Colorado homeschooling organization endorses questionable documentary

Recently a friend brought to my attention an email notice update from Christian Home Educators of Colorado (CHEC).  Below is an excerpt:

"CHEC is excited to bring you this movie [Divided] for two reasons. First, we believe it's an excellent and revealing look at the modern youth ministry model in the light of Scripture. See more in the description, below.

Second, CHEC could win $1,000 by having the most people watch this movie. Just click on any of the pictures or links in this section of the email, and watch the movie in the browser window that opens!"

CHEC presented this film at their summer conference a few weeks ago. I watched that movie and wrote a review (here). Some of those closest to the leadership know of my analysis of the movement and its factual errors. Although I did not cover much detail in the review, the concerns are deep enough to label the movie "questionable". It includes unsubstantiated claims that easily misguides the average Christian as witnessed on a public forum (here).

Since this Christian organization has much influence in Colorado, what they promote will have much weight for many people. It thus behooves this organization to be careful in what they promote.

The following is the description of the movie from their email:

"About the movie DIVIDED...

There is a crisis. Christian youth are rapidly leaving evangelical churches for the world....DIVIDED follows young Christian filmmaker Philip LeClerc on a revealing journey as he seeks answers to what has led his generation away from the church. Traveling across the country conducting research and interviewing church kids, youth ministry experts, evangelists, statisticians, social commentators, and pastors, Philip discovers the shockingly sinister roots of modern, age-segregated church programs, and equally shocking evidence that the pattern in the Bible for training future generations is at odds with modern church practices...He also discovers a growing number of churches that are abandoning age-segregated Sunday school and youth ministry to embrace the discipleship model that God prescribes in His Word. "

Yes, the movie does a good job of documenting terrible, horrendous and, frankly, scary youth ministries. Families ought to be warned about them.

But then the movie takes a turn with an unreliable history section ("Philip discovers the shockingly sinister roots of modern, age-segregated church programs") which omits the practice of age-segregation among godly Christian churches and families from at least the time of the Reformation. Omission of such an important fact makes this less a documentary than it is portrayed.

And the claim of the "sinister roots" is a fallacious claim because it is arguing that the origins of the modern  youth ministry is not in Christian churches but unbelieving leaders of the past. Even if this is true (and not substantiated in the movie), it is a genetic fallacy: something's origin does not necessitate its moral wrongness (Aristotle formalized and popularized the logic Christians use for instance).

Furthermore, the film does not highlight (or mention) that there are churches who "embrace the discipleship model that God prescribes in His Word" while using age-segregation. This kind of rhetoric creates a false dilemma where in fact there is another option. And it does not document alternatives that are just as valid.

Blame seems to be laid at the feet of a program (age-segregation) but not people. Many families are willing to throw their kids to youth groups instead of rolling up their sleeves and disciple their children.

Overall, the movie was disappointing with its fallacious arguments and omissions. Yet, it will bring many people to question what they are doing with their youth ministries and that is a good thing. Maybe that is the goal of this endorsement.