A stimulus for provocative conversation. Solid graphical production that stands above the usual cheese of the standard documentary. A coherent vision, held together by fine music, with the right ethnic tones for the Jewish background, and a tight Voice Over. Diverse voices make up his commentators. A pathos and tension that the later Christians would have glossed over. Worthy of a mainstream audience!
Ben Witherington Review
With a figure as complex and as important as the Apostle Paul the danger is to say too little and trivialize the man, or on the other hand to say too much and domesticate him, smoothing out the rough edges in his life and thought world. Robert Orlando does neither. With a wide spectrum of voices contributing to the discussion, A Polite Bribe is that rare sort of documentary which conforms to no one person’s preconceived notions about Paul but at the same time tries hard to do justice to the complexity of his life and ministry.
There is something to like, and something to object to for most everyone in this documentary, for Orlando is doing his best to stimulate a good conversation. One gets a sense of the tensions that existed not only in early Christianity but within Paul himself. One also gets a strong sense of Paul’s passion for Christ and the great courage with which he pursued his ministry, risking everything to try not only to bring Christ to the Gentiles, but to keep the more Jewish and more Gentile wings of the church together as one entity.
I happily recommend this documentary to one and all, not because I agree with all it says. Indeed I think the perspective on James is not quite correct. I recommend it because this film provokes the very kinds of discussions that Paul himself provoked in his own day. Let the discussion begin!