Finger of God
Movie Review
By Conner Kirschner
Darren Wilson’s “Finger of God” is a documentary the whole family can fully enjoy and also learn from. Around 2007, a new beginning of signs, wonders, and miracles began to break out in Pentecostal and Charismatic church circles. And when Darren’s grandparents – people he loves and trusts – received one of these miracles, a one-year journey began as he traveled locally and world-wide to film and document firsthand what God was up to.
First off: just what exactly was the miracle his grandparents received? They, along with thousands worldwide over the years, received gold teeth. That’s right…gold, teeth. And these are just one of several kinds of miracles that have become almost
normal and most certainly expected among the Charismatic and Pentecostal community. As he shortly discovered, the gold teeth he kept hearing about and began filming, were just the tip of the iceberg.
Initially, “Finger of God” focused more on the fuzzy-wuzzy touchy-feely stuff: the gold dust
appearing on people and other things, flawless gem stones appearing in carpets and in hands, big or small, the gold teeth, manna, the lively and fiery church meetings. All of this is good.
But as the film continued to progress, a general shift took place. The focus became less on what was going on inside the church building, and became focused on normal individuals going through the day-to- day, loving on people at coffee shops in Cali, in the bush of Africa, gypsy events in Europe, for the homeless on street corners and even at prestigious universities.
Dennis Balcombe, Heidi and Rolland Baker, Bill Johnson, John and Carol Arnott, Randy Clark, these are well-known people with well-known ministries who Darren was able to film and interview. But aside from the flash and glam, these are just normal people. They have awkward moments with others just like you and me, they’re real people.
A theme Darren made clear in “Finger of God” toward the end of his adventure is this: we can only live the life of Jesus if we passionately love the one in front of us like God loves us. You’re one conversation away, you're one prayer away from seeing God encounter people, so relax and step out.