Pastor Ian Gallagher is a bit radical. He fires blanks from a gun in a service to make a point that death can come at any time. He is plain spoken and mentions a relative he believes is in Hell after his refusal to accept Christ. He even has a secret in his past which he would rather his parishioners not find out. Yet, as many interesting characters are, he is a multi-faceted character, displaying great patience for a church member who flaunts his sin and his refusal to accept the church’s discipline. Pastor Ian also counsels various members and lives like a pauper so as to not let his assistant minister go from his position, as the church finances are extremely tight. He also does his best to win his dying brother to the Lord.
The film tackles some issues head on, such as the pastor’s daughter lying to him and her mother, and dating a young man who (although she doesn’t know it) is dealing drugs. The film offers hope and the story is realistically portrayed. Richard Cutting is quite good as Pastor Ian as is the actress who plays his wife. We gladly award this movie our Dove “Family-Approved” Seal and recommend it for ages twelve plus due to its mature themes. This movie makes you think, and as we all know, not every movie does that!
