Sight & Sound explores biblical liberty in ‘The Great Awakening’

NASHVILLE, Tennessee — As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, the word “liberty” is resurfacing in cultural debates, but for Sight & Sound CEO Joshua Enck, it carries a deeper meaning, inspiring the ministry’s new film, “The Great Awakening.” 

“What this film really depicts is the biblical definition of liberty,” Enck told The Christian Post of Sight & Sound’s upcoming feature, starring John Paul Sneed and Jonathan Blair.

“On the Liberty Bell, it says, ‘Proclaim liberty throughout all the land and to all the inhabitants thereof.’ I want that liberty to ring out over this nation once again in the hearts of men and women.”

The film, set to open in movie theatres on April 3, centers on the unlikely friendship between 18th-century evangelist George Whitefield and Founding Father Benjamin Franklin, a relationship Enck said surprised him during research.

“This story really found us,” Enck, who directed the film, said. “It’s not that I had aspirations as a young child to do a film on George Whitefield. But when I started diving into the 250th anniversary and the concept of liberty, I found this incredible friendship.”

Whitefield, widely regarded as one of the most influential preachers of the Great Awakening, traveled thousands of miles on horseback throughout the American colonies. Franklin, though often described as a deist, became one of Whitefield’s greatest promoters, using his printing press to spread the preacher’s sermons.

“They were a team,” Enck said. “Franklin was the greatest promoter of the greatest event in American history. There were many preachers leading up to 1776, but there were none like Whitefield, and when you combined the power of his voice with Franklin’s ability to get the word out, it unified the colonies.”

According to Enck, before the political revolution came spiritual awakening: “Our tagline says it all: ‘Before the revolution, there was a revelation,’” he said.

In the film, Whitefield delivers a line that encapsulates Enck’s understanding of biblical liberty: “Blood will be shed for the liberty you’re talking about, but blood was already shed for the liberty.”

“The biblical definition of liberty,” Enck explained, “is that blood was already shed for us, freedom from sin so that we can serve the Lord freely. This film doesn’t shy away from the Gospel. We don’t soft-shoe anything.”

Rather than portraying historical figures as flawless icons, the film highlights their humanity and need for a Savior.

“We show the flaws of Ben Franklin. We show the flaws of George Whitefield,” Enck said. “God uses imperfect leaders to transform the world. That’s what happened in the Great Awakening.”

The timing, Enck believes, is significant. The original Great Awakening unfolded during a time of division among denominations and colonies, a time not unlike today. There’s a parallel, he emphasized, in today’s cultural climate marked by division and questions about truth.

“It was the first shared experience across the colonies,” he said. “Eighty percent of colonists didn’t just hear about Whitefield; they heard him preach. They were unified by something they could all believe in.”

“We need something that brings us back together as a nation,” he said. “This film doesn’t have a political agenda. We’re not trying to prove whether every founding father was a Christian. We’re simply telling how this powerful friendship ignited an awakening.”

Though the story has lessons relevant in today’s cultural climate, Enck emphasized that it also serves as a message to the Church.

“The big-C Church needs an awakening,” Enck said. “Before the fireworks and confetti are thrown for the 250th anniversary, we need to come back to the core of what true liberty really is.”

Whitefield himself, Enck noted, was an unlikely leader. Fatherless and raised by a mother who ran a tavern, he trained as an actor at Oxford before experiencing a religious conversion and turning his theatrical voice toward preaching.

“Because of his style, he was kicked out of the Anglican Church,” Enck said. “So he built his own traveling pulpit on horseback.”

One scene depicted in the film shows Whitefield preaching in a coal field in Bristol, England, drawing miners from underground.

“He wrote in his diary that he saw white streaks down their blackened cheeks from tears,” Enck said. “That’s the kind of revolution we’re talking about.”

The project marks another milestone for Sight & Sound, which has spent more than five decades building a reputation for large-scale, immersive biblical stage productions seen by millions of people in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and Branson, Missouri.

Founded in the 1970s by Glenn and Shirley Eshelman, the company is best known for epic live productions such as “Jesus,” “Esther” and “Noah,” featuring massive sets, original music and live animals. In March, the company will premiere a stage version of Joshua.

Today, Sight & Sound employs more than 800 people and reaches audiences worldwide through its theaters, touring productions and Sight & Sound TV, a streaming platform viewed in more than 165 countries.

Its expansion into feature films accelerated during pandemic shutdowns, when live performances were forced to pause.

“When our theaters were closed, the world couldn’t come to us, so we decided to go to them,” Enck, who joined the organization in 1995 as a stagehand and now oversees creative direction as president and chief story officer, said. Their first feature, “I Heard the Bells,” created on a shoestring budget, debuted at No. 2 at the box office.

“Our stage productions have always been very panoramic and cinematic,” Enck said. “The biggest adjustment was learning how to convey truthful moments when the camera comes close and personal.”

He recalled filming a pivotal six-minute speech delivered by Franklin in one continuous take, repeated eight times without error by a theatrically trained actor.

“That’s why I love working with theater actors,” Enck said.

Looking ahead, Enck attributes Sight & Sound’s longevity to discernment rather than trend-chasing. He summed up the ministry’s philosophy with an acronym: EGO, “Edging God Out.”

“We try to say no to hundreds of good ideas and yes to the God idea,” he said. “Once we know, we don’t look back.”

“We are anti-ego,” Enck said. “None of this is about us. It’s about bringing the Bible to life on stage and now on screen and getting out of the way of what God is doing.”