Missionary Positions: Mockumentary or a Documentary?


 

This was the official website for the 2005 film, Missionary Positions.

Director Bill Day offers an insightful portrayal of two real-life heroes fighting the good fight. Whether questioning the First Amendment, the Christian movement or pornography itself, this often funny and always entertaining look at the world of porn and religion is one you won't soon forget.



Content is from the site's archived pages as well as from other sources.

SYNOPSIS

THIS IS A TRUE STORY… 

 

After hearing God say the word 'PORN' to them, two young Christian pastors are off on a quixotic journey into the world of pornography. Their mission? To help the poor suffering masses who are in the grips of a dirty, filthy smutty PORNO PLAGUE that is sweeping the world through the internet.

Their Journey takes them from the red light district of Amsterdam, to the Porn rehab facilities of Kentucky. They travel from the porn shows of Las Vegas to the porn sets of Hollywood.  But Far from being Drawling, big haired, CBN-style televangelists, Mike and Craig are two young guys who use the language of the Jackass generation to get their message across, with midgets and puppets and smirky, pranky commercials you can’t believe really exist.  They put up billboards, drive around in their Porn Car, fly banners across beaches and build “the number 1 Christian porn site – xxxchurch.com.”

But doing the work of the Lord is not always easy.  Not only are there money problems and personality conflicts, but also hate mail and Turkish computer hackers attempting to destroy their on-line ministry. Their wives are suspicious and Christian power politico Pat Roberston won’t let them on his Christian news show.

Ironically, the only real help Craig and Mike get comes from a publicity hungry, redemption seeking porn director named Jimmy D. When these three team up to produce a “Pete the Porno Puppet” public service announcement, it threatens to destroy them all.

 

 



Missionary Positions - Movie Trailer
After hearing God whisper the word "porn" in their ears, two hip young pastors set off on a quixotic crusade to help the countless sinners held captive by the "porno plague" engulfing the planet.

 

Is it a mockumentary or a documentary? ... One thing is certain. This movie could be harmful to your health, since you may be laughing so hard you'll injure yourself.
Steve Rhodes Internet Reviews

 

XXX Church Documentary to Premiere


March 08, 2005
Though Dionne Warwick may not show up, there’s a good reason to head to San Jose on March 11 for the San Jose Cinequest Film Festival, specifically for the premiere screening of Missionary Positions, a documentary film about the exploits of the xxxchurch.com.
What is the xxxchurch? Probably not what you’d think. The sect is comprised solely of Mike and Craig, two fervent young hipsters who allegedly heard God say the word “porn” to them. They interpreted the holy utterance as a call to help the poor, suffering masses who are in the grips of the filthy plague of porn that is sweeping the world through the Internet.
Yes, they’re for real, but they’re more Jackass than Falwell. To get their message across, the self-proclaimed “Porn Pastors” incorporate midgets, puppets, and smirky, pranky commercials in their pitch. They put up billboards, drive around in their Porn Car, fly banners across beaches, and build “the number 1 Christian porn site – xxxchurch.com.”
But doing the work of the Lord is not always easy. Not only are there money problems and personality conflicts, but also hate mail and Turkish computer hackers attempting to destroy their on-line ministry. Their wives are suspicious, and Christian power politico Pat Roberston won’t let them on his Christian news show. Head north and see how it all turns out.

 

 



 

QUOTES ABOUT MOVIE

"This movie is a courageous look at what most people see as glamour.  These guys seek answers to questions that we don't want to talk about. I love it!"

                                               Rob Beckley / Lead singer of Pillar- www.pillarmusic.com

“This is a story of passion and heart about an important subject.  It is one of those films you may not want to see, but a film you should see and a film you are glad to have seen once you’ve seen it.”

                                               Michael Miner – Screenwriter (Robocop/Anaconda)

 “Missionary Positions is honest and raw - it is a true life account of two guys embracing a calling to do something courageous. The movie challenges every follower of Christ to think about where Christ would be and what He would be doing to bring the gospel to a lost world."
                   Bernie Anderson / Senior Pastor- The Seventh-day Adventist Church of DeSoto.

 

"In the day and age of reality TV and the merchandising of women, this movie breathes life into that dead world and captures two men on a mission with humor, passion, and truth.  This is incredible."

                                                                                    Dave Tosti / Lead singer of pax217

 

REVIEWS

 


PORNO GUYS Craig Gross, left, and Mike Foster
have an anti-pornography ministry online.

 

Suffering the Pornographers

By JOHN LELAND

Published: October 31, 2004

RIVERSIDE, Calif.

CRAIG GROSS and Mike Foster, two young pastors from California, were looking for direction when one day in 2001, Mr. Foster said, God came to him in the shower and said one word: "Pornography." Mr. Foster, 33, said he did not often get such visits, and so he treated it as a divine calling. Since it came with no further instructions, the two reasoned that it was up to them to figure out what to do next.

And so it came to be that on a Sunday afternoon three years later, Mr. Gross, 28, and Mr. Foster were tooling around a mall parking lot here in a black Scion xB festooned with ads declaring, "XXXChurch.com: The No. 1 Christian Porn Site." An air freshener with an image of Jesus dangled above the dash.

"You can see people checking us out," Mr. Gross said.

For Mr. Gross and Mr. Foster, who sometimes refer to themselves as "the goofballs," it was just another day of 21st century ministry, combining technology, self-promotion, sensationalism and humor to address what they see as an equally up-to-date scourge on modern society: Internet pornography. Their approach bears little resemblance to what most people think of as church.

The two started their online ministry, XXXChurch.com, shortly after Mr. Foster's experience in the shower. Instead of posting Scripture online, they flashed, "Porn. Sex. Girls. Guys," in order to reach the people who wanted to see pornography, not ban it. Once the curious visit the site, they can download a free computer program called X3watch, one of several "accountability" programs designed for people who want to stop looking at Internet pornography but cannot do so on their own. Whenever a user visits a pornographic Web site, the program alerts his or her designated "accountability partner."

So far, Mr. Gross and Mr. Foster said, 100,000 people have downloaded X3watch, including all of the pastors at the church Mr. Gross attends. In his own case, his wife gets a list of every site he visits.

"Filters don't work," Mr. Gross said, speaking of programs that block Internet pornography. "Kids are smarter than that. Filters don't bring up conversation. A filter avoids the topic. Accountability forces you and another person to talk about what you're looking at. That's hard. We would have more downloads if it was a filter."

Mr. Gross and Mr. Foster have also set up booths at pornography trade shows and handed out postcards that said, "Jesus Loves Porn Stars." They joined with a pornography director to produce a public service announcement aimed at keeping the materials away from children.

Then there is the Porn Mobile.

As a couple approached the car at the mall, demanding an explanation, Mr. Gross took the lead. He had studs in both ears, and surfer bangs with streaked highlights.

"We're pastors," he said. "We're trying to get people to talk about the issue of pornography."

"Awesome," said the woman, Cindy Mosher, 40, who said she had just come from church. "My previous husband was involved in porn, and that was one factor that destroyed our marriage."

"I'm in marketing, and you have to go for extremes," Ms. Mosher added. "Christian churches are quite traditional. To bring people in, maybe we have to go to extremes."

Internet pornography is one of the vexing issues for churches today, especially those that take strict moral lines on sexuality. Some consider viewing pornography a form of adultery; others decry erotic images as addictive and destructive to marriage.

Pastors, like school officials, often face severe punishment if they are found to have looked at Internet pornography. In 2000 Christianity Today magazine surveyed its readers (anonymously) and found that more than a third of the pastors who responded said they viewed pornographic Web sites, a number only slightly lower than their parishioners.

Even this figure is low, said Archibald D. Hart, a senior professor of psychology at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, Calif. "I do conferences for 3,000 pastors a year, and this is a biggie wherever I go," Mr. Hart said.

In response, churches and lay Christians have created a circuit of "sexual addiction" seminars, 12-step programs and even residential treatment centers, modeled on drug or alcohol detox centers, where people can stay for months at a time. Most address pornography as psychologically damaging rather than as a sin, Mr. Hart said.

Mr. Hart, who surveyed pastors for his 1995 book, "The Sexual Man," said that most pastors and church members used Internet pornography at one time or another.

"In some of the more conservative denominations it is silent, it's a secret, no one talks about it," he said. "And those pastors are frankly in denial about the impact of pornography."

For Mr. Foster and Mr. Gross, who were both involved with conservative churches, the issue called for a generational break: not condemning pornography from on high, but forming relationships with both the producers and its consumers, including pastors.

Neither draws a salary from XXXChurch.com. Mr. Foster is also the communications pastor at Crossroads Christian Church, a nondenominational church in Corona, Calif. Mr. Gross speaks to Christian youth groups around the country as a founding partner in Fireproof Ministries, a nondenominational youth ministry.

Their unorthodox calling is the subject of "Missionary Positions," a documentary film made by Bill Day, a secular filmmaker. The documentary is rated R and includes profanity and suggestions of nudity.

On an autumn afternoon in Los Angeles, Mr. Gross and Mr. Foster attended a screening of the film, along with an audience that included James DiGiorgio, the pornographer who directed their public service announcement, and Ryan Dobson, the son of James Dobson, founder of the conservative Christian group Focus on the Family.

"The church has gotten prissy in not going to the porn conventions," said the younger Mr. Dobson, 34, who runs a ministry for surfers and skateboarders. "God bless Craig and Mike for doing it. I don't want to do it."

"I loved the movie today," he added. "I wouldn't play it in my church. But if you beeped out the swear words and covered up some of the nudity, I'd totally play it in my church." He said that the senior pastor at his church uses X3watch software and talks about it from the pulpit.

"He talks about his struggle with pornography," Mr. Dobson said. "He says, `I have X3watch on my computer, and my wife is one of my accountability partners. Why? Because I struggle. And I know people out there struggle as well.' I flock to a guy like that, because he's honest about it. We struggle together."

Mr. DiGiorgio, whose films include "Bodyshop Girls" and "Punished in Plaid," and who works under the name Jimmy D, took a different view of his unlikely collaborators. He appreciated that they did not preach at him, as other ministers had, he said. But mainly he liked their nose for publicity.

"These guys are like guerrilla marketers, they recognized right away that a controversial relationship would spark interest in the media," he said. "They saw it as I saw it."

In the movie Mr. DiGiorgio is seen filming a sexual act that he says he finds repugnant. But of his collaboration with Mr. Gross and Mr. Foster, he said: "I didn't do it for any kind of Christian value. I respect their faith, and so far they've respected my lack of it. I'm the first guy to admit that I'm sometimes conflicted about what I do. I've expressed that to them. But have they tried to minister to me? No, not really."

To Mr. Foster and Mr. Gross, their relationship with Mr. DiGiorgio, like their attendance at pornography events, gives them leverage to address the people scared away by church. "If Jesus were around today," Mr. Gross said, "he would be at porn shows. But most Christians would rather preach to Jimmy D, and if he doesn't accept Christ, move on to the next person. And you might reach more people, but Jesus worked with 12 people."

In the mall parking lot, Lana Olsen, 54, said she did not appreciate the shock tactics. "To me that is crossing the line," she said of the car. "I decided this was a porn person trying to make fun of the church. My son, an atheist, would think that's the enemy's greatest tool."

But Andy Allman, 19, who worked in the mall Starbucks, liked the car. "You guys are anti-porn, right?" he asked. When Mr. Gross explained that they were pastors, Mr. Allman, was interested. "Really?" he said. "Because I've been looking for a church. Can you recommend one?"

 

 

 



Rotten Tomatoes Reviews

***** Chris M
April 18, 2005
Excellent foray into a topic that is only savored by the sordid and comedy clicks. This documentary portrays two people operating from the most basic levels of faith and altruism to help combat a hidden sickness that has flown just under the moral radar of our society. Humor and compassion abound in this excellent tale of spirituality and sexuality that couldn't have hit the silver screen at a more appropriate time. A powerful viewing experience.

+++

**** Nathan C
April 17, 2005
Just finished the screening of this movie at my church. What a great film! This is a subject that everyone struggles with. Please put this in the theatres for all (adults!) to see!!

 

 

 



Amazon Reviews

Sam Chupathingy
5.0 out of 5 stars
It's a great story about fighting against the odds
November 10, 2014
Format: Amazon Video|Verified Purchase
It's a great story about fighting against the odds - and it's true! It's a good movie for Christians and anyone else who has struggled with porn addiction. Honestly, I feel that this is much less a how-to-quit-porn video - though they definitely let you know which website to go to for help - as much as it is a story about pursuing your calling. I loved it. The story of the two pastors was absolutely heartwarming. A good and very human image of what being a Christian is like.

+++

Danny
1.0 out of 5 starsAdult video:
February 24, 2014
Format: Amazon Video|Verified Purchase
It wasn't what I expected. I usually do good with selections in this category. Not this time. I'll research the category better.

+++

Daniel G
3.0 out of 5 stars Not what you think
December 31, 2012
Format: Amazon Video|Verified Purchase
This is a documentary about two pastors who use a unique way to get the word out that porn is bad. It is interesting though.

+++

Steve
1.0 out of 5 stars utter deception by 2 real life ministers
March 12, 2011
Format: Amazon Video
2 ordained ministers preach at you after you, the sinner, were foolish enough to think that the hot woman in the bikini was indicative of the contents.
In other words, preachers are lying to you to get you to watch their preach a thon.
There is absolutely nothing inside that resembles the cover.

Utter dreck.

+++

1.0 out of 5 stars I am a Christian and this was a disgrace.
October 29, 2012
Format: Amazon Video
Well like I said I am a Christian and I have to agree with most of the reviews on this one. It was very much the two pastors with a mission to show the various evils of sexuality. Not even the evils of porn but more of sexuality in general. This is where it really got me upset the idea that porn and sexuality were, while they never came out and said it explicitly, somehow one and the same and as a result bad for you. What a joke. The video if you pay attention is highly edited and not in the normal way things should be edited but more of the Micheal Moore way of editing. Edit it so it shows what your world vision is on this topic and that is the reality when in fact it is not the reality. Typical of evangelical thinking which imho is what is destroying my faith and making it hard for everyday Christian to interact with those not of the faith. Sexuality is not a sin or bad, in fact if you read the Bible for yourselves you find that God put very little limits on sex. You won't here that on this video or at the local church for that matter, everything is filthy and off limits, whether its porn or not. If its sexual in any way you should be ashamed; so cover up that ankle. :) Okay, a little drastic on that last sentence but you get the idea. Stay away from this one its outright garbage.

+++

Honest Unbiased Opinions
2.0 out of 5 stars Disagree with the premise of this film
March 5, 2013
Format: Amazon Video
Didn't like the fact these "film makers" used porno in a presumably good intentioned, but poorly veiled/executed manner. I find it difficult to believe they needed to go to Amsterdam or other locations to delve into "porn" to understand it. And overall (although I turned it off mid way) it seemed to reek of a convenient excuse to take in what they claimed was wrong in the first place. I don't need to be a heroin addict to know it's bad, so if their intent is to make films about things like this, basing their opinions on their experiences, it seems to be more opportunistic than anything else.

+++

what can I say
3.0 out of 5 stars soso
February 18, 2013
Format: Amazon Video
I didn't really like it so I stop less then half way through . So I would skip this one and save your time for something else . But at least the title is funny .

+++

Grayghost
3.0 out of 5 stars Neat!
February 24, 2013
Format: Amazon Video
Even though its a low budget film, it was pretty good. Sums it about right on christianity. I honestly wasn't to facinated after watching the film as it was nothing like the cover. And to include I'm not too big on documentaries unless it science or anti-religion.

 



 

BIO - DIRECTOR BILL DAY

 

Born is St. Louis, Bill grew up in Miami and graduated from High School in Costa Rica. His interest in filmmaking began with the family movie camera at age 13. " As a teenager, I used to go to the Miami Beach hotels and pretend I was filming New York mobsters on vacation with their mistresses. I never had any film in the camera, but I loved the thrill of it and the usual chase by hotel security.

Bill's love of filmmaking led him to UCLA  film school where he received a Master of Fine Arts in 1985.   "I studied dramatic filmmaking," Bill says, "but my heart was always in documentaries. 

Bill has been involved in dozens of films and documentaries and worked for all the major networks including ABC, NBC and CBS. He has worked in many parts of the world, including Latin America, Europe, Africa, Asia, India and the South Pacific. "I was even in New York for 9/11 and was at ground zero filming on day 2." Bill says.  Just after that I found myself in the cockpit of the space shuttle Endeavor on another project. You can't beat that kind of contrast in feature films. I've had a very rich life so far and hope the lucky star continues." 

filmography

"Missionary Positions" Feature Documentary-SmilingZebra Films (2004)-Producer/Director
"Alt Rock& Roll Years" Discovery Intl. (2003)- Director
"Temples of Rock and Roll" - Discovery Travel (2003) Segment Producer/Shooter
"Sept 11 Stories" - ABC 20/20 (2001) - Shooter
"The Coroner" - ABC 20/20 (2000)-Field Producer/Shooter

"Everyday Elegance" (Africa), WE/ AMC -2000 -Shooter
"Hopkins 24/7" -Six hour prime time special, ABC News, 2000 Field Producer/Shooter
"California Rock" 1 hour music special -TLC, 2000 Producer Producer/Director/Co-editor
"California Rock”, Travel Channel 1999 – Director / Co-producer
"Paramedics, (Las Vegas Pt. 1) TLC, 1999- Producer/ Shooter
"Trauma- Life in the ER, (New York) TLC,1999 - Shooter
"Seven Years in Tibet" (Making of), Sony Pictures,1997-Producer
"Secrets of..." UPN, Ecuador/Costa Rica1996 - Field Producer
"Saviors of the Forest" (serialization)- National Geographic, Ecuador1996- Director
"What'd I Say" - The crazy world of song writing -National Rock and Roll Museum,1996 -Editor

 

MissionaryPositionsMovie.com