The collision of American Christianity with homosexuality receives fresh, tonic treatment in Daniel Karslake's For the Bible Tells Me So. It interweaves bracing discussions of the Bible with touching or harrowing stories from five church-going families who reacted in vastly different ways to a child coming out.

In its own sensitive but mentally tough manner, this documentary demolishes "literalist" interpretations of Scripture. Harvard's Rev. Peter J. Gomes notes "there are about 6 or 7 verses" in the Old and New Testaments that allude to gay conduct and contends that literalists have failed "to read the Bible within the context of its authors and of its original culture."

For the Bible Tells Me So (First Run Features) A documentary by Daniel Karslake. Unrated. Time 97 minutes.