BACKGROUND: Set in an alternate present, “The Underground: Angels of Light” imagines a world where for over 70 years the worship of Jesus (and other unregulated religions) has been outlawed, and only government controlled religious worship is legal in America. This comes after a sordid history where religion is blamed for some of the most egregious and radical acts of terrorism, hatred, division and violence in United States history. As a result, freedom of religion was amended in the constitution and over the years Christianity is all but forgotten. However, there is now talk of a new Christian website that sprang up seemingly over night on the dark web reigniting the Christian faith. Small pockets of new believers are beginning to worship in secret which threatens the establishment. The story follows Detective Morgan who is on a mission to apprehend those who worship illegally as many are waking up to the truth of the gospel for the very first time.

PURPOSE: The type of religious persecution displayed in this movie is meant to reflect that of many restricted and hostile nations in our world today as defined by Voice of the Martyrs. The heart of the movie is understanding how, and why, these believers choose to follow Christ under such difficult conditions, what it looks like to experience the Holy Spirit when all seems lost, and how to find peace in the midst of calamity. Thematically, this movie attempts to answer the question, “are we able to truly count the cost of following Christ when our faith is put to the test?” The primary goal of the film is to encourage believers to better identify with the persecuted church around the world by bringing it to American soil. With 309 million Christians living in places with “very high” or “extreme” levels of persecution, statistics reveal the startling fact that every day 13 Christians worldwide are killed because of their faith, 12 churches or Christian buildings are attacked and 12 Christians are unjustly arrested or imprisoned, while another 5 are abducted according to the Vatican News. Through this project it is also our hope that Americans will better appreciate the privilege we have to worship Jesus freely, that we will not take it for granted, and that we will use this time to live unashamed of the gospel.

ABOUT THE WRITER/DIRECTOR: David Evans is a former area representative for “Voice of the Martyrs” where for several years he studied the persecuted church and spoke at several groups and area churches on behalf of the ministry. Through KTF Productions, he wrote and directed 3 award-winning Christian movies; “Keep the Faith” (1993), “The Knight of Daye” (1995) and “Great Awakening” (1999). With “The Underground: Angels of Light”, he and his wife and co-producer, Jeannene, hope to produce another film drawing on what they’ve learned of the persecuted church and their filmmaking experience.