What would you do if you believed God was telling you to write, finance, produce, and direct the “best movie ever made,” and that in the process you’d build a studio that would churn out dozens of productions each year and transform the nature of mass entertainment?

Well, I know what I’d do; but I’m not Tyler Perry—and Audience of One is about neither me nor Perry.  It’s about Richard Gazowsky, a San Francisco pastor who, prior to his calling, knew absolutely nothing about the business of filmmaking.  Now, at least, he knows what he didn’t know several years ago, if not a lot more.

Somehow, documentarian Michael Jacobs got wind of Gazowsky’s crackpot vision early enough to be on hand with his cameras and mics as Gazowsky pep-talked his family and congregation into supporting his vision, eventually booking a several-day shoot in Italy for principal photography of Gravity—a sci-fi retelling of the biblical story of Joseph—and leasing a soundstage for second-unit work and postproduction. And Jacobs was still on hand when, after more than a year, the plug gets pulled on the production.

I first ran across Gazowsky’s story in a Christianity Today sidebar, as I recall, and looked forward to hearing about whether he’d succeeded in making his film—so I jumped at the chance, a year ago, to get a look at Jacobs’ finished documentary as it hit the festival circuit.  I interviewed Jacobs at the time, and did what I could to help get the word out about his film… and am now glad to report that the film is available on DVD.

While it’s true that watching Gazowsky can be painful at times, this is no cheap shot from a liberal filmmaker looking to skewer people of faith.  Like far too many over-confident, egotistical pastors, Gazowky is perfectly capable of making himself look foolish, and I wholly believe Jacobs’ assertions that he treated his subject with kid gloves.  Jacobs, after all, is a faith-respecting Jewish-raised agnostic who genuinely likes Gazowsky and his congregation, and finds their charismatic style of worship appealing.

In fact, anyone who’s spent much time around church boards, presbyteries, synods, or diets knows full well that Gazowsky is one of two things: a true prophet whose vision is so pure it simply looks insane to mere mortals; or a man whose cloistered, ivory-tower pursuit of God has caused him to lose touch with reality.  The odds are, sadly, the latter.

This portrait of Gazowsky is not just entertaining, however—though it is that, too.  No, it’s also instructive.  By studying Gazowsky and reflecting his image back on our own lives, we can ask ourselves worthwhile questions.  How do we discern the voice of God?  Once we’re satisfied we’ve heard it, how do we know how to interpret it?  What role does common sense play in missions like Noah’s, Abraham’s, or Gazowsky’s?  What wisdom can we glean from Hebrews 11, which tells us that the promises laid out for the heroes of the faith were never approached in their own lifetime?

Gazowsky, like so many of the Church’s leaders, is to be commended for his “God will provide” attitude; but there’s also something to be said for studying the craft before running off to make a multi-million dollar motion picture… and learning a thing or two about financing and full-disclosure wouldn’t hurt, either. If Gazowsky ever manages to pull together Gravity: The Shadow of Joseph, it’ll be a miracle for sure—and God will get all the credit.  But nobody will ever mistake Gazowsky for a film genius, and he’s probably perfectly happy with that.

Jacobs, on the other hand, is to be commended for treating a dicey subject with tact and delicacy.  In other hands, the film could have come off as either mean-spirited or fawning—think, perhaps, of Bill Maher or Paul Crouch backing the effort—but Jacobs walks a fine ethical line, befriending Gazowsky’s crew enough to gain their trust, but not getting so close that he loses his objectivity.

If you’re interested in a maddening and sometimes shocking look at what’s either best—or worst—about Christianity, pick up a copy of Audience of One on DVD… or track it down as it makes a theatrical tour around the country this spring.  I highly recommend it.

Audience of One is unrated, but I don’t recall much of concern beyond a salty word or two.  But this isn’t a film that younger kids will stick with—and if you watch it with your teens, you’d best be prepared to answer some very difficult questions.

Courtesy of the filmmaker, Greg screened a promotional DVD of Audience of One.