Doc follows the journey of 12 pastors seeking unity amid division

Leah MarieAnn Klettassistant editor Wednesday, November 6, 2024

In a world fractured by deep ideological divisions, Nicholas Ma’s new documentary: “Leap of faith.” attempts to answer the question of whether love can overcome seemingly insurmountable odds.

Ma, the son of world-famous cellist Yo-Yo Ma and the director of the famous film Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, about the life of Fred Rogers, decided to find those few who could try.

His latest work follows 12 Christian leaders as they overcome faith and controversy under the leadership of Rev. Michael Gulker of Colossian Forum, a pastor dedicated to building unity amidst differences. The organization’s stated goal is to empower Christians to think, act, and lead like Jesus in the midst of conflict in their families, communities, churches, and institutions.

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The film opens with a familiar feeling—longing for something lost. Reflecting on Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, Ma recalls that after screenings, audiences would often ask, “Where is Fred Rogers today?”

In collective nostalgia for Rogers, known for his radical kindness and acceptance, Ma told The Christian Post that he felt a yearning for a Christian leader who could navigate differences with the gentleness and patience of a beloved neighbor.

“I felt that there was such a longing, this sense of nostalgia, even a feeling that perhaps this era had passed and such thoughtful people no longer existed,” he said.

And Ma’s answer to this question came in the form of Gulker retreats. Over the course of a year, Ma documented the conversations and meals shared by 12 pastors, each of whom had different, often opposing, theological and political beliefs. However, Gulker’s approach encouraged them to sincerely try to belong to each other, to arrive at a radical idea of ​​comradeship despite differences.

“Relationships require pain,” Ma muses in an interview, drawing an analogy to marriage. “Part of marriage is giving someone the opportunity to hurt you.”

In that sense, “Leap of Faith” encourages viewers to reconsider how we “love thy neighbor,” Ma noted, adding: “We talk a lot about ‘love thy neighbor’ now, and I think we tend to forget that we follow through on that.” by choosing our neighbors rather than by loving the people around us better. And this test is really difficult. There’s a reason we avoid this. So watching people try to do something really difficult and incredible was exciting for me.”

Ma recalled the initial concerns of pastors, many of whom did not dare to engage in such intense dialogue with people who held completely different beliefs. Ben Camp Meyer, one of the pastors, admitted to feeling empty and in need of renewal, an anxiety that was partly shared by other members of the group.

This openness from one person set off a cascade of honesty, and ultimately, as Ma described it, “vulnerability became contagious.”

The film doesn’t shy away from difficult themes, including sexuality (a topic Ma expected the group might avoid), unity, democracy and love.

It was in these areas of disagreement that pastors leaned into difficult truths and laid bare their deepest fears, serving as both witnesses and observers of each other’s vulnerabilities, Ma said.

“That’s the beauty of wanting to hear things you might not want to hear,” Ma explained. “To say, ‘This is who I am, and I’m afraid this is what you won’t like about me.’

A leap of faith does not solve these problems. It doesn’t strive for this. Instead, Ma said he wanted to convey the pastors’ desire to tackle difficult issues without compromising their beliefs or love for each other.

“Transformation is at the core of faith,” he said. “I hope we are transformed. This does not mean that we have compromised. This does not mean that we have abandoned our values. It simply means that by giving this spirit space to work, something is transformed. And that, in my opinion, is the most beautiful thing about it.”

One of the final lines of the film, spoken by Galker, reveals its essence. Ma said, “Be who you are. I will be who I am and we will get through this together.” The director said he sees these words as a call to action.

“Typically, we only believe two of these things,” he said. “Either you have to change, or I will change, or we will go our separate ways. But there is a deep leap of faith in believing all three: you will be who you are, I (will be) who I am, and yet we belong to each other.”

It’s a radical idea in today’s climate of polarization and ideological entrenchment, Ma said, emphasizing that faith requires the humility to recognize that one cannot always see the way forward and that the future may still contain “possibles that we cannot see.”

In Leap of Faith, Ma said he intentionally does not offer clear answers, but instead invites viewers to witness the spirit at work among 12 pastors as they take their own leap—trusting that their faith, their communication, and their willingness to stay in dialogue will be enough. to bridge the distance between them.

“Sometimes I hear people say, ‘Oh, someone didn’t make that argument,’ or, ‘Why didn’t they quote that passage of Scripture?’” he said. “Well, if I were writing this as a sermon or if I was writing this as an article, we could talk about it. But that was not it. This is exactly what these 12 pastors, Michael and his team experienced. And how do we honor that and witness it? And having witnessed this, how can it illuminate the possible a little more?”