The documentary Praying for Armageddon is a political thriller that reveals the power and influence of U.S. fundamentalist Evangelicals, as they aim to fulfill the Armageddon prophecy.
“This book is literal from cover to cover…. B.I.B.L.E. Basic Information Before Leaving Earth,” John Hagee, founder of Christians United for Israel.
The above is one of many mind boggling quotes in Praying for Armageddon. The film takes us across the U.S.A. while following Lee Phang, a reporter from The Intercept, as he meets with U.S. politicians and several fundamentalist Evangelicals in an effort to understand the .
Through many key figures in this movement, including Baptist pastor Robert James Jeffress Jr., Ralph Drollinger, among others, we see how deep rooted the belief of a final battle around Jerusalem – Armageddon – really is. Various Republican representatives continually repeat the rhetoric that Jerusalem being under total Israel control is key to surviving the impending Apocalypse.
An eye opening moment early in the film is the interview betwen Lee Phang and Ralph Drollinger, who leads Bible groups, Capitol Ministries, with key politicians. Some of his Bible studies even included members of the Trump administration. It is evident they have a political apparatus that is often ‘behind the curtain,’ as Phang puts it.
“I knight you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and tell you to rise and accept your sword of responsibility.” Pastor Gary Burd of Mission M25 Ministy.
To provide some balance to this story, the film takes us on a tour of Jerusalem with a Palestinian tour guide. This is also quite key in providing context to understanding the current political situation in that region. To further show the conditions in which Palestinians have been forced to live since the occupation in 1967, the films includes videos from Palestinian citizens being removed from their homes and other footage of the constant bombing taking place at the time of filming.
Personally, I appreciate how Praying for Armageddon also gives us an inside look at Lee Phang’s investigative journalistic work in uncovering how groups like Christians United for Israel (CUFI) are literally funding settler organizations in Israel. One such organization is ‘The City of David National Park’ which offers tours of the ancient Canaanite city located in Jerusalem.
We also hear from Frank Schaeffer, who provides the perspective of someone raised in the fundamentalist Evangelical movement but decided to leave and not look back. He is now a heretic and stranged from the community. He gives an interesting summary of what drove many fundamentalist to march to Capitol Hill on January 6, 2021. The modern Evangelical is training for an actual war. He further explains, the U.S. Evangelical community truly believes the rapture will happen in their lifetime.
Another concering point is how big an influence the Evangelical Christians have on the the U.S. military. There are many Christian organizations within the military whose goal is to transform it into a “weaponized Christianity” – some pretty serious and scary stuff.
These are some key parts in Praying for Armageddon that I find compelling. In terms of the team behind this production, I commend them all on giving us a cohesive and thought provoking film from the editing, music and direction. On this note, I share my interview with director Tonje Hessen Schei from Hot Docs last year. She provides even more insight into the film and its messages.
Praying for Armageddon is currently available via Apple TV and Google Play.
Film Team
Director: Tonje Hessen Schei
Co-Director and Cinematographer: Michael Rowley
Producers: Christian Aune Falch, Torstein Parelius, Ingrid Aune Falch
Co-Producers: Ove Rishøj Jensen, Hans Robert Eisenhauer, Kaarle Aho Executive Producers: Hussain Currimbhoy, Sue Turley, Jan Rofekamp Editors: Torkel Gjørv, NFK, Matti Näränen, FCE
Composers: Lukas Berkemar, Uno Helmersson
Sound Designer: Sølve Huse-Amundsen
Colorist: Michael Cavanagh
Film stills courtesy of UpNorth Film.
