Film Review: Audacity

Written by: Jay Heilman (5/24/15)

Over the years, Ray Comfort and Living Waters have been a huge and needed presence in the evangelical world. Since his groundbreaking series with Kirk Cameron called Way Of The Master, New Zealand born Comfort has become an important figure in the world of Christian documentaries and evangelism. With documentaries like 180, Evolution Vs. God and Noah and the Last Days, and countless books and pamphlets, Comfort has challenged believers in their faith while showing them effective ways of witnessing to the lost for Christ.

So let’s go onto his new film called Audacity, which will most likely be seen by many as the most controversial he’s done, yet at the same time also being a film that can finally bridge the gap of divide between Christians and the LBGT (Lesbian-Bisexual-Gay-Transgender) community. Ray had touched on homosexuality and “gay marriage” briefly in his last docu-movie Noah and the Last Days. When I asked him about Audacity, he told me “I didn’t want to make this film”. The subject matter is one of great debate and probably one of the biggest ‘hot button’ issues believers face today. How, as the church do we deal with homosexuality and “gay marriage”? We live in a country where political correctness has run rampant and in a time where many Christians are afraid to speak out on ‘hot button’ issues such as this. This film could not have came at a better time.

Audacity has an approach similar to the messages found in Ray’s other docu-movies, but unlike the previous ones, this one is portrayed more as a film with documentary footage added. Comfort’s approach to the subject is spot on and is done in a way that I really think can take down some walls of hatred and separation. Peter (who is portrayed by actor Travis Owens) is a bike messenger, but what he truly aspires to be is a comedian. Peter is shy when it comes to the stage, not really having the courage to go in front of people and take a chance with his own jokes. Not only does Peter carry packages back and forth, but he himself was recently saved, something his co-worker Diana doesn’t know – until now. He is determined to share his faith with her (portrayed by Molly Ritter) after having a nightmare. Diana too has a secret that she has been hiding. It turns out that Diana is involved in a relationship with another woman and after hearing that Peter is a Christian, immediately starts on the offensive about God’s view of marriage in the Bible. “Doesn’t the Bible say that homosexuals should be stoned to death? Do you think that?” she asks. Here is where the HUGE difference comes in.

There are many Christians who like to just throw out the scriptures in Leviticus and 1 Corinthians, which I myself have been guilty of many times, but what we truly lack is an effective delivery method in which to help those in the sin (or any sin for that matter) to understand why it is wrong and not feel like they’re being attacked. Like Comfort’s other films, his open-air street preaching is inserted throughout the film, where he asks questions to people on the street, some of whom identify themselves as gays and lesbians. Peter manages to fan the flames long enough to refer Diana to some literature and some on-line videos (featuring Comfort). Diana watches and really thinks about what was presented to her. In the meantime, Peter is on the way to a comedy show with a friend (Ben Price) and stops at a convenient store. While there, a gunman tries to rob the clerk and waves his gun around madly. When he is approached by Peter, he walks up and puts the gun to the head of two gay men who are in the store. Peter speaks up and asks the gunman to spare them and shoot him instead. Thankfully, the standoff ends without anyone getting hurt, except of course for the gun man. Thankful for what Peter has done, the two men invite him to have dinner with them. Reluctant at first, Peter agrees and accompanies them to a local restaurant. There, the men find that Peter is a Christian and immediately one starts to attack Peter with insults and snide remarks on the Bible, homosexuality and “gay marriage”. Instead of going on the offense himself, he instead tries to diffuse the situation by offering them a few tracts and booklets that talk about it. The one man gets angry and storms off, leaving the other behind who stays to ask Peter more questions. It’s the way that Peter approaches the man that makes all the difference.

Diana is put in a situation where she questions herself and everything she believes in. Will the things she read and the videos she watched help lead her to the truth? You have to watch and see for yourself how the story culminates and ends. After watching this film, I thought to myself, “what if I approached this differently?” What if I approached it like Peter had? Since being saved myself, I have been guilty of singling out homosexuality as the “worst sin” while often times ignoring some of the others. Sin is sin to God, and as humans, we tend to see sin as levels from bad to worse. I have a cousin who came out as a homosexual about a decade ago and since then, we have only spoken twice. Neither conversation was good. He attacked me, I lashed back. It didn’t get anywhere. I really felt like I failed him as a believer. He grew up in the church. He knew it was wrong, but I could have been that difference to him and I failed to gain any ground for God.

What I like about Audacity, is it presents witnessing to someone trapped in homosexuality in a way that I never really had thought of before. As Christians, we are all guilty of pointing out the speck in someone else’s eye when we have a plank sticking out of our own. How do we approach it? How do you witness to someone who thinks their lifestyle is perfectly okay with God? That’s why it’s such a hot button issue today. As Christians, we have to be equipped to deal with tough situations. Audacity was a great film and definitely opened my eyes. This film has the potential to ease the tension between Christians and the LBGT community. It really does. Is everyone going to watch this and repent? No. Does it give us hope that someone will watch it and think twice about their life? I sure hope so.

I know God can use a film like Audacity to reach people and make a difference. My own life is a personal testimony to that. I was once a lost hell bound sinner until a young Christian woman came my way and not only told me of Jesus, but explained to me why I needed Him as my Savior. That person was my future wife. She prayed for me. She cared about me and showed me Jesus in a way that no one ever had before.   I hope to pay it forward to someone else someday. Audacity. Available June 24 at audacitymovie.com. Go and buy your download link now. It’s truly worth every penny and you’ll be supporting Living Waters future efforts in sharing the Gospel of Jesus with the world.