RICHMOND, Va. — “Gospel Without Borders,” a documentary film produced by the Baptist Center for Ethics which explores Christian responses to immigration, will be screened Nov. 6 at 1:30 p.m. at the Byrd Theatre in Richmond, Va.
The event is sponsored by the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy.
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The documentary, released last August, was shot in five states and aims to “equip Christian leaders with a needed moral education tool to challenge the negative cultural ethos” regarding immigration in the United States, according to a BCE press release.
“It will help churches debunk myths, rediscover the Bible's moral message and learn compelling
stories about goodwill Christians,” said the release.
The screening is free and open to the public at the theatre, located at 2908 W. Cary St. in the Carytown section of Richmond.
“We can proactively build moral capital or we can be reactive — again — when things heat up and extremists threaten to prevail,” said Robert Parham, executive editor of the BCE and its EthicsDaily.com web imprint, who co-produced and directed the documentary. “We can break the defective tradition of being reactive. We can sever the dreadful trend of taking a stand when the coast is clear and the cost is low.”
Parham said the film does not advocate for a particular public policy position on immigration reform, though it does “call Christians to be faithful to the biblical witness.”
A panel discussion following the Richmond screening will feature Parham; Jim Somerville, pastor of First Baptist Church in Richmond; Claire Gastañaga, a Richmond-based legislative counsel for the Virginia Coalition of Latino Organizations; Rabbi Ben Romer of Congregation Or Ami in Richmond; and Shay Auerbach, pastor of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Richmond.
“Gospel Without Borders” has been screened across the country, including North Carolina, where it was shown in Charlotte, Greensboro and Raleigh. Two additional screenings, sponsored by the Latino Network of Virginia Baptists, are scheduled Nov. 8 during the annual meeting of the Baptist General Association of Virginia.
The documentary was produced with major funding from the United Methodist Foundation of Arkansas.
Additional information about the documentary, including discussion guides, can be found here. A DVD version also is available.