LAS VEGAS, NV (ANS) -- While producing the online program Cultural Diplomacy, Eric Bumpus, Founder of CeaseFireStrategies (CFS), saw the need to encourage and award those who are taking a more active approach and wish to do something about the enmity that Christians and non-Christians are building between each other.

Film maker Dan Merchant, winner of the first annual 'Cultural Diplomat' Award

Bumpus created the Cultural Diplomat award to foster a positive change in culture, as opposed to the traditional complaining through boycotts and angry letter-writing campaigns.

"Historically, these have been shown as ineffective and only work at 'rallying the troops' to get others angry or provide free publicity for the product or company that receives the public boycott," said Bumpus in a media release.

He added: "Instead of thinking outside the box, to work with others of differing views and finding mutual gain, these strategies often work against themselves.

"Electronic Arts, a videogame company, recognized this and, last June, held a protest outside the Los Angeles Convention Center. This protest was made up of Christians protesting the release of their new video game, Dante's Inferno.

"The twist -- it was all staged. It wasn't real -- no Christian protestors, no protest; simply an event put together by their PR department to raise awareness of the game, which won’t even be released until 2010."

According to the CFS news release, in order to adequately evaluate the award nominees, judges needed to be someone who either had a background in film (or understanding of entertainment), and they had to have experience in the integration of Theology and culture.

CeaseFireStrategies brought in Mikel Wisler, filmmaker and speaker on philosophy and faith in film, to head up the judging panel.

Wisler assembled the panel and created the structure for how each nominee would be critiqued.

Several factors were chosen for determining the nominee's effect on cultural interaction, among which included: presentation, level of dialogue/engagement, bridge-building between sub-cultures/co-cultures, mainstream appeal of the project, offering up new perspectives, and how well the project allows for listening to opposing views.

Panelists included: Mikel J. Wisler who is a filmmaker, writer, and speaker, having directed several short films with international festival play and distribution. He holds a BA in Philosophy and Liberal Studies with concentrations in Writing, Theatre, and Cinematography from Bethel College, as well as studying at the Los Angeles Film Studies Center.

Wisler continues to work in independent filmmaking and video production, and he has worked on feature films, including Midnight Clear (starring Stephen Baldwin) and Silk Trees. He is currently the Associate Producer for
the feature film, The Legend of Oak Swamp. Mikel lives in Boston, MA, with his wife Danae.

Also on the panel were Matthew Erdel, Andrew Gilbert, and Matthew Eaton.

Erdel is a recent graduate from Bethel College, holding a BA in Philosophy and English. He is an MTS (Masters of Theological Studies) candidate, attending Notre Dame this fall, to study Moral Theology. Matthew lives in Northern Indiana.

Andrew Gilbert has been studying film for many years, as well as producing short films with international distribution and film festival play. Gilbert earned his BA from Bethel College, in Theatre Arts, and he is an alum of the Los Angeles Film Studies Center.

Gilbert also holds an MA in English and Creative Writing from Indiana University - South Bend. He teaches college-level English and theatre, as he continues to work in independent filmmaking. He's currently directing a short film called "Evaluating Kaitly." Andrew lives in Northern Indiana with his wife, Darcy.

Matthew Eaton holds a BA in Biblical Literature from Bethel College and an MA in Archaeology from Wheaton College. He is currently an MATS (Master of Arts Theological Studies) candidate in Theology/Ethics at Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary. Matthew is an avid film viewer, comic book lover, and music fan. He lives with his wife, Meridith, in South Bend, Indiana.

Last February, CeaseFireStrategies (CFS) announced the nominees for their first annual Cultural Diplomat award.

The 2008 nominees selected for the award, include:
1. Dan Merchant - Lord, Save Us From Your Followers (film).
2. Craig Detweiler and John Marks - Purple State of Mind (film).
3. Pastor Joost Nixon and Michael Collender - St. Anne's Public House, a quarterly audio magazine.
4. Barbara Nicolosi - writer, educator and speaker on the topic of scriptwriting.

Bumpus commented: "Each nominee was a superb choice for this award, but it was Dan Merchant and his film, 'Lord, Save Us From Your Followers', that received the accolades of the judging panel."

Merchant is an Emmy Award winning television writer/producer, and a film screenwriter.

Advertsing Poster for 'Lord Save Us From Your Followers'

'Lord, Save Us From Your Followers' explores how secular America really sees Christians and realistically exposes: "How effective is the impact we are really having?"

The entertaining yet thought-provoking film, which has been featured on THE TODAY SHOW and in USA TODAY, dramatically investigates the collision of faith and culture in America.

The film's creator and director Dan Merchant conducted exclusive interviews and left no stone unturned in this engaging, unpredictable and challenging look at the conflict over religion in America.

Merchant's television credits include: Executive Producer/Writer of VH1's critically acclaimed rock and roll Twilight Zone anthology series, Strange Frequency, hosted by The Who's Roger Daltrey; Soccer Moms, a pilot script for CBS/Warner Bros.; and with the regional Emmy winning Bill Nye the Science Guy.

A media release about film maker Merchant's work says that in the wake of civil discourse on the hot button social issues devolving to bumper sticker slogans like "Choose Life - Your Mom Did" or "Democrat and Christian" or "God Made Adam and Eve, Not Adam and Steve," Merchant "faces the American religious culture dilemma head on" with the upcoming theatrical release of his film, 'Lord, Save Us From Your Followers: Why Is the Gospel of Love Dividing America?' releasing nationwide on September 25, 2009. See www.lordsaveusthemovie.com  for more details.

According the Merchant, "Talk radio and cable news have clogged the airwaves with so much divisive rhetoric over faith in the public square that 'Us versus Them' seems like the only alternative. Americans on either side of this cultural divide have grown content with screaming across the abyss at each other."

Writer/director Merchant had to do something…and in his words, "desperate times call for desperate measures."

A follower of Jesus himself, Merchant, in his 'bumper sticker suit,' interviewed folks at Times Square and everywhere, running into the same situation -- non-believers who don't have a problem with Jesus, but vehemently dislike many who claim Him.

Christianity Today magazine says: "Merchant's documentary turns on a deceptively simple question: Why is the gospel of love dividing America? With a nonchalant manner that miraculously never comes across as judgmental, Merchant zeroes in on politicians, Christian organizations, religious leaders and even the church. Lord, Save Us From Your Followers is incisive and fair, goofily funny and deeply moving. There is no watering down of the gospel. Merchant knows sin when he sees it. He simply finds the plank in his own eye of greater importance than the mite in his neighbor's."

"Everyone has a dog in this fight." says Merchant. "Everyone has an opinion on God, on why we're here, on what we are supposed to be doing. The surprise is that we all are secretly yearning for the yelling to stop and for the conversation to begin."

In an effort to jumpstart the conversation, Merchant interviewed anyone who would say "yes," from cultural lightning rods like Senatorial candidate Al Franken and former "Religious Right" Senator Rick Santorum, "liberal evangelical" Tony Campolo, best selling author William Paul Young (The Shack), conservative talk show host Michael Reagan, religious TV host Matthew Crouch, author Dr. John Perkins and many more.

'Lord, Save Us…' also features segments and news clips with Bono, Bill Maher, Bill O'Reilly, Stephen Colbert, Jon Stewart, George Clooney, Pastor Rick Warren (Purpose Driven Life), James Dobson, Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson among others.

The media release explains that in the tradition of entertaining documentaries like Super Size Me, Bowling for Columbine and What the Bleep Do We Know? , 'Lord, Save Us From Your Followers', "employs the language of pop culture to create a provocative, amusing and redemptive film-going experience."

With the successful use of man-on-the-street encounters with "Bumpersticker Man," a "Culture Wars" game show, a moving "Confession Booth" at a gay pride event (where Merchant himself actually does the confessing) 'Lord, Save Us From Your Followers' delves into all the hot button issues with candor, humor and balance bringing everyone into the conversation.

The news release says that through advance screenings in places as diverse as Seventh Day Adventist churches to evangelical megachurches, from secular schools like Reed College to Baptist schools like Baylor University, Merchant has been able to somehow, remarkably bridge the "great divide" through his film.

"The film has also had a broad run throughout the worldwide festival circuit, playing faith-friendly and mainstream festivals alike, being chosen as a participant and award winner by many festivals across the country," the release says.

"We know what we think," Merchant said of his fellow Christians, "and we often think that's good enough. But if you don't understand anybody else, how can you have a real conversation? Are we truly following The Gospel of Love or have we turned it into The Gospel of Being Right?"

In the CFS media release Bumpus stated: "CeaseFireStrategies wishes to congratulate Dan Merchant, for his film 'Lord, Save Us From Your Followers', as the inaugural recipient of the Cultural Diplomat award for 2008.

"As the film continues to gain ground and find success (including a theatrical release starting September 25), CFS is honored to present Dan with this award."

Bumpus added: "Seeking to find the answer to the question, 'Why is the Gospel of love dividing America?' will be a defining moment for the direction of US culture and an issue that CFS is proud to recognize as 'Diplomacy in action.'"

For more information about CeaseFireStrategies, visit: www.ceasefirestrategies.com or, to learn more about the 'Cultural Diplomat' nominees, visit: www.ceasefirestrategies.net/awards08.pdf .

CFS Contact Information: Eric Bumpus, ceasefire_strategies@yahoo.com  

For more information on Merchant's movie, log-on to: www.lordsaveusthemovie.com.  

** Michael Ireland, Chief Correspondent of ANS, is an international British freelance journalist who was formerly a reporter with a London (United Kingdom) newspaper and has been a frequent contributor to UCB Europe, a British Christian radio station. Michael has traveled to Albania and the former Yugoslavia, Holland, Germany and the former Czechoslovakia, Israel, and Canada. He has reported for ANS from Jordan, China, Russia, Jamaica, Mexico, and Nicaragua. Michael's volunteer involvement with ASSIST News Service is a sponsored ministry department -- Michael Ireland Media Missionary (MIMM) -- of A.C.T. International of P.O.Box 1649, Brentwood, TN 37024-1649,at: Artists in Christian Testimony (A.C.T.) International where you can donate online to support his stated mission of 'Truth Through Christian Journalism.'