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Arts & Culture

INDEPENDENT LENS: The Armor Of Light

Rev. Rob Schenck, an Evangelical minister who questions whether being pro-gun is consistent with being pro-life.
Courtesy of Jeff Hutchens
Rev. Rob Schenck, an Evangelical minister who questions whether being pro-gun is consistent with being pro-life.

Airs Tuesday, May 10, 2016 at 8 p.m. on KPBS TV

“The Armor Of Light” follows the journey of Evangelical minister Rob Schenck, who is trying to find the courage to preach about the growing toll of gun violence in America. The film tracks Reverend Schenck, a well-known anti-abortion activist and fixture on the political far right, as he breaks with orthodoxy by questioning whether being pro-gun is consistent with being pro-life. Rev. Schenck is shocked and perplexed by the reactions of his long-time friends and colleagues who warn him away from this complex, politically-explosive issue.

Armed in America Town Hall

Join PBS for Armed in America, a special two night event examining the nation’s gun violence epidemic. Watch new documentary films "Peace Officer" (Monday, May 9 at 9 p.m.) and "The Armor of Light" (Tuesday, May 10 at 8 p.m.) – followed by special town hall discussions hosted by NPR’s Michel Martin.

Rev. Rob Schenck and Lucy McBath, whose unarmed teenaged son was shot and killed.
Courtesy of Jeff Hutchens
Rev. Rob Schenck and Lucy McBath, whose unarmed teenaged son was shot and killed.
Director Abigail Disney and Lucy McBath.
Courtesy of Eva Anisko
Director Abigail Disney and Lucy McBath.

Along the way, he meets Lucy McBath, the mother of Jordan Davis, an unarmed teenager who was murdered in Florida and whose story casts a spotlight on the state’s “Stand Your Ground” laws. McBath, also a devout Christian, decides to work with Schenck. Lucy is on a difficult journey of her own, trying to make sense of her devastating loss while using her grief to effect some kind of viable and effective political action where so many before her have failed.

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The directorial debut of award-winning producer Abigail Disney (“Pray the Devil Back to Hell”; WOMEN, WAR & PEACE), and produced and co-directed by Kathleen Hughes, “The Armor Of Light” premieres on INDEPENDENT LENS Tuesday, May 10, 2016 on PBS.

Follow these allies through their trials of conscience, heartbreak and rejection, as they bravely attempt to make others consider America’s gun culture through a moral lens. The film is also a courageous look at our fractured political culture and an assertion that it is, indeed, possible for people to come together across deep party lines to find common ground.

A production of Purple Mickey Productions in association with Fork Films.

"The Armor Of Light" is on Facebook, and you can follow @ArmorTheFilm on Twitter.

Past episodes of INDEPENDENT LENS are available for online viewing. INDEPENDENT LENS is on Facebook, Instagram, and you can follow @IndependentLens on Twitter.

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Coming to Independent Lens: The Armor of Light

"The Armor of Light follows the journey of Evangelical minister Rob Schenck

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"In this excerpt from the Independent Lens documentary The Armor of Light

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