Contact: Stan Cleiland, Vice President, Community Relations and Strategic Communications
(904) 358-6366 • scleiland@wjct.org
For Immediate Release
WJCT Presents Special Screening & Panel Discussion of Independent Lens’ The Armor of Light, An Exploration of Faith To Fight Gun Violence
Documentary and Panel Feature Lucy McBath, Mother of Shooting Victim Jordan Davis
(Jacksonville, FL, April 7, 2016); Join WJCT on April 26 at 6pm for a special evening featuring a screening of Independent Lens’ The Armor of Light, a documentary film exploring the complexity of religious convictions and the fight against gun violence. Following the screening there will be a discussion of the film featuring panelists including Lucy McBath, national spokesperson of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America and the mother of Jordan Davis, and Marc Crawford, a SWAT officer, gang detective, M.A. in Religion from Liberty Theological Seminary and student in the Masters of Divinity program at Gordon-Cornwell Theological Seminary. The event is free, but reservations are required. CLICK HERE to register your attendance.
The Armor of Light follows the journey of Evangelical minister Rob Schenck, who is trying to find the courage to preach about the growing toll of gun violence in America. The film tracks Reverend Schenck, a well-known anti-abortion activist and fixture on the political far right, as he breaks with orthodoxy by questioning whether being pro-gun is consistent with being pro-life. Rev. Schenck is shocked and perplexed by the reactions of his long-time friends and colleagues who warn him away from this complex, politically explosive issue. Along the way, he meets Lucy McBath, the mother of Jordan Davis, an unarmed teenager who was murdered in Florida and whose story cast a spotlight on the state’s “Stand Your Ground” laws. McBath, also a devout Christian, decides to work with Schenck even though she is pro-choice. Lucy is on a difficult journey of her own, trying to make sense of her devastating loss while using her grief to effect some kind of viable and effective political action where so many before her have failed.
The Armor of Light follows these allies through their trials of conscience, heartbreak and rejection, as they bravely attempt to make others consider America’s gun culture through a moral lens. The film is also a courageous look at our fractured political culture and an assertion that it is, indeed, possible for people to come together across deep party lines to find common ground. Independent Lens’ The Armor of Light broadcasts Tuesday, May 10 at 8pm on WJCT Public Television.
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