w/ Jay Bakker

10pm, Regal 4
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One Punk Under God is an observational documentary series coming to the Sundance Channel. The Virginia Film Festival is previewing the series first two episodes. Jay Bakker is a tattooed and pierced preacher who does not fit the image of a Christian minister. His resolutely maverick stance and open tolerance for alternative lifestyle choices challenge traditional religious leaders and make it difficult to fund his Revolution church in Atlanta, even though he is the son of former Praise The Lord leaders Jim Bakker and Tammy Faye Messner.

The meteoric rise in the 1980s of televangelist superstars Jim and Tammy Faye and their subsequent scandal-induced fall made them both famous and infamous. Tammy was even the star of her own documentary, The Eyes of Tammy Faye and appeared on the TV series, The Surreal Life. Jim Bakker served several years in prison for federal charges of fraud, tax evasion, and racketeering.

Initially Jay Bakker rejected his parent’s values and calling. “Lots of booze got me through it for a little while,” he says. But then, his own evaluation of the Bible and Christianity led him to an open and accepting nonjudgmental God. As a result, Bakker started an inclusive, non-denominational church in Atlanta called Revolution.

The six-part documentary series is a behind-the-pulpit look at the tattooed and pierced Bakker as he struggles with numerous emotional, financial, family, and spiritual issues while attempting to build his fledgling church. He has to weigh the realities of the world (both business and religious) with his goals of openness and acceptance. As an American evangelist, Bakker is attracting those who feel rejected by traditional approaches to Christianity that put them outside of the religious mainstream. He is often at odds with traditional doctrine and its adherents. His embrace of alternative lifestyles puts him at odds with one of his main investors, a conservative Southern Baptist who frequently clashes with Bakker on a variety of issues.

Just as his parents leveraged television to reach a broad audience, Bakker uses technology to extend its reach. Services are posted on the Revolution Church website and his podcasts reach additional thousands each month. But while his parents had lavish offices and the aid of huge staffs, Jay Bakker runs his operation from the back of an auto shop.

Even if he can successfully balance his spiritual beliefs with the financial realities of his ministry, he still has to confront and manage emotional situations brewing in his family life, particularly with his mother and estranged father. The documentary also introduces us to Bakker’s wife, Amanda, who wants to relocate from Atlanta to New York City to attend a pre-med program. Through it all, Bakker is determined to fuse alternative and Christian values to create a non-denominational and inclusive parish and he is working hard to show the world just how hip and welcoming today’s churches can be.