Faith Under Fire

Video Release: 9/14/2012

Reviewer: Edwin L. Carpenter
Source: Video
Writer: Sondra Martin Hicks
Producer: Sondra Martin Hicks
Director: Sondra Martin Hichs
Genre: Documentary
Runtime: 101 min.
MPAA Rating: Not Rated

Synopsis:
The true story of a community that rallies together and overcomes the odds as they struggle for peace and healing after their faith is dramatically shaken. A former school teacher opens fire with an arsenal of weapons during a worship service in Daingerfield, Texas in 1980, rattling the foundation they have always known.

Dove Worldview:
This is a remarkable DVD which shows that a person with faith can overcome overwhelming sorrows. The documentary focuses on the shooting deaths of five people while attending church in Daingerfield, Texas in 1980. The murderer, Alan King, walked in with firearms and began shooting. A pastor's daughter, Gina, not yet eight years old, was one of the five that died. The very morning of the shooting the mother sat in a Sunday school class in which the lesson focused on bereavement. The documentary looks at the surviving family members and drops in on church members 32 years later to hear their stories.

This is an amazing story of forgiveness and God's presence in the midst of suffering. An audio portion of the service is heard with the sounds of shots, screams, and panic. A photo is shown of a man with a bloody head wound from a distance. This DVD may not be for everyone but many will watch and be amazed at the resilient faith of these Christian people. It is also a story of the heroes who intervened. We recommend this DVD for our Dove "Family-Approved" Seal for ages twelve plus. Parents should consult the content listing below to make informed decision on older children viewing it. Again, this story of faith is remarkable.

Content Chart & Description

Rating Descriptions

Sex: The story of a woman who underwent incestuous advances and intercourse from her own father; a comment about the girl bleeding following sex; mother is said to have seen the father having sex with the girl and walked out of the room.
Language: H (as a place)-3; Good Lord-1
Violence: An audio recording of a church service with shots fired and screaming and panic; a photo of a man with a wound and blood on his forehead from a distance; survivors speak of the bloodshed and one woman says she saw her child's brains following the shooting which may prove unsettling to certain viewers; a woman shares how her husband tied her to a chair before leaving to shoot the people at the church.
Drugs: None
Nudity: None
Other: Several interviews with church members who survived a shooting spree and the grief they experienced over those who died; a man shares he lost his faith for many years following the shootings; it's stated a man committed suicide in jail; comments about an atheist Math teacher.

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