Friday, March 14, 2014

God's Not Dead- Movie Review

What if you had to take a class from a professor who told you that God did not exist?  What if you were told by that professor that you must write "God is Dead" on a piece of paper and then sign that paper and turn it in?  What would you do?


Josh Wheaten, played by Shane Harper, is faced with just that dilemma in the soon-to-be released movie God's Not Dead.  And instead of forsaking his beliefs, he chooses to defend God to his entire college Philosophy class to prove that God is not dead.

Would you?

Could you?

I have said it before, but it bears repeating, I am very hesitant to recommend movies.  We are a quite conservative family.  As in, my girls watched only movies with talking vegetables for many, many years!  (Please do not ask them how long. They may be a little bitter! haha)  But the movie God's Not Dead - well, I am telling you, it is worth seeing!  Thanks to Fly By Productions, my family and I had the privilege of previewing it a few weeks ago.  Yes, that is them, all squeezed on the couch watching on the computer...notice they left a small space for me.



In a carefully woven story involving multiple characters, Josh begins a quest in which he has to prove to his fellow classmates that God is indeed not dead, or fail his class.  Lest there be any room for confusion, Professor Raddison, played by Kevin Sorbo, has no intention of letting Josh pass.  Regardless, with the help of a pastor and some intense research, he takes on the challenge, despite some bumps along the way.


At the risk of being negative, let's face it, some Christian movies out there are just not done well.  I am happy to tell you that this is not one of those movies!  The acting is strong, featuring several faces you will recognize like Dean Cain and David A.R. White.  There are also cameo appearances from the Duck Dynasty folks,



and of course, The News Boys who sing the title song.



I have to tell you, we enjoyed this movie and are excited to see how it does in the mainstream theaters. There are a few intense scenes, one involving domestic abuse and one of an accident, so I would personally advise against allowing young children to watch.  Our 12 year old son was not disturbed by them, but I was a little!  There are a few plot twists that might surprise you and you have to really pay attention as the characters are plenty, but I think you will enjoy this movie.  I know you will enjoy the music.  And it may even help you in defending God when your turn comes.

You will want to check out the trailer to get a glimpse of this movie!

Now go see it - starting March 21st!
You can check out the God's Not Dead facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/GodsNotDeadTheMovie


If you are looking for some encouragement and Godly posts, head over to Christian Mommy Blogger!  Her Fellowship Fridays are are an amazing collection of posts that will not disappoint you!

http://christianmommyblogger.com



13 comments:

  1. Thanks for the review! My teens really want to see this.

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  2. Thanks for the review! My family and I are excited to see this!

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  3. Thanks for this review! My husband is a student pastor and we are taking a group to see this movie next weekend. After reading your review I'm even more excited! Thanks for linking up.

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    1. How cool Jacqui! How many are going? We would love to hear what you all think!

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  4. I am just curious how the film deals with the whole creation/evolution debate? I believe in the 6 day account but I'm not vehemently opposed to Christians who believe God created evolution. My dad however is and I want to spare myself from having to hear hours of 'that movie was terrible' if they teach evolution.

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    1. I do not remember that being an issue. The big debate is really focused on whether or not God exists. I think you will be safe! ;)

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  5. It seemed like a Hollywood A-movie and yet a Christian movie. Well-acted, produced and directed per normal Hollywood standards, I thought. Engaging from start to finish. I was not fidgety in my seat.

    The movie was not just the debate. There was drama. If you are a father or daughter, especially from an Asian culture, and even if you are of Western origin, there is a moment in the movie when you will be moved with a surge of simultaneous emotions (intense sadness, compassion, suspense, hope, etc.), so much so that there is lump in my throat and tears in my eyes as I write this. I can still see the torment on the father's face (an actor whom I have never seen before) and the daughter's anguish.

    I would see this movie again if only to see that part again.

    The debate is only about 20-25 percent of the movie. There is a bunch of other situations involving relationships, conflicts and life choices we all make, all smoothly and engagingly woven into the main storyline that moves at a very good pace.

    For Christians in the habit of watching faith programs, studying the Bible, reading faith books and regularly attending church and Sunday school there won't be much new in the debate. Nominal Christians and non-Christians who are intellectually honest will find the debate interesting, enlightening, even persuasive, and a couple of unexpected twists in the story captivating.

    I had never heard a particular Steven Hawking assertion (not mentioning it here because I don't want to spoil the movie for you) which the Christian student uses in the debate. There may be things like that many may not have read or heard before.

    What should have struck me long before the movie is how atheists and progressives tend to fast-talk their arguments (apparently to impress the common man with their intellectual superiority by attempting to prevent the man's brain from catching up with what they are saying) while believers and conservatives tend to be slow and deliberative in what they say because they want people to truly understand what they are writing and saying.

    Reminds me of a math major roommate I had in the Army who sent a girl a letter with the stamp deliberately affixed to the envelope upside down. He explained to me that the upside down stamp usually is a coded or subconscious message that the sender has romantic interest in the receiver. When the girl took the bait he went through this [faulty] probability reasoning to impress her, "proving" that the stamp was upside down merely by dumb chance.

    I believe it will be well worth the time and money you spend on this movie. I hope you won't miss it. If you are a Christian it will help you help others. If you are not a Christian I believe it will indeed entertain you at a minimum or change your life in a way you now think is impossible.

    Reginald

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  6. http://creation.mobi/gods-not-dead-review This movie endorses a billions year creation and our evolution. It is NOT promoting the literal Genesis 6 day/24 hr creation God spoke into existence.

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    1. I appreciate you leaving this link. While I do not agree with everything the review says, I do appreciate its stance. That is the great thing about this world- we all have different opinions and can bring them to the table respectfully. That being said I do want to state this- We did not feel that this movie was about evolution versus creation. Nor was the movie about proving the existence of God from scientific stance (Lee Strobel does a great job of this in some of his book.). The movie is about proving the existence of God from a philosophical standpoint. To read into the movie and assume that they are supporting evolution is to miss the point of the movie. Don’t get me wrong, I believe in a literal 7 day creation week, but the point of this movie is not to prove that. When trying to tell atheists about God, I believe you must start by proving to them there is a God. Then, I hope, we convince them that He loves them and died for them. Let’s do that before we split hairs on the age of the earth and exactly how God created it. I want to enjoy a movie and rejoice in the fact that we can even mention God in a mainstream theater- not dissect every thing that is said.

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