| Collision | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Darren Doane |
| Produced by | David Hagopian Gary DeMar Josh Karchmer |
| Starring | Christopher Hitchens Douglas Wilson |
| Distributed by | LEVEL4 |
| Release date(s) | October 27, 2009 |
| Running time | 90 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Collision[1][2] is a documentary film[1] released on October 27, 2009 featuring a debate between prominent atheist Christopher Hitchens and Douglas Wilson, Presbyterian pastor of Christ Church Moscow. Described by Hitchens as a "buddy-and-road" movie, it provides an overview of several days worth of debates following the release of their book Is Christianity Good for the World?[2] The book was generated by correspondence published in Christianity Today.[2][3]
Contents |
The partnership between Hitchens and Wilson began in 2007, when Hitchens invited anyone to debate his viewpoints following the release of his book God is not Great. Wilson's agent heard the offer and put him in touch with Hitchens, leading to a series of written debates published in Christianity Today, which eventually were compiled into Is Christianity Good for the World? Filmmaker Darren Doane heard about the exchanges between the two and sought them out to make a film.[4] The film was featured on CNN[5], Fox News[6]; NPR [7]; The Laura Ingraham Show[8] and others.
After the men finally met in person while shooting the film, both got along well, despite the heated exchanges, in part from a shared appreciation for P.G. Wodehouse.
Hitchens said in Slate Magazine that "I haven't yet run into an argument that has made me want to change my mind... However, I have discovered that the so-called Christian right is much less monolithic, and very much more polite and hospitable, than I would once have thought, or than most liberals believe."[9]
Darren Doane, the filmmaker, said: “These guys ended up at the bar laughing, joking, drinking. There were so many things that they had in common...Opinions on history and politics. Literature and poetry. They agreed on so many things. Except on the existence of God.”[10]
Wilson argued that atheists could be good people, could share Christian values and Christians could repudiate many things atheists also repudiated: yet Wilson argued that atheists could not argue for an objective moral standard but could affirm a standard, if it happened to exist, that of "eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow maybe we die", but no other.[1]