Calvinist, a soon-to-be released documentary by Les Lanphere is about a new generation discovering the Reformation and embracing the doctrine that it brought us. More young Christians are being overtaken by what Lanphere calls “an old, and often misunderstood theology.”
Lanphere worked on Hollywood films like Transformers 3 and the Smurfs and who also hosts a popular Christian podcast. This documentary is his first solo project.
Aquila Report wrote about the documentary last year while it was still in the fundraising stage:
Well-known and not-so well-known Calvinists alike will be interviewed and help explain where Calvinism came from and why it is making a sudden comeback. Lanphere will attempt to discover what circumstances led to the resurgence of Calvinism, its successes and perhaps where it’s falling short. Finally, the film will seek to point young Reformed people in the direction of confessionalism.
Lanphere says, “A lot of young people have discovered Calvinism, put the TULIP in their pocket, and returned to their non-denominational churches. But, I want to show that Calvinism should be changing the way we live, the way we work, the way we interact with our families, and ultimately the way we worship God. My thesis statement for the film has become: The five points of Calvinism should lead to Reformed worship.”
Watch the trailer below:
More young believers, Lanphere notes, are “obsessed with reading difficult theology books and trying to convince their friends of some seemingly offensive things.”
The documentary features important Reformed thinkers such as R.C. Sproul, Paul Washer, Ligon Duncan, Kevin DeYoung, Voddie Baucham, James White, Joe Thorn, Jeff Durbin, Tim Challies, Steven Lawson, Carl Trueman, Shai Linne, R. Scott Clark, TImothy Brindle, Scott Oliphint, and Michael Horton.
In an update on the documentary’s Kickstarter page on July 7, Lanphere said that he would release the 2nd trailer soon and the entire movie should be released in September.
Lanphere has raised over $82,000 on Kickstarter for the project.