For those who don’t know, Douglas Wilson (Presbyterian minister at Christ Church in Moscow, Idaho) and Christopher Hitchens (Outspoken atheist with a lot to say about how Christianity is failing the world) got together a year ago for a debate. The topic was “Is Christianity good for the world?”

The debate turned into a movie and a book. The movie (which comes out on DVD today) is called Collision. Now I haven’t seen the movie yet. It will be in the mail today. Let me tell you why you should want to buy this movie and watch it as well:

Reason #1: Doug Wilson.

If you want to see boldness (supported by vast intelligence of Scripture) turn to Doug Wilson. Here is a man filled with the Spirit who does not shy away from questions like “Why does God punish the innocent?” or “Am I going to Hell?” It is so refreshing to hear a man of God who is not afraid to speak the Word of God with boldness and intelligence. Even if you aren’t a calvinist or a paedobaptist – even if you don’t know what those things mean and you are a brand new believer – watch this preacher, see his conviction to speak the Word without fear, and learn from his example.

Reason #2 Christopher Hitchens.

There’s a popular saying that goes like this – “Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.” Christopher Hitchens is an enemy of God. On top of that, he is very intelligent. Even worse, the church and all of its divisions, weak pastors, and lack of knowledge of Scripture is his greatest weapon against Christianity. I am a fan of this movie and I subscribe to Mr. Hitchens’ blog because he is absolutely right on so many occasions. Whenever I need to know what I or the church at large could be doing better, I turn to people like Mr. Hitchens to tell me. Yes, the Spirit plays the key role in conviction, but that does not mean He does not use various means to do so.  Mr. Hitchens says this of Doug Wilson:

Wilson isn’t one of those evasive Christians who mumble apologetically about how some of the Bible stories are really just “metaphors.” He is willing to maintain very staunchly that Jesus of Nazareth was the Christ and that his sacrifice redeems our state of sin, which in turn is the outcome of our rebellion against God. He doesn’t waffle when asked why God allows so much evil and suffering—of course he “allows” it since it is the inescapable state of rebellious sinners. I much prefer this sincerity to the vague and Python-esque witterings of the interfaith and ecumenical groups who barely respect their own traditions and who look upon faith as just another word for community organizing.

Incidentally, Doug Wilson and Christopher Hitchens struck up a friendship in the aftermath of their debate.