I have had quite a number of debates with atheists over the years, but because of this Collision documentary, this last series of debates with Christopher Hitchens has been the first time I have ever been able to review any of the game footage. And the views on the You Tube trailer are well over 23,000, which is fun. I am really excited about this film, for a number of reasons, and so let me talk about it a little bit more here.
First, Darren Doane has many, many active hours and angles to choose from, which means that it will not be a fixed camera or two and some talking heads. And it is plain from what I have seen thus far that the whole thing is being handled with real biblical integrity. Both Christopher and I are being given our clean shots, and nobody is going to be edited into a victory or defeat.
Second, I am really pleased with the general format that is unfolding. I believe that there are many young people, both inside the faith and out, who really need to work through these fundamental issues of life, and who would not do so if the whole thing were too C-Spanny.
And last, some of the blog chatter has revealed a new category of individual to me. Everyone who has ever debated anything at all knows that debates are not like football games where the score is more or less objective. People come expecting their guy to win, and usually depart in the serene conviction that he has done so quite handily. That’s human nature, and the consequent nature of debates. But in all this there has been a handful of Christian folks who have been kinda sorta giving the palm to Christopher for various reasons best known to their mothers, and it gratifies me to know that this documentary will do absolutely nothing to fix any of that. A movie has got to know its limitations.