A STUDYGUIDE BY MARGUERITE O’HARA www.metromagazine.com.au www.theeducationshop.com.au ANDREW DENTON TALKING TO THE MASCOT FROM ‘BANANAs’ CHRISTIAN TELEVISION PROGRAM ‘If God be for us, who can be against us?’ Romans 8:31 Introduction Andrew Denton, best known in Australia for his award-winning ABC Television interview program Enough Rope, went with a film crew to the 63rd National Religious Broadcasters Convention in Dallas, Texas in 2006. Over four days they filmed some of the proceedings and Denton interviewed a number of the 6000 delegates. n God on my Side (Anita Jacoby, about their beliefs and experiences. Denton focuses on the foot soldiers 2006) Denton questions some of of Christianity, the everyday believ- Ithe mainly evangelical, fundamen- Seventy million Americans are born ers running booths on the exhibition talist Christians, about the origins of again Christians. A highly organized, floor or workshops in the surrounding their personal faith and how this faith politicized and motivated bloc, they rooms. He takes people as he finds affects their view of the world, their provide more than forty per cent of them, allowing his interviewees room country and their President, George President Bush’s vote. As Moral Major- to express themselves freely, to have W. Bush. ity founder Jerry Falwell put it, ‘The their ideas and views heard. Republican Party does not have the The film is about faith and the places head count to elect a president without What he found was a multiplicity of it can take people. More than 6000 the support of religious conservatives.’ views. No single person could be said Christian communicators gathered The NRB (National Religious Broadcast- to represent all the opinions expressed at the Gaylord Convention Centre to ers) provide key access to this con- during the convention. But there were discuss how best to spread the word stituency. With 350 television and 750 themes and ideas that pushed them- of God in this new century, and how to radio stations among its members, and selves forward, particularly around the take advantage of opportunities pre- an estimated audience of 141 million issues of Jesus’ imminent return to sented by the explosion of new media Americans, the NRB knows it has a earth and the relationship between this technologies and audiences. powerful voice in the United States. event and the future of Israel. This feature-length documentary Its members not only speak to the God On My Side is Andrew Denton’s records what Denton found. By turns heartland of President Bush’s America, first feature-length documentary. If the serious and comic and sometimes a they are the heartland of President world really is dividing into a clash of SCREEN EDUCATION little disturbing, it examines the cutting Bush’s America. Denton looks at this civilizations, then the film raises ques- edge of evangelical technology, the heartland up close, at who these peo- tions about absolutism in any guise, business of God, the America of the ple are and the journeys that brought about the danger in man’s ability to religious right, and what the inescap- them to their faith. He asks them put his hand on a book, any book, and able truths of the Bible mean for US about what sort of America they would say, ‘This is the truth, the only truth’. foreign policy and the Middle East. like to see and what their faith tells Denton asks a range of Christians them about the future of mankind. 2 PaSTOR DOUG BATCHELOR BRIAN GODAWA, OF THE AMAZING FaCTS SCRIPTWRITER OF TO MINISTRY END ALL WARS ALL PHOTOS THIS PAGE TAKEN AT THE 2006 NATIONAL RELIGIOUS BROADCAsters’ CONVENTION IN TEXAS COLEMAN MCDUFF OF JENNIFER O’NEILL, THE TEXAN MCDUFF AN ACTRESS AND BROTHERS MINISTRY AUTHOR Curriculum Relevance This documentary will be of interest to senior and tertiary students and teachers of: • Politics and Society 2. The ways in which people are view of the issues it raises, and • Religious Studies able to market ideas and beliefs what this might mean. • Civics and Citizenship through the mass media, particu- • SOSE (HSIE) larly television and film. The student activities become in- • English 3. How the language used to discuss creasingly demanding from Activity 1 • Media Studies religious issues can be used in through to Activity 5. Depending on in- • International Relations both positive and negative ways. terest level and ability Activities 1 and SCREEN EDUCATION • Marketing Studies 4. The similar and different ways in 2 may be enough for some groups. which religion and politics may be Others may like to explore some of the This guide encourages students to connected in Australian society. more complex questions raised later in look at: 5. Whether a documentary film about the guide. 1. How Denton presents the people he political and religious issues can or talks to at the American convention. should present a fair and balanced 3 THE MCDUFF BROTHERS OF THE TEXAN MCDUFF BROTHERS MINISTRY AT THE 2006 NATIONAL RELIGIOUS BROADCAsters’ CONVENTION IN TEXAS Glossary of terms and battle for one's faith. Fundamental- • Billy Graham – leader of an Evan- organizations ists make up only one part of any gelistic Association. Both Graham religion's followers, who usually fall and now his son Franklin travel the Several words and terms used in both along a wide spectrum of different world, conducting mass religious the documentary and in this guide are interpretations, values and beliefs. rallies where they invite people to subject to a range of definitions. De- There are fundamentalists in most come forward and commit to a scribing and defining religious beliefs major religious organizations, new life in Christ. Graham brought and approaches is often contentious. including Christianity, Islam and his crusades to Australia on sev- Judaism. eral occasions in the 1950s and • Evangelism: http://www.gsanetwork.org/ 1960s and son Franklin preached 1. Zealous preaching and advo- justiceforall/definitions.htm in Melbourne in 2005. cacy of religious beliefs. *More information about Ameri- 2. Converting others to your can Christian fundamentalism is • Revelations – final book of the New cause or belief. provided later in this guide Testament in The Bible, describing 3. ‘A set of intentional activities visions shown to the apostle John which is governed by the goal • Proselytizing – to attempt to about the end of the world. Many of initiating people into the convert another person to your fundamentalist Christians believe Kingdom of God for the first particular set of beliefs it foretells the imminent end of the time’. (Dr. William Abraham, world. British theologian who has • Televangelists – ministers of reli- written about evangelism, his gion, usually protestant Christians, • Armageddon – a climactic battle ideas can be further explored who devote their time to televi- between good and evil signifying at http://www.evangelism. sion broadcasting to reach mass the end of the world; described in gfmuiuc.org/definition/) audiences. Their image has been Revelations. As the third of these definitions tarnished by numerous sexual and implies, some people believe that financial scandals. Better known • NRB – acronym for the National all religious belief is by nature televangelists include Jim and Religious Broadcasters’ Associa- ‘evangelical’ as it offers good news Tammy Bakker, Jimmy Swaggart tion. An association of Christian it wants to share with others. and John Hagee. communities that foster electronic media access for the gospel. SCREEN EDUCATION • Fundamentalism*: • Moral Majority – a conservative The belief in absolute religious Christian political action group, • National Convention of the NRB authority and the demand that prominent in the 1980s in America. – ‘an active marketplace for those this religious authority be legally Jerry Falwell, a televangelist, was seeking tools and services to ex- enforced. Often, fundamental- its public face. pand their ministries.’ http://www. ism involves the willingness to do nrb.org 4 ANDREW DENTON AT THE 2006 NATIONAL RELIGIOUS BROADCAsters’ CONVENTION IN TEXAS The filmmakers Andrew Denton – Executive producer, presenter and writer of God On My Side. Denton has worked as a writer, actor, radio presenter and television presenter and producer since 1988 when he first came to public attention with Blah, Blah, Blah. Since then he has written, presented and produced numerous comedy shows and documentaries including a program about teenagers dealing with cancer – The Topic of Cancer. He is probably best known for his award-winning interview program, Enough Rope. Denton was also Executive Producer of the satirical television series CNNNN and David Tench Tonight. SCREEN EDUCATION Anita Jacoby – Executive producer, location producer and director. Jacoby is the executive producer of Enough Rope and David Tench Tonight. She has worked on 60 Minutes, Sunday and many other programs and documentaries. Jon Casimir – Writer and producer. Has worked as a reporter, critic and editor for The Sydney Morning Herald. 5 JENNIFER O’NEILL, AN ACTRESS AND AUTHOR SIGNING COPIES OF HER BOOK SURVIVING MYSELF Activities Student Activity 1 abortion and euthanasia? viduals in the film to each group as 10. What are people referring to when there are many people interviewed Before watching the film they use the term a clash of civili- and perspectives presented in this zations? film. Parts of each person’s interview 1. How are religion and politics con- 11. How do you respond to the propo- responses are intercut throughout the nected in the world? sition that in democratic societies, film. The first one has been done for 2. Should religion and politics ever both individuals and groups of like- you to provide a guide. mix? minded individuals should be able 3. Do you think there is any con- to lobby governments to affect It is only when you have a sense nection between religious beliefs political change? of what is said and by whom, that and nationalism? If so, give some you can move on to considering the examples.