Salvation Boulevard (2011) Movie Script
Just be natural.
Talk from the heart. Go.
Is it...
Oh, okay. Hey.
Well, I guess my story
starts right around here.
I was in town for
a show by The Dead.
And I was trying
to get a ticket,
and I needed
a miracle, really.
And one didn't come.
My van just sort of
up and ran out of gasoline.
So, I pulled into
this parking lot.
And I woke up the next day
and saw this big building,
and I went inside
to use the bathroom,
which you're not
supposed to do,
and I stayed for
the church service.
And, you know, really when
I would go to a Dead show
I always felt like
I was coming home,
but really it was like
one big party in a hotel room.
And with my family,
when we go to the church,
you know, it's kind
of the same thing.
We all get together,
and we... They play songs,
and there's a real
sense of community.
People are nice here.
It's me,
it's me, oh Lord
Standing in
the need of prayer
It's me,
it's me, oh Lord
Standing in
the need of prayer
Not my brother, not my
sister But it's me, oh Lord
Standing in
the need of prayer
Not my brother, not my
sister But it's me, oh Lord
Standing in
the need of prayer
It's me,
it's me, oh Lord
Standing in
the need of prayer
It's me,
it's me, oh Lord
Standing in
the need of prayer
When I look at
the historical record,
when I know deep
down what's at stake...
Oh, it's started
already. It's started!
Carl! Carl! Come on.
I believe He was
who He said He was.
A savior who took on
the sins of this world
and opened a door
to another world.
Hey, Jim.
Sorry.
You rock, Pastor Dan!
May I respond?
Please do, please do.
Very well, let's ask God
a few simple questions then.
Where was He during
the Spanish Inquisition?
9/11? The Holocaust? Disease?
Massive starvation?
Earthquakes?
And where has He been for the thousands
of years of human suffering?
Come on!
If there is a God,
has there been a more
unjust, lazy, vindictive...
Boo!
...capricious bastard in
all of human history?
How about you? Huh?
How about you?
Ladies and gentlemen, please.
Pastor Day, what do you see as the
evidence for the existence of God?
I see evidence for God
everywhere I look.
In law. In nature. In culture.
In fact, we're standing in an
auditorium full of evidence.
Is there any
evidence here tonight?
- Right here!
- Yes!
I see a face I know.
Yes, my husband!
Yes. Come on, son.
Carl, is it Carl Vandermeer?
Come on, stand up.
Yes!
There you go.
Not so long ago,
Carl was a lost soul.
He was a follower of a rock
group called The Grateful Dead.
A "deadhead"?
Is that it?
A deadhead.
Which meant a life of
alcohol, promiscuous sex,
drugs, lots and lots
and lots of drugs.
That lifestyle brought you a lot of happiness.
Didn't it, Carl?
No.
True happiness doesn't come from
destroying our beautiful brains.
It comes from submitting
to God's perfect plan for us.
And God's
perfect plan for Carl
was for him to meet a
beautiful girl named Gwen
and her daughter Angie.
They brought him to Christ.
Hallelujah!
Now he's got
a wonderful family,
a job in the publishing
department of my church,
but above all else,
love.
He is a transformed man.
Did he do all this
all by himself?
No! The fingerprints of God
are all over this man.
That's not nonsense.
That's evidence.
I wouldn't call it evidence.
I'd call it trading
one drug for another.
Oh, come on!
And I prefer the drugs
taken by deadheads.
At least you know
you're hallucinating.
Please.
Please, come on.
Thank you.
There we go.
Thank you so much for coming along.
Excuse me one moment.
Hey there, pretty lady.
Dan, so wonderful.
Thank you very much. Thank you.
So wonderful.
Great victory, Pastor.
You just demolished him.
Thank you, thank you.
Yeah, absolutely.
You must be Gwen's dad.
Yeah, that's right. Jim Hunt.
Petty Chief, U.S. Navy retired.
We've met in church.
Of course, of course.
Oh!
When you talked
about Carl, so moving.
Thank you. Well,
he is an inspiration, Gwen.
Nice job, buddy!
I framed it beautifully.
I even got kind of a nice halo around
your head from the stage light.
Thanks, Jerry!
Hey there, fellow traveler.
What?
Whoa!
I couldn't help but hear you've
been on the road, so to speak.
Whoa!
Okay...
Honey, Honey Foster.
On tour from '81 to '92.
Always find each other, huh?
Yeah.
That was a long time ago.
One minute you're in a van with nine
people, tripping out of your gourd,
and the next you're
campus security guard.
Churchy guy.
It's weird.
So what's up, man?
Well, uh...
I gotta... It was very
nice to meet you.
Oh.
Yeah.
Yeah.
All right.
Rock on, man.
Gwen and I have been batting around
an idea for the past couple of weeks.
And we'd like to
share it with you.
Please do.
We'd like to open a movie
theater, you know.
Where we could offer up a full
schedule of all Christian movies.
From The Ten Commandments
to The Passion of the Christ.
Mmm-hmm. I think it'd be perfect
for the City on a Hill.
Yes. Who created
this image?
Oh, that was Gwen.
Quickly. I did it really quickly.
It is lovely.
It's beautiful, Gwen. Absolutely beautiful.
You like it?
We could open with one,
and then we could expand it
into a chain across the...
Carl! Carl, come down here.
Don't be shy.
Really very beautiful. You have
a very talented wife here.
Oh...
Thank you.
Yes.
Well, I hope I didn't
embarrass you, Carl,
by getting you to stand up
and present yourself.
No, no. If it helps, I think that...
It's one of those...
He knows full well he's
an inspiration, right?
A beacon of hope.
Yeah, he absolutely is.
But you know, as for this...
Pastor Dan!
Nice performance.
Oh, thank you, Paul.
A cheap shot,
here and there.
Well, even God's not above
a cheap shot now and then.
Whatever it takes, Paul.
This is Carl Vandermeer.
Ah, yes, the deadhead.
And his wife, Gwen.
Hello.
Hello.
Yes. And this is her
father Jim over here.
- How do you do?
- Now, Pastor.
I traditionally invite my opponent
for a post-debate nightcap.
What?
A drink. My office.
Paul, I'm not sure about that. I have
a sermon to prepare in the morning.
I'll help you write it.
Bring your deadhead!
This is a great
opportunity, son.
I want you to make sure that
you get this to Pastor Dan.
Now don't forget.
It's real important.
Okay.
You're not coming?
I wouldn't break bread
with that dirty little atheist
if he was
the last man on Earth.
There you go.
Thank you very much.
Uh, no, I don't...
Oh. Right. Of course.
So, Pastor. A confession.
Mmm-hmm.
I lied.
I don't actually invite evangelists
I debate to share a drink with me.
Really?
However, you're different.
A worthy opponent.
Cheers.
Cheers.
So, there's something
I'd like to propose.
Mmm-hmm?
What's that?
We're both authors of
best-selling books.
Mmm-hmm. What if we
co-authored one?
Oh! A book-length
series of conversations
about our
opposing world views.
We go to my lake house, record
ourselves, just talking.
Write the whole thing
in a week.
It's beautiful up there.
Mmm. I'm sure.
I've even got a title.
The Great Divide by Paul
Blaylock and Pastor Daniel Day.
What do you think?
Well, Paul,
I'm a very busy man.
I have my church, my City on the
Hill project, my own books.
But, I must admit,
it's a very interesting idea.
My agent thought of it.
Could bring a lot of
non-believers to Christ.
Or believers to reason.
From the virgin birthers
to the Muhammad flew-to-heaven-on-
a-winged-horse variety.
What do you think, Carl?
Would you read
a book like that?
Uh, yeah. I read books
all the time about...
How do you think
we should go about
constructing
this conversation?
Begin at the beginning. Where
does religion come from?
I'm assuming you don't
believe it comes from God.
I agree with several of
our Deist founding fathers.
It comes from fear.
Belief in
the supernatural arose
to protect us from
the frightening unknown.
Whether it be volcanoes,
thunder, lightning, earthquake.
Death. Evil.
Somewhere along the line,
the supernatural became God.
And the unknown
became Satan.
Hmm.
But even if that were so,
Paul, the question remains.
Who is the ultimate judge
between good and evil?
Perfect.
Ourselves?
You see, without God,
everything is permitted.
It's all just random chance.
No real reason to do good.
I mean, what's to stop me
from killing poor Carl here?
Fantastic.
The collaboration begins!
Or you?
Oh!
What happened?
Oh, my God.
Oh, my God.
What did you do?
Professor Blaylock?
Oh...
I'm gonna call 911.
No, no, no.
Don't do that.
He's not breathing, Dan.
Oh!
Why are you doing that?
Oh!
Dan.
Hey.
Pastor Dan?
Yeah?
What are we doing?
Get in the car.
Are you okay to drive?
Get in the car, Carl.
Carl. You know that
the groundbreaking
for the City on the Hill
is in a few days.
Cathedral, medical
college, law school.
All of that will
turn to dust.
Don't you see?
Okay.
Carl.
You do understand?
This is in God's hands.
911.
What's your emergency?
Yeah. Yes, I just
heard a gunshot
coming from Paul Blaylock's
office, about 10 minutes ago.
Where are you located?
On campus.
Who am I speaking with?
What?
What is your name, sir?
I... Uh...
What is your name?
Carl! What's going on?
Ah!
I thought we were
getting broken into.
That dang bat.
Mom said if you saw it again
you should kill it.
You know that over
a million bats have died
because of something called
White-nose Syndrome or something?
Uh-huh. It's where this
fungus, this white fungus
that grows in their caves,
infects their nose
and then they
die because of it,
and scientists
really don't know why.
Where do you
learn all this stuff?
School and Wikipedia.
Oh!
Okay, okay.
Mom said
you have to kill it.
I know she did.
What were you doing
up so late, anyway?
Studying.
For Sunday school?
No, "school" school.
I think it got you
right in the face.
Right there.
Three.
Oh, my gosh,
this is amazing.
That feels great
on my abs.
This was a nice place
and you guys came in and...
Let's go to your bedroom.
What's he doing
to my dishes?
Oh, my God.
I've found my true mate
and you know it.
Never.
Even now, the evil seed
of what you have done
germinates within you.
You disgust me!
You are nothing
but an animal.
Daniel?
Yes?
Who is this?
This is a friend.
A friend?
That's right.
Do you know what
a friend is, Daniel?
A friend is someone who
knows all of your secrets.
But still wants
only the best for you.
But for that to happen,
we must work together.
Very closely.
You understand
what I'm saying?
Daniel?
Daniel?
Daniel.
The unknown became
Satan.
Here, Dan.
Thanks, Bedelia.
No problem.
Honey.
Are you going to
be all right?
Sure. Sure.
Okay.
It's nice to finally
have you over, Pastor Dan.
There's a powerful force
at work tonight, Jerry.
We have entered the physical
dimension of true spiritual warfare.
And in the midst
of that chaos,
God has led me
to you.
Home of Christian talk.
- Get your Jesus freak on.
Rise and shine. Angie?
Time to wake up.
Hey.
You okay?
Yeah.
Yeah?
Yeah, I just...
I had a bad dream.
Aw!
What happened
in your dream?
I don't remember.
How many people
do you know are
calling Spider-Man
a Christian parable?
Because I have to say...
Thanks again for taking care of
that awful thing last night.
I know you didn't want to.
The bat, Carl.
The one you killed?
Mmm!
Yes. What did Dan think
about our proposal?
Mmm.
I think that he... I think
he really liked it.
Good. Good. Dad will
be happy about that.
Yeah...
Um, Gwen, listen.
I need to...
Mom?
It's 10 to.
Oh!
Time! Let's energize!
Let's go, team.
Late, late, late,
late, late.
You better not be sleeping
during service, young lady.
And the Purity Ball
is tonight,
how are you going to
stay awake for that?
I'm awake.
You do remember you're taking her
to the Purity Ball tonight, right?
Purity Ball. Yes.
What is that again?
Carl.
The heavens declare
Oceans cry out
They want to know
The truth of your word
Camera two, medium shot
on the band, please.
Camera three,
tight shot on the drums.
Holy, holy, holy, holy God
I wanna know you
I wanna see you
I wanna see
Thank you.
Thank you very much.
Thank you very much.
Thank you.
Welcome to the Church of
the Third Millennium!
Please be seated. Camera
one, pick up Pastor Dan.
I have some very sad news.
Last night I had the great honor of
debating Professor Paul Blaylock
over at the university.
I just got word
that late last night
Professor Blaylock was
discovered in his campus office,
the victim of
an attempted suicide.
Doctors at the university operated
on him all through the night.
And they removed a bullet shot from
one of his beloved antique pistols.
And as we gather here,
in the warm embrace of each
other's hearts and Jesus Christ,
he lies in a deep coma.
Our prayers are with him and his
family in this hour of need.
My sermon today
was going to be
about strengthening
our community.
But this incident has touched
me so deeply inside,
I want to discuss and talk
about something else.
Spiritual despair.
Music.
Give Dan his music.
Sometimes,
we are not what
we appear to be.
To our friends and family
we seem happy and content.
But inside, deep
inside, we're lonely.
Lonely and empty.
Isolated from God.
A vehicle for darkness.
No one knows our secret.
Listen to my words.
I am declaring war on
this crisis of the Spirit!
It is as evil as any
cancer we will find!
Its only purpose is
our total destruction.
Is that what Jesus wants from us?
No!
Is that what God
wants from us? No!
No!
He wants us to fight back!
To fight back!
I'm asking each of you now to
light a spark in your heart.
A spark that will
grow into a mighty flame
that will chase away this
darkness and bring on the light!
We must fight this evil!
We will fight this evil!
And we will win! We will win!
We will win!
Amen! Amen!
I just wish that
everybody could hear
what was said in there,
you know?
It's so important...
Carl, you just had no idea
what was going to happen when you
were with him last night, did you?
The point is, the man
had nothing to live for.
I mean, if you think your only
destiny is to be worm food,
you might as
well off yourself.
Carl, could I
have a word?
Oh, hey, Jim. Gwen.
Jerry, hey,
let me just barge in here.
I gotta teach an art class
in literally one minute.
So, I'll see you
at home at 12:20.
Okay.
Okay, bye.
I want to help you but
you've got to come with me.
Just smile and
pretend nothing's wrong.
What are you
talking about?
I mean right now.
Hey. See you, Jim.
Jerry.
Hey, what's going on?
No talking, just moving.
Jerry?
Wait a minute.
Where are you parked?
Ezekiel.
Go, go, go.
Help me, it hurts!
That's because you aborted your baby, Jan.
You're going to hell!
Jerry...
Come on!
Where's your car, Carl?
Left.
I'll drive. I'll drive.
I'll drive.
Give me the keys!
Okay, okay, okay.
Keys.
What's going on, Jerry?
Pastor Dan told me
everything.
He did?
And if you listen to me
carefully and do what I say...
Okay.
...I think everything
will work out just fine.
Okay. Okay.
Please tell me this was
all a big mistake, right?
It was an accident,
you know?
And putting
the gun in his hand?
Was an even
bigger mistake, right?
It was just a panicked moment.
It just happened very quickly.
You're willing to go on the record?
With the police?
Yes. I am. I will.
Good.
Okay.
Here's the thing, Carl.
Okay.
Pastor Dan
wasn't in that room.
Right.
What?
He wanted to
call the cops.
But he didn't.
You know why?
Why?
Because he loves you, Carl.
And he wants to protect you.
The only way for
this to work out okay
is for you to just
admit what you did,
and leave him out.
What I did?
Me? What?
Yeah, what you did.
You shot that guy and tried to
make it look like a suicide.
No, Jerry, I...
Carl, I've gotten
hot under the collar...
Dan shot the professor!
...when Bedelia was doing
that thing at the barbeque,
you saw me go crazy.
None of this
happened, Jerry.
But shooting someone?
Pull the van over
right now, okay?
I would never
shoot someone!
I want you
out of my van!
Right now, Jerry!
Fine.
What are we doing here?
Let's go.
Jerry?
Hey.
You remember the story of
Abraham and Isaac?
From Bible study?
Yeah, the father
and son who go out...
God told Abraham to take his
son Isaac out into the desert
and make a sacrifice
of him!
Abraham loved his son
with all his heart.
But Abraham
loved God even more.
Jerry, Isaac was innocent!
And God changed his mind and
he told Abraham to let him go.
The whole thing was a test.
Don't confuse the issue!
You right or left-handed?
Huh?
Answer me!
I'm left-handed.
All right.
Let's get down on our knees,
and ask for forgiveness.
Now. Come on.
Come on.
Come on, here we go.
Jerry.
Close your eyes, Carl.
Close your eyes.
Okay. Just...
Jerry.
I said close them!
Okay, okay, Jerry. Jerry.
This is...
What are you doing?
We're friends, man.
Okay?
Our kids are friends. I let you
run the grill at my barbeque!
Why are you doing this?
Why are you making
me do this, Carl?
Someone's got to stop you from
taking this church over a cliff!
In this mission,
I am as Abraham was.
Huh?
Carl?
Carl, what just happened?
What's going on?
- Hello?
- Angie, where are you?
I don't know!
I just woke up.
Mom, I think Carl
just killed someone!
No, no, no.
Mom, no, no, no.
Wait, wait, wait, Mom...
Gwen?
Carl?
Yeah.
You said you'd
be home at 12:20.
She has no shoes.
You know that?
She hasn't decided on her shoes yet.
Okay, but I...
I think we might
have to call you back.
Is everything okay?
No, fine.
Okay. So, are you driving now?
Where are you exactly?
Who is that?
That's Jerry,
sweetheart.
Jerry Hobson.
Pop the trunk, honey.
It's Pep-pep!
The next thing I know
he had a gun on my head,
she popped out of the van, and I
hit him over the head with a rock.
Yeah, I had to drag
him to the van.
He was gonna kill me, he had
the gun right on me, man.
Oh, wow.
That is insane.
I know, Jim,
it's completely...
It's screwed up!
Watch the language!
It just doesn't
really make sense.
What I mean is, you've
gone completely insane.
Well, I mean...
I know Dan would never
do a thing like that.
Not in a million years. That's the thing.
Accident or no.
Gwen, I stood there and watched
him do it with my own eyes.
The way I watched Jerry Hobson take
me out to the desert to murder me.
Jerry.
Jerry-and-Bedelia Jerry?
Yes.
He did, Mom.
That is ridiculous.
No, Jim. Come on.
Why did you bring him?
I told you not to
tell anyone.
She brought me because
you're off in some kind of
acid flashback
la-la-land!
- Okay. Okay. Okay.
- Come on.
You dreamed that Pastor Dan
shot that professor,
and now you've hallucinated
this thing with Jerry Hobson!
Honey!
That is it!
What?
You had a bad dream
this morning!
This whole thing with Dan
that you think happened,
was that bad dream that you
couldn't remember! Yes!
Gwen...
That is it!
And the whole
thing with Jerry,
I'm sure it's
a misunderstanding.
Do you know that Bedelia told me
Jerry's been dieting recently?
That can really mess with
your blood sugar levels.
I know.
I can get very irritable...
Gwen, he went completely...
He went nuts! Okay?
He went completely...
Am I right?
He was really scary.
Crazy!
Honey. Honey, nobody's
going to hurt you.
You have messed
with this child's head
just the way you've
messed with your own!
Honey, why don't you tell Dan
about your dream?
He'll understand. People have
bad dreams all the time.
Just talk to him about it.
Are you even
listening to me?
Before
the Purity Ball tonight.
You listen to me, son.
When I was in the Navy,
I could look
into a man's eyes
and tell when he was
hiding something.
And you, my friend,
are hiding something.
So, whatever's going on,
I need you to
tell me about it.
I need you to
tell me straight,
and I mean right now.
Please, Carl.
All right.
But I...
I have to pee first.
Hey, come on!
Chicken! Let's go!
Leave a message for him.
Can I help you?
I met you the other night.
At the auditorium.
Oh! Hey!
There's the guy!
What's up, man?
Oh.
You're here for
Professor Blaylock.
I need to talk to you.
Holy crap!
You fraking kidding me?
The pastor?
Yeah.
The Church of the Third Millennium
Pastor who was on this campus
just last frackin' night?
There's a security camera on the
other side of that building.
It would have seen him and I both
leaving right after it happened.
Uh... Ooh... If the police
would look at that...
No. Uh-uh.
What do you mean no?
No. That was one
of the first things
they checked early
this morning, man.
Okay.
Here he comes.
And there he goes.
What the... No!
That's not what happened!
Yeah, are you sure?
Yeah, of course I'm sure.
I was there!
You've got to fix this, man.
Make it how it happened!
Come on!
I can't fix it, man.
I can't fix this, this
is the way it is, okay?
Could somebody have tampered with this?
Could it have been changed?
If they knew how to edit it, I guess.
Use old footage.
Alter the timestamp. They'd still
have to get in here first.
I was here until 10:00, okay? After
that nobody till 7:00 in the morning.
That's when I showed up.
Well, it was more like 7:40.
Because after
that thing last night
I had to go home and just relax.
Who else can get here?
Oh, man!
Almost a hundred people
can get in here.
Security professionals,
like us.
And the tech guys.
You know, if something goes
wrong with the equipment.
Yeah.
Jerry Hobson?
I'm at an intersection.
I said "Jesus, help me.
Please, show me a sign."
And at that exact moment,
the light turned green.
And I turned right.
And do you know what
was down the street?
The Church of
the Third Millennium.
That was Jesus telling me I
had to get intimate with God.
And that the way
was through Dan Day.
Thank you, Jesus!
...and I met three people
that day who changed my life.
Hello?
Hey, it's Officer Bill.
Hey, broheim.
...he told me God
had a plan for me...
Hear you got a photo?
Yeah.
And Angie who's
the first person
that ever made me
feel really needed.
Oh, and one other.
The guy I turned my life
over to, Jesus Christ.
Bingo.
Hey there, you two!
Good to see you.
Good to see you.
Great to see you.
Pastor.
Please, sit down. Make yourself at home now.
There you go.
Dan, do you need
anything else?
No, I'm all right, Bedelia.
Don't worry about me.
Thank you very much.
Nice to see you, Bedelia.
Hey, listen. Thanks
for coming by today.
How are we doing, anyway?
Always awesome!
Good, good.
Yeah. But it's been
a strange day today.
Hey, is there something
wrong with Bedelia?
Well, I don't know
how to say this...
Is this about Carl?
Apparently Carl attacked Jerry.
Out at the quarry.
Oh, my goodness!
Oh, for Pete's sake!
So, Bedelia's just
a little bit upset.
Jerry's okay. He just got a
few stitches in his head.
Oh!
He's not angry.
He's just very,
very concerned for Carl.
This is all so strange.
We saw Carl at lunch,
and he was talking...
Oh, you saw him today?
After church?
Yeah. He thinks Jerry attacked him.
He's out of his mind.
Well, this incident
with Professor Blaylock
has affected Carl very deeply.
Very deeply indeed.
Tell me, does he...
Did he have any
family history?
Like genealogy?
Paranoia. Depression. Violence.
I wouldn't be surprised.
Well, in any case, I think this has
sent Carl into a very dark place.
It's the very same thing I was talking
about in my sermon this morning.
Spiritual crisis.
At this moment in time,
Carl is lost.
He's adrift.
Should we call the police?
No, no.
I wouldn't do that.
It's much better that he
should be in his own community
rather than
sitting in a jail cell.
We have all the resources
here to take care of him.
In fact,
I shall counsel him myself.
Now, I'm going to give you Jerry
Hobson's cell phone number.
It's very important to let him
know about Carl's whereabouts.
Absolutely.
Otherwise, well,
suicide by police.
It's a very real thing.
Right.
It means purposefully drawing
fire from an officer of the law.
Let's pray together.
Come on.
Oh. The Screen of
Many Colors.
You got it.
Our proposal.
Oh, yes, yes. I've been
meaning to read that.
I will pay full
attention to it.
Dear Jesus,
we call upon you.
I pray to you, dear Jesus,
to take the souls of Gwen
and Jim in your arms.
In your loving arms,
embrace this family
for they have lost
a sheep named Carl.
He is adrift.
He is broken.
Bring Carl back to us.
That Pastor's lying!
Blaylock wasn't suicidal!
I have known Paul
for almost 30 years,
and I have never
seen him depressed.
This is insane.
I'm just going to talk to the police,
I'm just going to tell them...
Wait, wait, wait. Half the
force worships Pastor Dan.
They're down at the cathedral
practically every day doing
whatever it is you
people do down there.
What if you walk in there
and they arrest you?
I don't know.
Whatever you do, better
follow the Boy Scouts' code.
Be prepared.
What?
My chameleon got out.
Anyway, if there's jail time
involved, this always helps.
Trust me on that.
Oh!
Yeah, I don't know
if that's a good idea.
Been clean for
a long time, so...
I hear you, man.
But life gets rough.
My frackin' Pearl Jam guitar tech
boyfriend just broke up with me.
He's been on the road
for six months.
Guess how long it's
been since I got laid?
Six months?
My nerves are like a cat with
its tail in the wringer.
And I'm not even
going to prison.
No. No, no, no. We don't
know that that's happening.
Anyway, you'll be fine staying
clean in there, right?
No sex. No drugs.
Just like church.
So, while there's
still time...
Oh!
Oh!
I'm sorry.
No, it's okay.
There you are,
you little bastard.
Howdy, officer! Jim Hunt. Petty Chief, U.S.
Navy retired.
Are you familiar with the
Blaylock incident this morning?
The suicide at the USW?
You want Detective Peale.
Wonderful. Thank you.
What am I
looking at here, sir?
That belongs to me.
I passed it on
to Pastor Dan Day last night.
Today,
I found it in his office.
Now you might want to
question him about
the blood.
I'll open
an investigation.
But as this is ongoing, we need
you to keep this to yourself.
Standard procedure, okay?
Roger that.
Hey, can I
ask you something?
What's that?
Were you ever,
you know, at a show,
and somehow you
just started to believe
that the Dead
were controlling
everything?
You know...
I mean,
not just the music,
but the tiny little details,
you know?
Yeah!
I feel that way right now!
I know!
Except, do you want
to know what is what?
What is what?
I'm the one
controlling everything!
Ooh!
Yeah.
Control.
This song,
the clouds,
the sunlight.
You.
Me?
This... This van
with the Virgin Mary on it.
I'm controlling it
right now.
I'm...
Oh, Virgin Mary.
No, no!
Ow!
Get out of the car!
Let's go!
No! No, no.
No, I'm not the guy! I'm not the guy!
You got the wrong guy!
Get off Carl!
Carl! Carl!
I'm just saying you
got the wrong guy!
- Call for help!
- Call for help!
Oh!
Frack you!
God says to Noah, "I'm
going to flood the Earth.
"So, I'm going to
need you to build a ship
"to save yourself,
and your animals."
Hi. How are you?
Now, Noah felt something.
What did he feel?
Yeah?
Good?
Good, yeah.
But Noah also felt doubt.
Because Noah had
never seen rain before.
So, before the flood,
how did God water the Earth?
He watered it
from the ground up.
Okay? With mist. Yeah?
Are you talking about
steam from volcanoes?
'Cause there was
rain for a long time
before people
were on the Earth.
And it came from ice comets.
Okay, I don't really
know about ice comets,
but what I do know is that the
heart of worship is surrender.
And a surrendered people
always obey God's word.
You know, sweetheart,
that class is a gift.
You're not just learning
about scripture in there.
You're learning how to be
a member of a community.
And that's for
the rest of your life.
And I'm sorry if it sounds like
I'm coming down a little heavy
but I just want you
to respect that.
There are lots of girls in this
world who don't have what you have.
And they get into all sorts of
very, very hurtful things.
Maybe I shouldn't go to
the Purity Ball tonight.
Mom, it's
a father-daughter dance,
and if Carl's
not gonna be there,
I don't want...
Okay, this is not
about Carl!
He's coming home.
He'll be there.
He'll take you.
There's no reason
to think that...
Biscuits! Sweetheart,
would you get that for me?
No reason to think
that he won't take you.
That's probably him
right now.
Hello?
Mom, it's Betty.
She saw our car,
and it's in an accident.
What?
Carl Vandermeer,
Caucasian, age 39, 5'10"...
Uh-huh.
Where's Carl?
Where's Carl?
Excuse me? Excuse me, officer.
That's, uh...
That's my family
minivan right there.
Are you Mrs. Vandermeer?
I'm Mrs. Vandermeer.
Mrs. Vandermeer, we, uh...
Where's my husband?
There seems to have been a carjacking,
and possibly a kidnapping.
Where is my husband?
Well, we're trying to
figure that out right now.
I'm sorry,
who's this woman?
Hey.
Well, she was in the vehicle
when the incident occurred.
You were in my car?
Yeah.
What were you
doing in my car?
Ah. Just Hanging out. What were
you doing with my husband?
Ma'am, I'm going to
need you to calm down.
What did you do
with my husband?
No, I don't need
to calm down.
I'm a custodian
of the law.
Wait! I am obviously
not the problem here!
We hear you.
She looks like a drug addict.
Have you talked to her?
Is that what this is about? Mom.
Is this about drugs?
Mom.
Were you trying to get my
husband to take drugs?
From what I can tell, your
Pastor shot that professor.
Hey, hey, hey!
Mom! Mom!
I am armed
and dangerous! Okay?
Mom!
I have a sword
of the Spirit!
Mom!
It is the word of God!
Mom!
Let me at her!
Let me fight her!
Relax.
Relax! Settle down.
I get it now.
I get it.
Paul.
Can you hear me?
It was quite a night
last night. Quite a night.
Might be a while before we get
to write that book together.
I know you were probably upset with me.
I was, too.
I was afraid.
For the first time in a
long time, I was afraid.
But then I remembered
something. The big picture.
You see, this was no accident.
Oh, no.
Something wanted
this to happen.
Mmm-hmm.
You call Satan the unknown.
The trap was set.
And then,
just at the right moment...
Oh!
He's a tricky one.
All the pieces were
perfectly arranged.
You, me, Carl. Carl the wanderer.
The lost sheep.
Hmm.
Sometimes a sheep can be
a wolf sent on a mission
to betray the shepherd.
To destroy him and his flock. Leave
them all bleeding on the ground.
But we don't have to let
that massacre happen, Paul.
And you.
You. You're our
most valuable soldier.
I know you want to wake up, because
you think there's nothing after this.
You're afraid
just like I was.
But you don't have to be.
All you have to do
is accept Christ into your
heart as your savior.
Accept his gift
of eternal life.
I know you want this, Paul.
Give me a sign. Eh?
Heavenly Father,
we thank you for taking
Paul into Your loving arms.
He has earned his
place in Your kingdom.
You have written
his name in Your book.
Thank you, Father.
Thank you.
You're up.
And feeling good, yes?
I am Jorge Guzman de Vaca.
I'm Carl.
Vandermeer.
I know exactly
who you are.
Welcome to San Miguel de Allende, Mr.
Vandermeer.
Sammy... What?
Three hours
north of Mexico City.
Nice view, right?
Oh, man. I'm...
I'm in Mexico?
Yes! As my guest.
But I'm sorry for
the method of invitation,
and the fact that I had to
drug you for your journey.
But this was done merely in the
interest of your own safety.
You see, there are very
dangerous men looking for you.
And this is
what a friend does.
A friend?
Yes. Friend.
A friend is that man between two
of which there are no secrets.
But if there was maybe one tiny
secret, that would be fine,
because a friend trusts his
friend to keep that secret. Yes?
Mmm-hmm.
Yeah, I guess.
And if there is a man that you
don't trust to keep that secret,
then that man is
not your friend.
No, no, no.
But what is this?
Come on, follow me.
That's it! Oh, that's it!
Thank you!
Don't touch me! Thank you!
I'm sorry, but that's...
Where did you get this?
I have been following your
Pastor Dan for some time now.
How did... Why?
Why?
Because when you
follow a preacher,
eventually you're gonna
get something amazing!
Okay. Okay.
But don't worry about that.
Please, take a seat here.
Okay. Okay.
Wow.
Mr. Vandermeer.
I would like very much for you to
write down some things that I say.
You think
we can try that?
Okay. What things?
Just your own words.
Ready? Let's begin.
Okay.
"I, Carl Vandermeer,
being of sound mind..."
All right.
"...do hereby proclaim that
I did witness the terrible,
"unprovoked shooting of the innocent
unbeliever Professor Paul Blaylock
"by one
Pastor Daniel Day."
Daniel Day.
"And did also
witness Mr. Day
"place the weapon in question
in Mr. Blaylock's hand
"so as to make it
look like a suicide."
Sorry, I just got to tell you that with
this video, this could all be over.
Yes.
Please sign and date.
I might not even
have to go to prison!
Absolutely.
That's the whole idea.
Pastor Dan, he might not
have to go to prison!
He could plead like accidental
manslaughter or whatever.
Everybody wins.
But we're not quite done
with the writing part.
Just one more.
Hey, by the way,
you're doing great, man.
Would you like
some imported peanuts?
Thanks.
Great.
Ready? Here we go.
"I, Carl Vandermeer,
being of sound mind...
"Do hereby proclaim,
et cetera, et cetera,
"that because he was
keeping people from knowing
"the holy love
of God in heaven,
"thereby banishing them to the
brimstone-scented headquarters
"of Lord Lucifer Satan..."
Ooh!
"...I attempted to end the life of the
unbeliever Professor Paul Blaylock
"by shooting him
in the head."
What's going on here?
Mr. Vandermeer,
let me tell you about
where my wealth is born.
Roads. Houses.
Swimming pools.
Schools.
I build.
And now I have the chance to build
an entire city in the north
with cheap labor
from the south.
A billion-dollar
City on a Hill.
And with your
two confessions,
I can go give our friend Dan
something we all want,
a choice.
He chooses this paper,
he works with me
and prospers.
He chooses that one,
and he will see
his city and his life
collapse before
his very eyes.
Sign, date.
Eat, drink, swim.
You are my guest.
Please enjoy.
If you cannot tell,
the place is beautiful.
Of course, you cannot
leave the grounds.
I can't? For how long?
How long does it
take to build a city?
And what if I don't?
Then I will introduce
you to my cat.
It's not a little soft,
furry black and white cat
like maybe you have in the
United States of America.
This is a special cat.
It has nine tails.
And if you do not write
down exactly what I say,
I will beat you
with this cat
until blood pours out of
every hole in your body.
Okay. I got it.
Then I will
nail you to a cross
and I will throw you
over the mountainside.
I believe this
calls for a toast.
My friend,
to the City on a Hill.
I came as soon as I heard.
Yeah.
Gwen, she's...
Well, see for yourself.
Gwen?
Gwen?
Oh!
Hey.
Oh. Ha!
Oh, I was just trying to get my mind
off of, you know, whatever. So...
Doing a little painting.
So I see.
What is this, Gwen?
What are you doing here?
Um... Oh.
You're going to think
I've lost my mind.
No.
No, no, no, Gwen. Of course not.
This is... This is...
Okay. Well,
I think that Carl has been
taken away by drug dealers.
Who may or may not be
demonically possessed.
But it's more than that.
I think that the devil is
trying to use these drugs.
He's using drugs, he's using
women, he's using sex.
He's trying to pull him,
he's trying to pull him.
He's pulling Carl into
this state of confusion.
He's pulling him
away from the family.
And he's... It's like what
you've been talking about.
It's this darkness,
these whole dark forces
that are waging this spiritual
warfare against us.
And they took
Professor Blaylock
and they're
trying to take my Carl.
Yes. Yes, yes, yes.
But watching over everything
is the all-seeing eye of God.
It was supposed to be
the eye on the dollar bill.
Well, you've
captured it perfectly.
God may test us, but he always
watches over us. Always.
Everything that happens to
Carl is in God's perfect hand.
Nothing happens
by accident.
Everything's going
to be okay in the end.
Carl is in
God's hands now.
All we can do is trust.
Trust and wait.
Oh.
Thank you so much
for being here.
I'm gonna get
paint on you.
There, there, there.
Okay.
There you go. Oh.
Mom?
Oh!
Hey there, kiddo.
Look at you.
Sweetheart. Wow.
You are going to knock 'em
dead at the Purity Ball.
Beautiful.
I'll take
good care of her.
Thank you.
Angie,
do you promise to God,
yourself and your family
that you will stay pure
in your thoughts and actions
until the day you marry?
Well done. Well done.
Your belly is
a mound of grain
surrounded by lilies.
Your breasts
are like fawns,
twins of the gazelle.
That's nice.
You don't seem like
a poet kind of guy.
Many men are not what they seem, Mr.
Vandermeer.
Like your pastor.
He's a funny one, right?
I mean, I've been phoning him
constantly since last night
to make him a very
attractive offer. Yes.
And yet, silence.
Why do you think that is?
I think my wife's
in love with him.
That's the saddest
thing I've ever heard.
I know.
You do not deserve
this kind of torment.
You're a good man
in a cruel world.
A banquet of oranges.
A knife and the son.
Hey. It's time for bed.
You can bring your Bible.
Oh, help me, Jesus.
Oh, God.
Make it stop. Make it stop.
Make it stop, Jesus.
I have sinned, I have
sinned, I have sinned.
Oh!
Oh!
Oh, yes...
Thank you.
The works
thy hand hath made
Then sings my soul
My Savior God, to thee
How great thou art
How great thou art
Then sings my soul
My Savior God, to thee
How great thou art
How great thou art
Amazing what you
can get away with
when you put the word "pastor"
in front of your name!
I've been looking everywhere for you.
Should I call the police?
That won't be necessary.
You know what, Pastor Dan?
Oh, my goodness.
You're full of crap!
What are you doing?
I'd just like to say
that you are all welcome
to the Church of
the Third Millennium.
Hypocrite!
Stop lying about Blaylock!
Just as you are
welcome on this planet
that was created and
fine-tuned just for you.
Shut up!
Stop that!
Hello?
Hello, my friend.
I believe it is
time for us to talk.
I have some things I
would like to show you.
Anywhere.
- Tell the truth!
- Tell the truth!
Anytime.
I am ready.
Meet me please on the City on a Hill.
Alone.
You will see my face.
- Tell the truth!
- Tell the truth!
Two, three, five,
seven, one, pound.
Two, three, five,
seven, one, pound.
Who are you?
How did you get in here?
Praise!
I'm here to talk to you
about the gospel
of our risen Lord.
No! You cannot be here! Mr.
Jorge will be very, very mad!
You sure?
You must leave now!
It will just take a
moment of your time. Out!
Okay.
Out!
Uh...
Pardon.
Uh...
Am I in...
Is this Mexico?
- Gwen?
- Carl?
Hi.
Oh, are you hurt?
No, no. I'm fine.
Thank goodness.
I know, thank God!
Oh, Carl.
I have proof.
Proof of what?
Over that thing we
talked about yesterday.
Carl, are you dreaming again?
What?
No more dreaming, Carl!
Well, I have it on DVD.
Carl.
So, you can watch
it for yourself.
I'm calling Jerry.
I mean, I'm calling Dan.
No. No, don't.
You mustn't call him.
Under no circumstances
do you call him, okay?
I've already called the police,
they're on their way over.
Gwen?
Gwen?
And say goodbye
to the sunshine,
we have gray skies
on the way.
Peter, back to you.
And there's a new development
in our story
about University of the Southwest
professor Paul Blaylock.
Doctors report that the
professor is now awake.
Saying it wasn't
a suicide attempt at all,
but rather
an accidental shooting.
Well, I feel fine.
Cheers, and many thanks
to these fine professionals.
It's good to be back.
And you won't believe who
he's pointing the finger at.
Find out after the break.
Carl Vandermeer?
Oh, thank God.
For fuck's sake.
Watch your language!
Hey, broheim.
Hey.
I got you an egg salad.
Jerry, it's Gwen, again.
Um... I wanna make sure
you have Carl.
So, yeah, just give me a call
if you can when you get this.
Mom?
Yeah?
Is Carl coming home?
Yes, he is!
Any minute now.
I just want to
know what's going on.
Well.
Here's what's going on.
Ha-ha!
I was just thinking, maybe we
could have a party tonight.
It's gonna be awesome.
Calling all Vandermeers.
Hey, Pep-pep.
Hey.
Hi. Hi, darling.
So, where is he?
Sweetheart,
can we have just a minute?
Yeah, sure.
He was still ranting about,
I don't know what.
But he's alive!
That's the thing that matters.
I'm just praying that
Jerry Hobson
gets to him first.
What? Jerry Hobson?
I thought we agreed you were
going to tell the police!
Don't you remember
what Dan said?
"Suicide by police"?
Gwen,
I don't think Dan has been
telling us the truth.
Jerry, this is
not right, man.
Come on, this is fuck...
Frickin' crazy. Okay?
He's awake, the
professor's awake, Jerry.
He can tell you everything. He'll
explain it like I told you.
And you're
supposed to be a cop!
Hey, I can show
you guys something.
Look at this, right here.
On that DVD. This has
got everything on it.
You can see
with your own eyes. Huh?
Deception. Always
with the deception, Carl.
I took you to
the hospital, Jerry!
How about that?
Up here,
we're gonna banana left.
Jerry. God, Jerry. Jerry.
Remember in men's group how we
talked about forgiveness? Huh?
God! How Jesus and
that harlot lady,
and those guys,
the Pharisees,
they were going to
stone her for adultery?
Clear.
Hey, hey. Jesus!
For fuck's sake, Jerry!
I told you to
watch your language!
Sorry. Sorry. Sorry.
And Jesus said, "Don't
judge," whatever, "lest..."
You'll be silent!
Give me your lighter.
I don't smoke.
Matches?
Carl.
You got matches?
No. Gwen made me
quit smoking a year ago.
Remember when Gwen made
me quit smoking, Jerry?
Give me that thing,
the gun.
My gun? What for?
The electric...
The taser gun!
You're gonna shock him?
Just give it here.
Why are you doing this, Jerry?
Huh?
"The beast was taken, and
with him the false prophet.
"They were bound and cast
alive into a lake of fire."
For the love of God, man
I'm sorry, Carl.
I really am.
This is real hard for me.
Well, then, Jerry,
let's just forget about it.
But you're being
controlled by evil.
And when you're facing evil, you got no choice.
You got to destroy it.
Is this the safety?
No. Look,
just give it to me.
Careful with that
fucking thing, man!
Language!
Daniel.
Daniel.
So good of you to
come visit me here.
The city where
dreams come true.
This city
will be a sanctuary
for the children of God.
Yes. A lovely home
for you and your flock.
We want
the same thing, Daniel.
Just as I have been telling
you, I am your friend.
Oh? And what is it you
want from me, friend?
You have no business here.
Oh, but I do.
You see,
I want to be your partner in
creating this beautiful place.
I want to be involved,
deeply involved.
Never.
This city shall exist for the
sole purpose of keeping you out.
That breaks
my heart, Daniel.
Maybe this will help
to convince you.
You vile creature.
Daniel, accept my
sincere apologies.
It seems our
little friend Carl...
In the name of Jesus
I command you to leave
this place at once.
You shall tempt me no more
with your wicked fruit!
You need to
calm down, Daniel.
No! I am the anointed
servant of God!
And I tell you
to be silent!
Hey! You don't want to do that!
I cast you out!
God.
What did you...
Satan.
You may have this body.
But you will never
have my soul.
...the dangers of temptation
and the rewards
of obedience.
This is the end
of Chapter Two.
Chapter Three.
How does God test us?
Daniel.
You.
Daniel.
I knew you
wouldn't forsake me.
Dan.
Whoa! Oh!
Can you hear me?
Oh, I hear you
loud and clear.
Stay calm!
Oh, I'm calm.
Okay.
Hello?
I'm as calm as
a lake on a windless day.
Hello?
I'm here.
Hello?
I'm here. I'm here.
Hello?
Please, don't go.
Don't forsake me.
Not now.
911.
What is your emergency?
Yeah, I need an ambulance.
I'm here at
the Serabosa Flats.
Please.
At the City on
a Hill site and he's...
He's losing
a lot of blood.
I'm here.
Okay, sir.
I'm going to need you
to stay on the line
while I get that.
Just one question.
Can you answer
me one question?
Is my name in the book?
What?
Am I
going to Heaven?
Yeah.
Sure you are.
Thank you.
Oh, thank you.
You may tell them, madam
When you see them
I'm a poor
mourning pilgrim
I'm bound
to the promised land
You may tell them, Adam
When you see them
I'm a poor
mourning pilgrim
I'm bound
for the promised land
I weep, I mourn
And I move
Slowly on
I'm a poor
mourning pilgrim
I'm bound
for Canaan's land
You may tell them, father
When you see them
I'm a poor
mourning pilgrim
I'm bound for
the promised land
You may tell them,
my mother
When you see them
I'm a poor
mourning pilgrim
I'm bound for
the promised land
I weep, I mourn
And I move slowly on
I'm a poor
mourning pilgrim
I'm bound
for Canaan's land
You may tell them,
my brother
When you see them
I'm a poor
mourning pilgrim
I'm bound
for the promised land
You may tell them,
sweet sister
When you see them
I'm a poor
mourning pilgrim
And I'm bound
for the promised land
I weep, I mourn
And I move slowly on
I'm a poor
mourning pilgrim
I'm bound
for Canaan's land
Praise the Lord
Thank you, Jesus
Prove it to God
Yeah, yeah, yeah
I'm gonna
tell you a story
About this time
Found in the second
chapter of Acts
This is verse which
the prophet Joel spoke of
I'm tired, I'm drunk,
and I'm real high
In the spirit of God
Wait a minute
Did you hear what I said?
I said I'm drunk
Lord Jesus
And I'm real high
Lord, I got something
that your money can't buy
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Judge me in the morning
Judge me at night
Better be sure you
Judging me right
Hypocrites talking
Praising Cain
Oh, to be somewhere praising
My God's name
Down on my knees
Saying a prayer
Ooh, good God, yeah
Drunk right there
Said I'm drunk
And I'm real high
Lord, I got something
that your money can't buy
I don't have to
Rob and steal
Ooh, I got something
And I know it's real
Listen, young people
I'm gonna
tell you the truth
Get that fine and holy ghost
That's all you'll need
Listen, all people
I ain't gonna
tell you no lie
Real good feeling
You get high
Said I'm drunk
And I'm real high
Lord, I got something
that your money can't buy
Oh, yeah
This is what
the spirit is trying to check
Thank you, Jesus
I'm drunk and I'm real
high off the spirit of God
Yeah
Talk from the heart. Go.
Is it...
Oh, okay. Hey.
Well, I guess my story
starts right around here.
I was in town for
a show by The Dead.
And I was trying
to get a ticket,
and I needed
a miracle, really.
And one didn't come.
My van just sort of
up and ran out of gasoline.
So, I pulled into
this parking lot.
And I woke up the next day
and saw this big building,
and I went inside
to use the bathroom,
which you're not
supposed to do,
and I stayed for
the church service.
And, you know, really when
I would go to a Dead show
I always felt like
I was coming home,
but really it was like
one big party in a hotel room.
And with my family,
when we go to the church,
you know, it's kind
of the same thing.
We all get together,
and we... They play songs,
and there's a real
sense of community.
People are nice here.
It's me,
it's me, oh Lord
Standing in
the need of prayer
It's me,
it's me, oh Lord
Standing in
the need of prayer
Not my brother, not my
sister But it's me, oh Lord
Standing in
the need of prayer
Not my brother, not my
sister But it's me, oh Lord
Standing in
the need of prayer
It's me,
it's me, oh Lord
Standing in
the need of prayer
It's me,
it's me, oh Lord
Standing in
the need of prayer
When I look at
the historical record,
when I know deep
down what's at stake...
Oh, it's started
already. It's started!
Carl! Carl! Come on.
I believe He was
who He said He was.
A savior who took on
the sins of this world
and opened a door
to another world.
Hey, Jim.
Sorry.
You rock, Pastor Dan!
May I respond?
Please do, please do.
Very well, let's ask God
a few simple questions then.
Where was He during
the Spanish Inquisition?
9/11? The Holocaust? Disease?
Massive starvation?
Earthquakes?
And where has He been for the thousands
of years of human suffering?
Come on!
If there is a God,
has there been a more
unjust, lazy, vindictive...
Boo!
...capricious bastard in
all of human history?
How about you? Huh?
How about you?
Ladies and gentlemen, please.
Pastor Day, what do you see as the
evidence for the existence of God?
I see evidence for God
everywhere I look.
In law. In nature. In culture.
In fact, we're standing in an
auditorium full of evidence.
Is there any
evidence here tonight?
- Right here!
- Yes!
I see a face I know.
Yes, my husband!
Yes. Come on, son.
Carl, is it Carl Vandermeer?
Come on, stand up.
Yes!
There you go.
Not so long ago,
Carl was a lost soul.
He was a follower of a rock
group called The Grateful Dead.
A "deadhead"?
Is that it?
A deadhead.
Which meant a life of
alcohol, promiscuous sex,
drugs, lots and lots
and lots of drugs.
That lifestyle brought you a lot of happiness.
Didn't it, Carl?
No.
True happiness doesn't come from
destroying our beautiful brains.
It comes from submitting
to God's perfect plan for us.
And God's
perfect plan for Carl
was for him to meet a
beautiful girl named Gwen
and her daughter Angie.
They brought him to Christ.
Hallelujah!
Now he's got
a wonderful family,
a job in the publishing
department of my church,
but above all else,
love.
He is a transformed man.
Did he do all this
all by himself?
No! The fingerprints of God
are all over this man.
That's not nonsense.
That's evidence.
I wouldn't call it evidence.
I'd call it trading
one drug for another.
Oh, come on!
And I prefer the drugs
taken by deadheads.
At least you know
you're hallucinating.
Please.
Please, come on.
Thank you.
There we go.
Thank you so much for coming along.
Excuse me one moment.
Hey there, pretty lady.
Dan, so wonderful.
Thank you very much. Thank you.
So wonderful.
Great victory, Pastor.
You just demolished him.
Thank you, thank you.
Yeah, absolutely.
You must be Gwen's dad.
Yeah, that's right. Jim Hunt.
Petty Chief, U.S. Navy retired.
We've met in church.
Of course, of course.
Oh!
When you talked
about Carl, so moving.
Thank you. Well,
he is an inspiration, Gwen.
Nice job, buddy!
I framed it beautifully.
I even got kind of a nice halo around
your head from the stage light.
Thanks, Jerry!
Hey there, fellow traveler.
What?
Whoa!
I couldn't help but hear you've
been on the road, so to speak.
Whoa!
Okay...
Honey, Honey Foster.
On tour from '81 to '92.
Always find each other, huh?
Yeah.
That was a long time ago.
One minute you're in a van with nine
people, tripping out of your gourd,
and the next you're
campus security guard.
Churchy guy.
It's weird.
So what's up, man?
Well, uh...
I gotta... It was very
nice to meet you.
Oh.
Yeah.
Yeah.
All right.
Rock on, man.
Gwen and I have been batting around
an idea for the past couple of weeks.
And we'd like to
share it with you.
Please do.
We'd like to open a movie
theater, you know.
Where we could offer up a full
schedule of all Christian movies.
From The Ten Commandments
to The Passion of the Christ.
Mmm-hmm. I think it'd be perfect
for the City on a Hill.
Yes. Who created
this image?
Oh, that was Gwen.
Quickly. I did it really quickly.
It is lovely.
It's beautiful, Gwen. Absolutely beautiful.
You like it?
We could open with one,
and then we could expand it
into a chain across the...
Carl! Carl, come down here.
Don't be shy.
Really very beautiful. You have
a very talented wife here.
Oh...
Thank you.
Yes.
Well, I hope I didn't
embarrass you, Carl,
by getting you to stand up
and present yourself.
No, no. If it helps, I think that...
It's one of those...
He knows full well he's
an inspiration, right?
A beacon of hope.
Yeah, he absolutely is.
But you know, as for this...
Pastor Dan!
Nice performance.
Oh, thank you, Paul.
A cheap shot,
here and there.
Well, even God's not above
a cheap shot now and then.
Whatever it takes, Paul.
This is Carl Vandermeer.
Ah, yes, the deadhead.
And his wife, Gwen.
Hello.
Hello.
Yes. And this is her
father Jim over here.
- How do you do?
- Now, Pastor.
I traditionally invite my opponent
for a post-debate nightcap.
What?
A drink. My office.
Paul, I'm not sure about that. I have
a sermon to prepare in the morning.
I'll help you write it.
Bring your deadhead!
This is a great
opportunity, son.
I want you to make sure that
you get this to Pastor Dan.
Now don't forget.
It's real important.
Okay.
You're not coming?
I wouldn't break bread
with that dirty little atheist
if he was
the last man on Earth.
There you go.
Thank you very much.
Uh, no, I don't...
Oh. Right. Of course.
So, Pastor. A confession.
Mmm-hmm.
I lied.
I don't actually invite evangelists
I debate to share a drink with me.
Really?
However, you're different.
A worthy opponent.
Cheers.
Cheers.
So, there's something
I'd like to propose.
Mmm-hmm?
What's that?
We're both authors of
best-selling books.
Mmm-hmm. What if we
co-authored one?
Oh! A book-length
series of conversations
about our
opposing world views.
We go to my lake house, record
ourselves, just talking.
Write the whole thing
in a week.
It's beautiful up there.
Mmm. I'm sure.
I've even got a title.
The Great Divide by Paul
Blaylock and Pastor Daniel Day.
What do you think?
Well, Paul,
I'm a very busy man.
I have my church, my City on the
Hill project, my own books.
But, I must admit,
it's a very interesting idea.
My agent thought of it.
Could bring a lot of
non-believers to Christ.
Or believers to reason.
From the virgin birthers
to the Muhammad flew-to-heaven-on-
a-winged-horse variety.
What do you think, Carl?
Would you read
a book like that?
Uh, yeah. I read books
all the time about...
How do you think
we should go about
constructing
this conversation?
Begin at the beginning. Where
does religion come from?
I'm assuming you don't
believe it comes from God.
I agree with several of
our Deist founding fathers.
It comes from fear.
Belief in
the supernatural arose
to protect us from
the frightening unknown.
Whether it be volcanoes,
thunder, lightning, earthquake.
Death. Evil.
Somewhere along the line,
the supernatural became God.
And the unknown
became Satan.
Hmm.
But even if that were so,
Paul, the question remains.
Who is the ultimate judge
between good and evil?
Perfect.
Ourselves?
You see, without God,
everything is permitted.
It's all just random chance.
No real reason to do good.
I mean, what's to stop me
from killing poor Carl here?
Fantastic.
The collaboration begins!
Or you?
Oh!
What happened?
Oh, my God.
Oh, my God.
What did you do?
Professor Blaylock?
Oh...
I'm gonna call 911.
No, no, no.
Don't do that.
He's not breathing, Dan.
Oh!
Why are you doing that?
Oh!
Dan.
Hey.
Pastor Dan?
Yeah?
What are we doing?
Get in the car.
Are you okay to drive?
Get in the car, Carl.
Carl. You know that
the groundbreaking
for the City on the Hill
is in a few days.
Cathedral, medical
college, law school.
All of that will
turn to dust.
Don't you see?
Okay.
Carl.
You do understand?
This is in God's hands.
911.
What's your emergency?
Yeah. Yes, I just
heard a gunshot
coming from Paul Blaylock's
office, about 10 minutes ago.
Where are you located?
On campus.
Who am I speaking with?
What?
What is your name, sir?
I... Uh...
What is your name?
Carl! What's going on?
Ah!
I thought we were
getting broken into.
That dang bat.
Mom said if you saw it again
you should kill it.
You know that over
a million bats have died
because of something called
White-nose Syndrome or something?
Uh-huh. It's where this
fungus, this white fungus
that grows in their caves,
infects their nose
and then they
die because of it,
and scientists
really don't know why.
Where do you
learn all this stuff?
School and Wikipedia.
Oh!
Okay, okay.
Mom said
you have to kill it.
I know she did.
What were you doing
up so late, anyway?
Studying.
For Sunday school?
No, "school" school.
I think it got you
right in the face.
Right there.
Three.
Oh, my gosh,
this is amazing.
That feels great
on my abs.
This was a nice place
and you guys came in and...
Let's go to your bedroom.
What's he doing
to my dishes?
Oh, my God.
I've found my true mate
and you know it.
Never.
Even now, the evil seed
of what you have done
germinates within you.
You disgust me!
You are nothing
but an animal.
Daniel?
Yes?
Who is this?
This is a friend.
A friend?
That's right.
Do you know what
a friend is, Daniel?
A friend is someone who
knows all of your secrets.
But still wants
only the best for you.
But for that to happen,
we must work together.
Very closely.
You understand
what I'm saying?
Daniel?
Daniel?
Daniel.
The unknown became
Satan.
Here, Dan.
Thanks, Bedelia.
No problem.
Honey.
Are you going to
be all right?
Sure. Sure.
Okay.
It's nice to finally
have you over, Pastor Dan.
There's a powerful force
at work tonight, Jerry.
We have entered the physical
dimension of true spiritual warfare.
And in the midst
of that chaos,
God has led me
to you.
Home of Christian talk.
- Get your Jesus freak on.
Rise and shine. Angie?
Time to wake up.
Hey.
You okay?
Yeah.
Yeah?
Yeah, I just...
I had a bad dream.
Aw!
What happened
in your dream?
I don't remember.
How many people
do you know are
calling Spider-Man
a Christian parable?
Because I have to say...
Thanks again for taking care of
that awful thing last night.
I know you didn't want to.
The bat, Carl.
The one you killed?
Mmm!
Yes. What did Dan think
about our proposal?
Mmm.
I think that he... I think
he really liked it.
Good. Good. Dad will
be happy about that.
Yeah...
Um, Gwen, listen.
I need to...
Mom?
It's 10 to.
Oh!
Time! Let's energize!
Let's go, team.
Late, late, late,
late, late.
You better not be sleeping
during service, young lady.
And the Purity Ball
is tonight,
how are you going to
stay awake for that?
I'm awake.
You do remember you're taking her
to the Purity Ball tonight, right?
Purity Ball. Yes.
What is that again?
Carl.
The heavens declare
Oceans cry out
They want to know
The truth of your word
Camera two, medium shot
on the band, please.
Camera three,
tight shot on the drums.
Holy, holy, holy, holy God
I wanna know you
I wanna see you
I wanna see
Thank you.
Thank you very much.
Thank you very much.
Thank you.
Welcome to the Church of
the Third Millennium!
Please be seated. Camera
one, pick up Pastor Dan.
I have some very sad news.
Last night I had the great honor of
debating Professor Paul Blaylock
over at the university.
I just got word
that late last night
Professor Blaylock was
discovered in his campus office,
the victim of
an attempted suicide.
Doctors at the university operated
on him all through the night.
And they removed a bullet shot from
one of his beloved antique pistols.
And as we gather here,
in the warm embrace of each
other's hearts and Jesus Christ,
he lies in a deep coma.
Our prayers are with him and his
family in this hour of need.
My sermon today
was going to be
about strengthening
our community.
But this incident has touched
me so deeply inside,
I want to discuss and talk
about something else.
Spiritual despair.
Music.
Give Dan his music.
Sometimes,
we are not what
we appear to be.
To our friends and family
we seem happy and content.
But inside, deep
inside, we're lonely.
Lonely and empty.
Isolated from God.
A vehicle for darkness.
No one knows our secret.
Listen to my words.
I am declaring war on
this crisis of the Spirit!
It is as evil as any
cancer we will find!
Its only purpose is
our total destruction.
Is that what Jesus wants from us?
No!
Is that what God
wants from us? No!
No!
He wants us to fight back!
To fight back!
I'm asking each of you now to
light a spark in your heart.
A spark that will
grow into a mighty flame
that will chase away this
darkness and bring on the light!
We must fight this evil!
We will fight this evil!
And we will win! We will win!
We will win!
Amen! Amen!
I just wish that
everybody could hear
what was said in there,
you know?
It's so important...
Carl, you just had no idea
what was going to happen when you
were with him last night, did you?
The point is, the man
had nothing to live for.
I mean, if you think your only
destiny is to be worm food,
you might as
well off yourself.
Carl, could I
have a word?
Oh, hey, Jim. Gwen.
Jerry, hey,
let me just barge in here.
I gotta teach an art class
in literally one minute.
So, I'll see you
at home at 12:20.
Okay.
Okay, bye.
I want to help you but
you've got to come with me.
Just smile and
pretend nothing's wrong.
What are you
talking about?
I mean right now.
Hey. See you, Jim.
Jerry.
Hey, what's going on?
No talking, just moving.
Jerry?
Wait a minute.
Where are you parked?
Ezekiel.
Go, go, go.
Help me, it hurts!
That's because you aborted your baby, Jan.
You're going to hell!
Jerry...
Come on!
Where's your car, Carl?
Left.
I'll drive. I'll drive.
I'll drive.
Give me the keys!
Okay, okay, okay.
Keys.
What's going on, Jerry?
Pastor Dan told me
everything.
He did?
And if you listen to me
carefully and do what I say...
Okay.
...I think everything
will work out just fine.
Okay. Okay.
Please tell me this was
all a big mistake, right?
It was an accident,
you know?
And putting
the gun in his hand?
Was an even
bigger mistake, right?
It was just a panicked moment.
It just happened very quickly.
You're willing to go on the record?
With the police?
Yes. I am. I will.
Good.
Okay.
Here's the thing, Carl.
Okay.
Pastor Dan
wasn't in that room.
Right.
What?
He wanted to
call the cops.
But he didn't.
You know why?
Why?
Because he loves you, Carl.
And he wants to protect you.
The only way for
this to work out okay
is for you to just
admit what you did,
and leave him out.
What I did?
Me? What?
Yeah, what you did.
You shot that guy and tried to
make it look like a suicide.
No, Jerry, I...
Carl, I've gotten
hot under the collar...
Dan shot the professor!
...when Bedelia was doing
that thing at the barbeque,
you saw me go crazy.
None of this
happened, Jerry.
But shooting someone?
Pull the van over
right now, okay?
I would never
shoot someone!
I want you
out of my van!
Right now, Jerry!
Fine.
What are we doing here?
Let's go.
Jerry?
Hey.
You remember the story of
Abraham and Isaac?
From Bible study?
Yeah, the father
and son who go out...
God told Abraham to take his
son Isaac out into the desert
and make a sacrifice
of him!
Abraham loved his son
with all his heart.
But Abraham
loved God even more.
Jerry, Isaac was innocent!
And God changed his mind and
he told Abraham to let him go.
The whole thing was a test.
Don't confuse the issue!
You right or left-handed?
Huh?
Answer me!
I'm left-handed.
All right.
Let's get down on our knees,
and ask for forgiveness.
Now. Come on.
Come on.
Come on, here we go.
Jerry.
Close your eyes, Carl.
Close your eyes.
Okay. Just...
Jerry.
I said close them!
Okay, okay, Jerry. Jerry.
This is...
What are you doing?
We're friends, man.
Okay?
Our kids are friends. I let you
run the grill at my barbeque!
Why are you doing this?
Why are you making
me do this, Carl?
Someone's got to stop you from
taking this church over a cliff!
In this mission,
I am as Abraham was.
Huh?
Carl?
Carl, what just happened?
What's going on?
- Hello?
- Angie, where are you?
I don't know!
I just woke up.
Mom, I think Carl
just killed someone!
No, no, no.
Mom, no, no, no.
Wait, wait, wait, Mom...
Gwen?
Carl?
Yeah.
You said you'd
be home at 12:20.
She has no shoes.
You know that?
She hasn't decided on her shoes yet.
Okay, but I...
I think we might
have to call you back.
Is everything okay?
No, fine.
Okay. So, are you driving now?
Where are you exactly?
Who is that?
That's Jerry,
sweetheart.
Jerry Hobson.
Pop the trunk, honey.
It's Pep-pep!
The next thing I know
he had a gun on my head,
she popped out of the van, and I
hit him over the head with a rock.
Yeah, I had to drag
him to the van.
He was gonna kill me, he had
the gun right on me, man.
Oh, wow.
That is insane.
I know, Jim,
it's completely...
It's screwed up!
Watch the language!
It just doesn't
really make sense.
What I mean is, you've
gone completely insane.
Well, I mean...
I know Dan would never
do a thing like that.
Not in a million years. That's the thing.
Accident or no.
Gwen, I stood there and watched
him do it with my own eyes.
The way I watched Jerry Hobson take
me out to the desert to murder me.
Jerry.
Jerry-and-Bedelia Jerry?
Yes.
He did, Mom.
That is ridiculous.
No, Jim. Come on.
Why did you bring him?
I told you not to
tell anyone.
She brought me because
you're off in some kind of
acid flashback
la-la-land!
- Okay. Okay. Okay.
- Come on.
You dreamed that Pastor Dan
shot that professor,
and now you've hallucinated
this thing with Jerry Hobson!
Honey!
That is it!
What?
You had a bad dream
this morning!
This whole thing with Dan
that you think happened,
was that bad dream that you
couldn't remember! Yes!
Gwen...
That is it!
And the whole
thing with Jerry,
I'm sure it's
a misunderstanding.
Do you know that Bedelia told me
Jerry's been dieting recently?
That can really mess with
your blood sugar levels.
I know.
I can get very irritable...
Gwen, he went completely...
He went nuts! Okay?
He went completely...
Am I right?
He was really scary.
Crazy!
Honey. Honey, nobody's
going to hurt you.
You have messed
with this child's head
just the way you've
messed with your own!
Honey, why don't you tell Dan
about your dream?
He'll understand. People have
bad dreams all the time.
Just talk to him about it.
Are you even
listening to me?
Before
the Purity Ball tonight.
You listen to me, son.
When I was in the Navy,
I could look
into a man's eyes
and tell when he was
hiding something.
And you, my friend,
are hiding something.
So, whatever's going on,
I need you to
tell me about it.
I need you to
tell me straight,
and I mean right now.
Please, Carl.
All right.
But I...
I have to pee first.
Hey, come on!
Chicken! Let's go!
Leave a message for him.
Can I help you?
I met you the other night.
At the auditorium.
Oh! Hey!
There's the guy!
What's up, man?
Oh.
You're here for
Professor Blaylock.
I need to talk to you.
Holy crap!
You fraking kidding me?
The pastor?
Yeah.
The Church of the Third Millennium
Pastor who was on this campus
just last frackin' night?
There's a security camera on the
other side of that building.
It would have seen him and I both
leaving right after it happened.
Uh... Ooh... If the police
would look at that...
No. Uh-uh.
What do you mean no?
No. That was one
of the first things
they checked early
this morning, man.
Okay.
Here he comes.
And there he goes.
What the... No!
That's not what happened!
Yeah, are you sure?
Yeah, of course I'm sure.
I was there!
You've got to fix this, man.
Make it how it happened!
Come on!
I can't fix it, man.
I can't fix this, this
is the way it is, okay?
Could somebody have tampered with this?
Could it have been changed?
If they knew how to edit it, I guess.
Use old footage.
Alter the timestamp. They'd still
have to get in here first.
I was here until 10:00, okay? After
that nobody till 7:00 in the morning.
That's when I showed up.
Well, it was more like 7:40.
Because after
that thing last night
I had to go home and just relax.
Who else can get here?
Oh, man!
Almost a hundred people
can get in here.
Security professionals,
like us.
And the tech guys.
You know, if something goes
wrong with the equipment.
Yeah.
Jerry Hobson?
I'm at an intersection.
I said "Jesus, help me.
Please, show me a sign."
And at that exact moment,
the light turned green.
And I turned right.
And do you know what
was down the street?
The Church of
the Third Millennium.
That was Jesus telling me I
had to get intimate with God.
And that the way
was through Dan Day.
Thank you, Jesus!
...and I met three people
that day who changed my life.
Hello?
Hey, it's Officer Bill.
Hey, broheim.
...he told me God
had a plan for me...
Hear you got a photo?
Yeah.
And Angie who's
the first person
that ever made me
feel really needed.
Oh, and one other.
The guy I turned my life
over to, Jesus Christ.
Bingo.
Hey there, you two!
Good to see you.
Good to see you.
Great to see you.
Pastor.
Please, sit down. Make yourself at home now.
There you go.
Dan, do you need
anything else?
No, I'm all right, Bedelia.
Don't worry about me.
Thank you very much.
Nice to see you, Bedelia.
Hey, listen. Thanks
for coming by today.
How are we doing, anyway?
Always awesome!
Good, good.
Yeah. But it's been
a strange day today.
Hey, is there something
wrong with Bedelia?
Well, I don't know
how to say this...
Is this about Carl?
Apparently Carl attacked Jerry.
Out at the quarry.
Oh, my goodness!
Oh, for Pete's sake!
So, Bedelia's just
a little bit upset.
Jerry's okay. He just got a
few stitches in his head.
Oh!
He's not angry.
He's just very,
very concerned for Carl.
This is all so strange.
We saw Carl at lunch,
and he was talking...
Oh, you saw him today?
After church?
Yeah. He thinks Jerry attacked him.
He's out of his mind.
Well, this incident
with Professor Blaylock
has affected Carl very deeply.
Very deeply indeed.
Tell me, does he...
Did he have any
family history?
Like genealogy?
Paranoia. Depression. Violence.
I wouldn't be surprised.
Well, in any case, I think this has
sent Carl into a very dark place.
It's the very same thing I was talking
about in my sermon this morning.
Spiritual crisis.
At this moment in time,
Carl is lost.
He's adrift.
Should we call the police?
No, no.
I wouldn't do that.
It's much better that he
should be in his own community
rather than
sitting in a jail cell.
We have all the resources
here to take care of him.
In fact,
I shall counsel him myself.
Now, I'm going to give you Jerry
Hobson's cell phone number.
It's very important to let him
know about Carl's whereabouts.
Absolutely.
Otherwise, well,
suicide by police.
It's a very real thing.
Right.
It means purposefully drawing
fire from an officer of the law.
Let's pray together.
Come on.
Oh. The Screen of
Many Colors.
You got it.
Our proposal.
Oh, yes, yes. I've been
meaning to read that.
I will pay full
attention to it.
Dear Jesus,
we call upon you.
I pray to you, dear Jesus,
to take the souls of Gwen
and Jim in your arms.
In your loving arms,
embrace this family
for they have lost
a sheep named Carl.
He is adrift.
He is broken.
Bring Carl back to us.
That Pastor's lying!
Blaylock wasn't suicidal!
I have known Paul
for almost 30 years,
and I have never
seen him depressed.
This is insane.
I'm just going to talk to the police,
I'm just going to tell them...
Wait, wait, wait. Half the
force worships Pastor Dan.
They're down at the cathedral
practically every day doing
whatever it is you
people do down there.
What if you walk in there
and they arrest you?
I don't know.
Whatever you do, better
follow the Boy Scouts' code.
Be prepared.
What?
My chameleon got out.
Anyway, if there's jail time
involved, this always helps.
Trust me on that.
Oh!
Yeah, I don't know
if that's a good idea.
Been clean for
a long time, so...
I hear you, man.
But life gets rough.
My frackin' Pearl Jam guitar tech
boyfriend just broke up with me.
He's been on the road
for six months.
Guess how long it's
been since I got laid?
Six months?
My nerves are like a cat with
its tail in the wringer.
And I'm not even
going to prison.
No. No, no, no. We don't
know that that's happening.
Anyway, you'll be fine staying
clean in there, right?
No sex. No drugs.
Just like church.
So, while there's
still time...
Oh!
Oh!
I'm sorry.
No, it's okay.
There you are,
you little bastard.
Howdy, officer! Jim Hunt. Petty Chief, U.S.
Navy retired.
Are you familiar with the
Blaylock incident this morning?
The suicide at the USW?
You want Detective Peale.
Wonderful. Thank you.
What am I
looking at here, sir?
That belongs to me.
I passed it on
to Pastor Dan Day last night.
Today,
I found it in his office.
Now you might want to
question him about
the blood.
I'll open
an investigation.
But as this is ongoing, we need
you to keep this to yourself.
Standard procedure, okay?
Roger that.
Hey, can I
ask you something?
What's that?
Were you ever,
you know, at a show,
and somehow you
just started to believe
that the Dead
were controlling
everything?
You know...
I mean,
not just the music,
but the tiny little details,
you know?
Yeah!
I feel that way right now!
I know!
Except, do you want
to know what is what?
What is what?
I'm the one
controlling everything!
Ooh!
Yeah.
Control.
This song,
the clouds,
the sunlight.
You.
Me?
This... This van
with the Virgin Mary on it.
I'm controlling it
right now.
I'm...
Oh, Virgin Mary.
No, no!
Ow!
Get out of the car!
Let's go!
No! No, no.
No, I'm not the guy! I'm not the guy!
You got the wrong guy!
Get off Carl!
Carl! Carl!
I'm just saying you
got the wrong guy!
- Call for help!
- Call for help!
Oh!
Frack you!
God says to Noah, "I'm
going to flood the Earth.
"So, I'm going to
need you to build a ship
"to save yourself,
and your animals."
Hi. How are you?
Now, Noah felt something.
What did he feel?
Yeah?
Good?
Good, yeah.
But Noah also felt doubt.
Because Noah had
never seen rain before.
So, before the flood,
how did God water the Earth?
He watered it
from the ground up.
Okay? With mist. Yeah?
Are you talking about
steam from volcanoes?
'Cause there was
rain for a long time
before people
were on the Earth.
And it came from ice comets.
Okay, I don't really
know about ice comets,
but what I do know is that the
heart of worship is surrender.
And a surrendered people
always obey God's word.
You know, sweetheart,
that class is a gift.
You're not just learning
about scripture in there.
You're learning how to be
a member of a community.
And that's for
the rest of your life.
And I'm sorry if it sounds like
I'm coming down a little heavy
but I just want you
to respect that.
There are lots of girls in this
world who don't have what you have.
And they get into all sorts of
very, very hurtful things.
Maybe I shouldn't go to
the Purity Ball tonight.
Mom, it's
a father-daughter dance,
and if Carl's
not gonna be there,
I don't want...
Okay, this is not
about Carl!
He's coming home.
He'll be there.
He'll take you.
There's no reason
to think that...
Biscuits! Sweetheart,
would you get that for me?
No reason to think
that he won't take you.
That's probably him
right now.
Hello?
Mom, it's Betty.
She saw our car,
and it's in an accident.
What?
Carl Vandermeer,
Caucasian, age 39, 5'10"...
Uh-huh.
Where's Carl?
Where's Carl?
Excuse me? Excuse me, officer.
That's, uh...
That's my family
minivan right there.
Are you Mrs. Vandermeer?
I'm Mrs. Vandermeer.
Mrs. Vandermeer, we, uh...
Where's my husband?
There seems to have been a carjacking,
and possibly a kidnapping.
Where is my husband?
Well, we're trying to
figure that out right now.
I'm sorry,
who's this woman?
Hey.
Well, she was in the vehicle
when the incident occurred.
You were in my car?
Yeah.
What were you
doing in my car?
Ah. Just Hanging out. What were
you doing with my husband?
Ma'am, I'm going to
need you to calm down.
What did you do
with my husband?
No, I don't need
to calm down.
I'm a custodian
of the law.
Wait! I am obviously
not the problem here!
We hear you.
She looks like a drug addict.
Have you talked to her?
Is that what this is about? Mom.
Is this about drugs?
Mom.
Were you trying to get my
husband to take drugs?
From what I can tell, your
Pastor shot that professor.
Hey, hey, hey!
Mom! Mom!
I am armed
and dangerous! Okay?
Mom!
I have a sword
of the Spirit!
Mom!
It is the word of God!
Mom!
Let me at her!
Let me fight her!
Relax.
Relax! Settle down.
I get it now.
I get it.
Paul.
Can you hear me?
It was quite a night
last night. Quite a night.
Might be a while before we get
to write that book together.
I know you were probably upset with me.
I was, too.
I was afraid.
For the first time in a
long time, I was afraid.
But then I remembered
something. The big picture.
You see, this was no accident.
Oh, no.
Something wanted
this to happen.
Mmm-hmm.
You call Satan the unknown.
The trap was set.
And then,
just at the right moment...
Oh!
He's a tricky one.
All the pieces were
perfectly arranged.
You, me, Carl. Carl the wanderer.
The lost sheep.
Hmm.
Sometimes a sheep can be
a wolf sent on a mission
to betray the shepherd.
To destroy him and his flock. Leave
them all bleeding on the ground.
But we don't have to let
that massacre happen, Paul.
And you.
You. You're our
most valuable soldier.
I know you want to wake up, because
you think there's nothing after this.
You're afraid
just like I was.
But you don't have to be.
All you have to do
is accept Christ into your
heart as your savior.
Accept his gift
of eternal life.
I know you want this, Paul.
Give me a sign. Eh?
Heavenly Father,
we thank you for taking
Paul into Your loving arms.
He has earned his
place in Your kingdom.
You have written
his name in Your book.
Thank you, Father.
Thank you.
You're up.
And feeling good, yes?
I am Jorge Guzman de Vaca.
I'm Carl.
Vandermeer.
I know exactly
who you are.
Welcome to San Miguel de Allende, Mr.
Vandermeer.
Sammy... What?
Three hours
north of Mexico City.
Nice view, right?
Oh, man. I'm...
I'm in Mexico?
Yes! As my guest.
But I'm sorry for
the method of invitation,
and the fact that I had to
drug you for your journey.
But this was done merely in the
interest of your own safety.
You see, there are very
dangerous men looking for you.
And this is
what a friend does.
A friend?
Yes. Friend.
A friend is that man between two
of which there are no secrets.
But if there was maybe one tiny
secret, that would be fine,
because a friend trusts his
friend to keep that secret. Yes?
Mmm-hmm.
Yeah, I guess.
And if there is a man that you
don't trust to keep that secret,
then that man is
not your friend.
No, no, no.
But what is this?
Come on, follow me.
That's it! Oh, that's it!
Thank you!
Don't touch me! Thank you!
I'm sorry, but that's...
Where did you get this?
I have been following your
Pastor Dan for some time now.
How did... Why?
Why?
Because when you
follow a preacher,
eventually you're gonna
get something amazing!
Okay. Okay.
But don't worry about that.
Please, take a seat here.
Okay. Okay.
Wow.
Mr. Vandermeer.
I would like very much for you to
write down some things that I say.
You think
we can try that?
Okay. What things?
Just your own words.
Ready? Let's begin.
Okay.
"I, Carl Vandermeer,
being of sound mind..."
All right.
"...do hereby proclaim that
I did witness the terrible,
"unprovoked shooting of the innocent
unbeliever Professor Paul Blaylock
"by one
Pastor Daniel Day."
Daniel Day.
"And did also
witness Mr. Day
"place the weapon in question
in Mr. Blaylock's hand
"so as to make it
look like a suicide."
Sorry, I just got to tell you that with
this video, this could all be over.
Yes.
Please sign and date.
I might not even
have to go to prison!
Absolutely.
That's the whole idea.
Pastor Dan, he might not
have to go to prison!
He could plead like accidental
manslaughter or whatever.
Everybody wins.
But we're not quite done
with the writing part.
Just one more.
Hey, by the way,
you're doing great, man.
Would you like
some imported peanuts?
Thanks.
Great.
Ready? Here we go.
"I, Carl Vandermeer,
being of sound mind...
"Do hereby proclaim,
et cetera, et cetera,
"that because he was
keeping people from knowing
"the holy love
of God in heaven,
"thereby banishing them to the
brimstone-scented headquarters
"of Lord Lucifer Satan..."
Ooh!
"...I attempted to end the life of the
unbeliever Professor Paul Blaylock
"by shooting him
in the head."
What's going on here?
Mr. Vandermeer,
let me tell you about
where my wealth is born.
Roads. Houses.
Swimming pools.
Schools.
I build.
And now I have the chance to build
an entire city in the north
with cheap labor
from the south.
A billion-dollar
City on a Hill.
And with your
two confessions,
I can go give our friend Dan
something we all want,
a choice.
He chooses this paper,
he works with me
and prospers.
He chooses that one,
and he will see
his city and his life
collapse before
his very eyes.
Sign, date.
Eat, drink, swim.
You are my guest.
Please enjoy.
If you cannot tell,
the place is beautiful.
Of course, you cannot
leave the grounds.
I can't? For how long?
How long does it
take to build a city?
And what if I don't?
Then I will introduce
you to my cat.
It's not a little soft,
furry black and white cat
like maybe you have in the
United States of America.
This is a special cat.
It has nine tails.
And if you do not write
down exactly what I say,
I will beat you
with this cat
until blood pours out of
every hole in your body.
Okay. I got it.
Then I will
nail you to a cross
and I will throw you
over the mountainside.
I believe this
calls for a toast.
My friend,
to the City on a Hill.
I came as soon as I heard.
Yeah.
Gwen, she's...
Well, see for yourself.
Gwen?
Gwen?
Oh!
Hey.
Oh. Ha!
Oh, I was just trying to get my mind
off of, you know, whatever. So...
Doing a little painting.
So I see.
What is this, Gwen?
What are you doing here?
Um... Oh.
You're going to think
I've lost my mind.
No.
No, no, no, Gwen. Of course not.
This is... This is...
Okay. Well,
I think that Carl has been
taken away by drug dealers.
Who may or may not be
demonically possessed.
But it's more than that.
I think that the devil is
trying to use these drugs.
He's using drugs, he's using
women, he's using sex.
He's trying to pull him,
he's trying to pull him.
He's pulling Carl into
this state of confusion.
He's pulling him
away from the family.
And he's... It's like what
you've been talking about.
It's this darkness,
these whole dark forces
that are waging this spiritual
warfare against us.
And they took
Professor Blaylock
and they're
trying to take my Carl.
Yes. Yes, yes, yes.
But watching over everything
is the all-seeing eye of God.
It was supposed to be
the eye on the dollar bill.
Well, you've
captured it perfectly.
God may test us, but he always
watches over us. Always.
Everything that happens to
Carl is in God's perfect hand.
Nothing happens
by accident.
Everything's going
to be okay in the end.
Carl is in
God's hands now.
All we can do is trust.
Trust and wait.
Oh.
Thank you so much
for being here.
I'm gonna get
paint on you.
There, there, there.
Okay.
There you go. Oh.
Mom?
Oh!
Hey there, kiddo.
Look at you.
Sweetheart. Wow.
You are going to knock 'em
dead at the Purity Ball.
Beautiful.
I'll take
good care of her.
Thank you.
Angie,
do you promise to God,
yourself and your family
that you will stay pure
in your thoughts and actions
until the day you marry?
Well done. Well done.
Your belly is
a mound of grain
surrounded by lilies.
Your breasts
are like fawns,
twins of the gazelle.
That's nice.
You don't seem like
a poet kind of guy.
Many men are not what they seem, Mr.
Vandermeer.
Like your pastor.
He's a funny one, right?
I mean, I've been phoning him
constantly since last night
to make him a very
attractive offer. Yes.
And yet, silence.
Why do you think that is?
I think my wife's
in love with him.
That's the saddest
thing I've ever heard.
I know.
You do not deserve
this kind of torment.
You're a good man
in a cruel world.
A banquet of oranges.
A knife and the son.
Hey. It's time for bed.
You can bring your Bible.
Oh, help me, Jesus.
Oh, God.
Make it stop. Make it stop.
Make it stop, Jesus.
I have sinned, I have
sinned, I have sinned.
Oh!
Oh!
Oh, yes...
Thank you.
The works
thy hand hath made
Then sings my soul
My Savior God, to thee
How great thou art
How great thou art
Then sings my soul
My Savior God, to thee
How great thou art
How great thou art
Amazing what you
can get away with
when you put the word "pastor"
in front of your name!
I've been looking everywhere for you.
Should I call the police?
That won't be necessary.
You know what, Pastor Dan?
Oh, my goodness.
You're full of crap!
What are you doing?
I'd just like to say
that you are all welcome
to the Church of
the Third Millennium.
Hypocrite!
Stop lying about Blaylock!
Just as you are
welcome on this planet
that was created and
fine-tuned just for you.
Shut up!
Stop that!
Hello?
Hello, my friend.
I believe it is
time for us to talk.
I have some things I
would like to show you.
Anywhere.
- Tell the truth!
- Tell the truth!
Anytime.
I am ready.
Meet me please on the City on a Hill.
Alone.
You will see my face.
- Tell the truth!
- Tell the truth!
Two, three, five,
seven, one, pound.
Two, three, five,
seven, one, pound.
Who are you?
How did you get in here?
Praise!
I'm here to talk to you
about the gospel
of our risen Lord.
No! You cannot be here! Mr.
Jorge will be very, very mad!
You sure?
You must leave now!
It will just take a
moment of your time. Out!
Okay.
Out!
Uh...
Pardon.
Uh...
Am I in...
Is this Mexico?
- Gwen?
- Carl?
Hi.
Oh, are you hurt?
No, no. I'm fine.
Thank goodness.
I know, thank God!
Oh, Carl.
I have proof.
Proof of what?
Over that thing we
talked about yesterday.
Carl, are you dreaming again?
What?
No more dreaming, Carl!
Well, I have it on DVD.
Carl.
So, you can watch
it for yourself.
I'm calling Jerry.
I mean, I'm calling Dan.
No. No, don't.
You mustn't call him.
Under no circumstances
do you call him, okay?
I've already called the police,
they're on their way over.
Gwen?
Gwen?
And say goodbye
to the sunshine,
we have gray skies
on the way.
Peter, back to you.
And there's a new development
in our story
about University of the Southwest
professor Paul Blaylock.
Doctors report that the
professor is now awake.
Saying it wasn't
a suicide attempt at all,
but rather
an accidental shooting.
Well, I feel fine.
Cheers, and many thanks
to these fine professionals.
It's good to be back.
And you won't believe who
he's pointing the finger at.
Find out after the break.
Carl Vandermeer?
Oh, thank God.
For fuck's sake.
Watch your language!
Hey, broheim.
Hey.
I got you an egg salad.
Jerry, it's Gwen, again.
Um... I wanna make sure
you have Carl.
So, yeah, just give me a call
if you can when you get this.
Mom?
Yeah?
Is Carl coming home?
Yes, he is!
Any minute now.
I just want to
know what's going on.
Well.
Here's what's going on.
Ha-ha!
I was just thinking, maybe we
could have a party tonight.
It's gonna be awesome.
Calling all Vandermeers.
Hey, Pep-pep.
Hey.
Hi. Hi, darling.
So, where is he?
Sweetheart,
can we have just a minute?
Yeah, sure.
He was still ranting about,
I don't know what.
But he's alive!
That's the thing that matters.
I'm just praying that
Jerry Hobson
gets to him first.
What? Jerry Hobson?
I thought we agreed you were
going to tell the police!
Don't you remember
what Dan said?
"Suicide by police"?
Gwen,
I don't think Dan has been
telling us the truth.
Jerry, this is
not right, man.
Come on, this is fuck...
Frickin' crazy. Okay?
He's awake, the
professor's awake, Jerry.
He can tell you everything. He'll
explain it like I told you.
And you're
supposed to be a cop!
Hey, I can show
you guys something.
Look at this, right here.
On that DVD. This has
got everything on it.
You can see
with your own eyes. Huh?
Deception. Always
with the deception, Carl.
I took you to
the hospital, Jerry!
How about that?
Up here,
we're gonna banana left.
Jerry. God, Jerry. Jerry.
Remember in men's group how we
talked about forgiveness? Huh?
God! How Jesus and
that harlot lady,
and those guys,
the Pharisees,
they were going to
stone her for adultery?
Clear.
Hey, hey. Jesus!
For fuck's sake, Jerry!
I told you to
watch your language!
Sorry. Sorry. Sorry.
And Jesus said, "Don't
judge," whatever, "lest..."
You'll be silent!
Give me your lighter.
I don't smoke.
Matches?
Carl.
You got matches?
No. Gwen made me
quit smoking a year ago.
Remember when Gwen made
me quit smoking, Jerry?
Give me that thing,
the gun.
My gun? What for?
The electric...
The taser gun!
You're gonna shock him?
Just give it here.
Why are you doing this, Jerry?
Huh?
"The beast was taken, and
with him the false prophet.
"They were bound and cast
alive into a lake of fire."
For the love of God, man
I'm sorry, Carl.
I really am.
This is real hard for me.
Well, then, Jerry,
let's just forget about it.
But you're being
controlled by evil.
And when you're facing evil, you got no choice.
You got to destroy it.
Is this the safety?
No. Look,
just give it to me.
Careful with that
fucking thing, man!
Language!
Daniel.
Daniel.
So good of you to
come visit me here.
The city where
dreams come true.
This city
will be a sanctuary
for the children of God.
Yes. A lovely home
for you and your flock.
We want
the same thing, Daniel.
Just as I have been telling
you, I am your friend.
Oh? And what is it you
want from me, friend?
You have no business here.
Oh, but I do.
You see,
I want to be your partner in
creating this beautiful place.
I want to be involved,
deeply involved.
Never.
This city shall exist for the
sole purpose of keeping you out.
That breaks
my heart, Daniel.
Maybe this will help
to convince you.
You vile creature.
Daniel, accept my
sincere apologies.
It seems our
little friend Carl...
In the name of Jesus
I command you to leave
this place at once.
You shall tempt me no more
with your wicked fruit!
You need to
calm down, Daniel.
No! I am the anointed
servant of God!
And I tell you
to be silent!
Hey! You don't want to do that!
I cast you out!
God.
What did you...
Satan.
You may have this body.
But you will never
have my soul.
...the dangers of temptation
and the rewards
of obedience.
This is the end
of Chapter Two.
Chapter Three.
How does God test us?
Daniel.
You.
Daniel.
I knew you
wouldn't forsake me.
Dan.
Whoa! Oh!
Can you hear me?
Oh, I hear you
loud and clear.
Stay calm!
Oh, I'm calm.
Okay.
Hello?
I'm as calm as
a lake on a windless day.
Hello?
I'm here.
Hello?
I'm here. I'm here.
Hello?
Please, don't go.
Don't forsake me.
Not now.
911.
What is your emergency?
Yeah, I need an ambulance.
I'm here at
the Serabosa Flats.
Please.
At the City on
a Hill site and he's...
He's losing
a lot of blood.
I'm here.
Okay, sir.
I'm going to need you
to stay on the line
while I get that.
Just one question.
Can you answer
me one question?
Is my name in the book?
What?
Am I
going to Heaven?
Yeah.
Sure you are.
Thank you.
Oh, thank you.
You may tell them, madam
When you see them
I'm a poor
mourning pilgrim
I'm bound
to the promised land
You may tell them, Adam
When you see them
I'm a poor
mourning pilgrim
I'm bound
for the promised land
I weep, I mourn
And I move
Slowly on
I'm a poor
mourning pilgrim
I'm bound
for Canaan's land
You may tell them, father
When you see them
I'm a poor
mourning pilgrim
I'm bound for
the promised land
You may tell them,
my mother
When you see them
I'm a poor
mourning pilgrim
I'm bound for
the promised land
I weep, I mourn
And I move slowly on
I'm a poor
mourning pilgrim
I'm bound
for Canaan's land
You may tell them,
my brother
When you see them
I'm a poor
mourning pilgrim
I'm bound
for the promised land
You may tell them,
sweet sister
When you see them
I'm a poor
mourning pilgrim
And I'm bound
for the promised land
I weep, I mourn
And I move slowly on
I'm a poor
mourning pilgrim
I'm bound
for Canaan's land
Praise the Lord
Thank you, Jesus
Prove it to God
Yeah, yeah, yeah
I'm gonna
tell you a story
About this time
Found in the second
chapter of Acts
This is verse which
the prophet Joel spoke of
I'm tired, I'm drunk,
and I'm real high
In the spirit of God
Wait a minute
Did you hear what I said?
I said I'm drunk
Lord Jesus
And I'm real high
Lord, I got something
that your money can't buy
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Judge me in the morning
Judge me at night
Better be sure you
Judging me right
Hypocrites talking
Praising Cain
Oh, to be somewhere praising
My God's name
Down on my knees
Saying a prayer
Ooh, good God, yeah
Drunk right there
Said I'm drunk
And I'm real high
Lord, I got something
that your money can't buy
I don't have to
Rob and steal
Ooh, I got something
And I know it's real
Listen, young people
I'm gonna
tell you the truth
Get that fine and holy ghost
That's all you'll need
Listen, all people
I ain't gonna
tell you no lie
Real good feeling
You get high
Said I'm drunk
And I'm real high
Lord, I got something
that your money can't buy
Oh, yeah
This is what
the spirit is trying to check
Thank you, Jesus
I'm drunk and I'm real
high off the spirit of God
Yeah