Cameron Arnett: No Matter What, Christ Is the Answer

John Farrell: Can you tell me a little about the movie, The Order of Rights?

Cameron Arnett: The Order of Rights deals with not only the rights of the woman, but also the rights of the man when it comes to the aspect of abortion and having the decision to make as to what happens with the baby once the woman becomes pregnant. When you look at men and things that have been labeled upon men — deadbeat dads and all these kinds of things — the reality is that there are so many fathers who want to be a part of their children and they almost have no rights within the system. We have to at least provide a voice for that because the time in which we’re now in fathers want to be able to raise their children and make it known that they’re not trying to escape the responsibility. That’s part of what this is all about.

JF: What is the overall message you hope people take from the film?

Cameron: I think the overall message from the movie is the fact that no matter what you’ve done, no matter where you’ve been, no matter what has happened in your life, that Christ is the answer. The bottom line is that we know what we’re dealing with abortion or sin of any kind. It’s about our relationship to Christ in that He was sent by the Father to forgive us of our sins past, present, and future.

We want people to know even though we are advocating for the life of the child, even though we are advocating for the voice of the male within this whole system, we’re also dealing with the effects that have happened because of their having already been a track record of a family. Just because they have had abortions in their past or those kinds of things, it is not the end of the game. It’s not the end of their lives.

Christ is still the answer and that He will redeem you from whatever you’ve done and that the Father God is still in love with them and they can have a life that God has redeemed and is also totally in love with.

JF: What does the film’s title, The Order of Rights, mean in connection with the overall message of the story?

Cameron: When you look at who primarily has the order of rights, is it the baby? Is it the mother? Is it the father? Is it the system? Where does that lie and who has the right to say what is right and what is wrong and what can be done and what shouldn’t be done.

When you look at what’s happening now in our society, you’re not even dealing with abortion as it used to be, but now you’re talking about the babies being born and letting them die on the slab or even piercing the back of their head and all these other things. Who has the right to make those choices? We’re looking at where does it start and where does it end? We’re trying to give some kind of clarity or at least looking at it from God’s viewpoint and getting his clarity on the matter.

JF: How is your character connected to the overall plot and how does his actions and viewpoints affect the overall direction of the film?

Cameron: The part that I play is the coach and I am in the film as a mentor to the main character going through this ordeal and providing him an understanding of what this means to him. What this means to the woman. What this means to the baby. What it means to his potential career. All these things, and bringing it into perspective.

I think it’s more or less a barometer for his mind, for his processing of the situation, so that he can put things in order and give him an understanding of what has happened in his past with his own family and those kinds of things. How it dovetailed into his decision-making process and what it means to him. The coach is the one that brings those things full circle as we see the movie going from beginning to end.

JF: While the sanctity of life of the unborn is a major theme in The Order of Rights, what are the greater implications for our society that has seen an increase in violence and loss of life?

Cameron: Yeah, I think that is exactly the point. The point is that now we don’t even esteem life. We don’t esteem the fact that a soul has come into a body.

I’ve done a lot of work with the pro-life movement and one of the things that I tried to get them to understand is that beyond them saving or all of us saving bodies, God is trying to save a destiny. The reason why God puts life inside a body is that He has something that He wants done and He needs somebody to fulfill it. Every person comes into life with a destiny to fulfill. God has a purpose and a plan for that person, for that life.

It’s a fact that now we don’t even understand that we’re not only aborting bodies we’re aborting God’s plan. And because God is God, He always has another plan. He always circumvents the evil of man, but the bottom line doesn’t mean that we are granted carte blanche to fulfill evil just because God can circumvent it.

I think people these days need to have an understanding that it is not just a snuffing out of a baby’s body, but it’s what did God have in mind and why do we not even have an esteem or understanding of it?

JF: Why is it important to present a fair-minded approach to both sides of the issue in the film and how can we better foster an environment and culture that listens and respectfully engages others who may have different views?

Cameron: A very good question. I think, first of all, you’re dealing with the need for the balance because the perspective or the mindset, which is false, is that men don’t care. That it doesn’t matter to a male what happens to this child that they are seeking to release themselves from responsibility. And the reality again, if you give that balance, there is a large segment of the male population who feels put upon.

Decisions are being made for them and upon them and they have no say. They’re already relegated to someone who does not matter and so it’s very important to get that balance of understanding, but also the importance of bringing that balance to a picture form where people can see it being done. It allows everyone, as a society, to see it and not just be talked to or driven to something, but being able to see what that looks like in an everyday life and that’s what I love about this film.

We get an opportunity to see it being lived out. It allows even those who have different opinions than ourselves to see the devastation, to see the effect that it has on other lives, and to see that it’s not just a matter of getting rid of a body, even though we may think it. Or that the concept may be even for a woman that she has a right over her own body and she’s making this choice to have it, it doesn’t have to do with anything else. But the reality of it is that later on in life, it affects not only the male, but also the female. It affects society. It affects everybody around that has to live now with the fallout of that decision.

I think movies allow us to see the fullness of that and how we can be a part of either changing or adding our voice to the situation so that things could be put right. That’s what I believe The Order of Rights will do and I’m very grateful to be a part of it.

JF: How did you get connected with The Order of Rights?

Cameron: Actually, it’s a very funny story in a sense of watching God connect the dots. I had done a few things before for a film and I happened to be at a film festival, the Kingdomwood Film Festival here in Atlanta, and I was a part of the panel and part of the festival itself. I happened to be introduced to Jim Ball and we hit it off.

He began talking to me about certain things and it was a few-year process, but the bottom line is that we were able to realize that we were part and parcel of the story. Things that had happened in my life and who he is and what the meaning of all of this is is a combination of things, of God connecting the dots between us. We knew that we were part of the answer and part of that puzzle.

He had two roles that he put together in order to make one role. I came on board and it’s a good story. I pray that it has the effect that God wants out of it.

Find The Order of Rights on Google Play and iTunes or visit OrderofRightsMovie.com.