Wrestling with God (1990)

Wrestling with God is the true story of Alexander Campbell, a man whose conscience came into conflict with the accepted religious precepts of his time, and the struggle and resentment he endured as a result. Campbell challenged the man-made doctrines of religious organizations to find his own form of personal faith. As the film begins, Thomas Campbell, an Irish minister, has left his home and ministry to settle in America, leaving his eldest son, Alexander to bring the rest of the family after he establishes himself in the new land. During 1808, the family was shipwrecked and forced to regroup in Glasgow, Scotland. Alexander spent the time studying at university and became disenchanted with the hypocrisy of the clerical establishment, severing himself from the church. Arriving in Eastern Pennsylvania, the family is reunited with Thomas, but Alexander dreads having to explain his act to his father. Finally forced to confront the situation, Alexander is amazed to find his father understands, having been through a similar experience with the local clerics who bicker incessantly over doctrinal minutiae. The two resolve to champion the cause of uniting all Christians into one peaceful, ecumenical body. Alexander meets and marries Margaret Brown. She becomes a strong influence, coaxing Alexander to utilize his gifts and involve himself in public debates with other groups. The resultant debates launch the movement that grows with Alexander's reputation and influence in matters both religious and political. The family suffers the loss of a child and finds Alexander in a whirlwind of public controversy over his positions. America in the earlggious thought. The Scottish Socialist, Robert Owen, later a mentor to Karl Marx, establishes experimental socialistic communities in Ohio and seeks a debate over the existence of God. Alexander accepts. Margaret is taken ill and dies suddenly, leaving Alexander with their five surviving daughters and admonishing him to always be true to the voice in his heart. In Cincinnati, before a sanctuary packed with humanity from both camps, Campbell faces Robert Owen in a debate that lasts seven days. Without a definitive resolution, Owen concedes that he is convinced at least to re-examine the source of Campbell's passion. Alexander rides home alone, weary, but heartened to move into his future. The source of Alexander Campbell's passion fired within him a heroic vision of religious liberty. The power of that passion drove him through 37 more years of tireless advocacy. Campbell became eminent in many fields an enlightened advocate of educational reform, an exponent of political reform, a champion of human liberty, a challenger of injustice and universally esteemed by the great figures of his day, friend and foe alike, as a man of wisdom, integrity, and vision. The voice in his heart rippled through the new country and beyond.