical fundamentalism is a 20th-century invention and that millionaire evangelists are primarily responsible for furthering the movement will no doubt hook those with a taste for social history. Segments devoted to the toxic gospels of Falwell, Swaggart, Bryant and Dobson are a reminder of how vocal and how vicious these men are (Swaggart at one point advocates murdering gay men — and then lying to God about it — to what seems to be an audience of thousands).

And the infamous pie-in-the-face to Anita Bryant, which starts the film off with a fruity bang, will spark spirited conversation between those who see it as a misstep in the gay rights fight and those who will proclaim the clip required holiday viewing in their households.

These segments are concise and well researched, and demonstrate an impressive level of access and breadth of support from the theological community. But all the scripture scholars in the world can’t match the emotional punch of the five family stories that weave throughout the film.