Rated PG
“Bueller?… Bueller?… Bueller?”
Who can forget Ben Stein as the Economics teacher in Ferris Beuller’s Day Off? Anyone?…Anyone?
Now 22 years later Ben Stein is back and he’s baaaaad to the bone. Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed is a documentary that accomplishes its stated goal- to ‘blow the horn on suppression’.
I know what you’re thinking. Monotone Stein + Documentary + Science stuff = BORING!
And you would be thinking the same thing I did. But nothing could be further from the truth. Premise Media does a stand up job of focusing on compelling sound bytes, intertwining entertaining clips from other films, and showing Stein at his dry and wry best.
The other assumption you might have is that this is simply an anti-evolution and/or pro- intelligent design feature. Nope. This film addresses a much larger issue- which essentially boils down to a systematized attack on a right we hold very dear in this nation- free speech. Yes- he does draw the lines between Darwinian worldview and theism, because that is the battleground where the banner of the 1st amendment is under fire.
I had a chance to have a convo with Expelled’s producers at the pre-screening I attended, and they made it clear that one of the primary targets of this film is young people. They have a passion for getting this critical message across to a generation that’s been brainwashed by Darwinian Dogma and Lucy in the dirt with fossils.
SHOULD STUDENTS SEE IT?
I don’t think middle schoolers in general would hang with this film, but I would definitely put this in the ‘two opposable thumbs up’ category for senior high. Plus it should launch a huge opportunity for follow up for weeks to come.
Conversation Starter
Three Simple Questions (with Answers You May Be Looking for):
- What are some of the messages or themes you observed in this movie?
- How do you suppose we—as serious Christ-followers—should react to this movie?
- How can we move from healthy, Bible-based opinions about this movie to actually living out those opinions?
