Toledo Faith & Values (ToledoFAVS.com), a website covering religion and spirituality in Northwest Ohio, is set to debut its film series “Faith Under Fire: Documentary Films on Religion’s Hot Topics” on April 6.
David Yonke, editor of ToledoFAVS and Toledo Free Press contributor, will moderate a discussion of the films after each screening and has invited community experts to answer questions at each screening.
Yonke said he got the idea for a film series after the church he attends, Calvary Church, moved to the former Rave Motion Pictures Maumee 18. He said he decided to have discussions after each film because he “wanted to do more than just show a movie.”
The April 6 film “Hitchens v. Blair: Is Religion a Voice for Good?” features a debate between the late Christopher Hitchens, an intellectual and an atheist, and former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Tony Blair, a Christian.
“It was brilliant because you’ve got two really intelligent people with two contrasting views,” Yonke said.
The Rev. Julian Davies, a former atheist and professor and now a pastor of the University Church, and Peg Clancy of the Toledo chapter of Recovering From Religion, will talk after the film.
“Father of Lights: Who is God?” will screen April 13. Darren Wilson, a Monroe, Mich., native, directed the documentary, which explores God’s character.
“Twist of Faith” will follow April 20. This documentary features Toledo firefighter Tony Comes coming to terms with past sexual abuse by a Catholic priest. Comes and Jon Schoonmaker and Claudia Vercellotti of the Toledo chapter of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests are expected to attend the discussion after the film.
The final film in the series is “Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed,” in which Ben Stein explores freedom of speech in academics in regard to intelligent design, on April 27.
Yonke, the former Blade religion editor, said he hopes the film series makes people more aware of ToledoFAVS.
“I still run into people who are wondering what I’m doing,” Yonke said with a chuckle. He added that he’s enjoying running his own website, which launched last summer.
“[ToledoFAVS] really meets a need in the Toledo area. It’s a lot of work but it’s very rewarding,” Yonke said.
Each film screens at 6 p.m. at Calvary Church, 1360 Conant St., Maumee. There is a suggested donation of $10 that goes to ToledoFAVs, a nonprofit. For more information, visit
toledofavs.com.
