God's Not Dead (film)
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''God's Not Dead'' is a 2014 American
Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...
directed by Harold Cronk and starring Kevin Sorbo, Shane Harper, David A. R. White, and
Dean Cain Dean George Cain ( né Tanaka; born July 31, 1966) is an American actor. From 1993 to 1997, he played Clark Kent / Superman in the TV series '' Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman''. Cain was the host of '' Ripley's Believe It or Not! ...
. Written by Cary Solomon and Chuck Konzelman from a story they co-wrote with Hunter Dennis and inspired by Rice Broocks' book ''God's Not Dead: Evidence for God in an Age of Uncertainty'', the film follows a Christian college student (Harper) whose faith is challenged by an
atheist Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no ...
philosophy professor (Sorbo), who declares God a pre-scientific fiction. The film was produced by Pure Flix Entertainment in association with Check the Gate Productions, Red Entertainment Group, and Faith Family Films and released theatrically on March 21, 2014, by Freestyle Releasing. ''God's Not Dead'' was a commercial success, grossing over $62 million on a $2 million budget. Despite this, it was heavily panned by mainstream critics, who criticized its screenplay, Cronk's directing, performances, mean-spirited tone, characters, and use of
straw man A straw man fallacy (sometimes written as strawman) is the informal fallacy of refuting an argument different from the one actually under discussion, while not recognizing or acknowledging the distinction. One who engages in this fallacy is said ...
arguments and common stereotypes of atheists, instead of any actual debate. The film successfully spawned a film series of the same name, consisting of four
sequels A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music, or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the same ...
.


Plot

In the fall of 2013, Josh Wheaton, a college student and
evangelical Christian Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of th ...
, enrolls in a philosophy class taught by Professor Jeffrey Radisson, an
atheist Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no ...
. Radisson demands his students sign a declaration stating " God is dead" to pass his class. Josh is the only student who refuses. Radisson requires Josh to debate the topic with him but agrees to let the rest of the class decide who the winner is. In the first two debates, Radisson has counter-arguments for all of Josh's points. Josh's girlfriend Kara demands that Josh either sign the statement or drop Radisson's class, as standing up to Radisson will jeopardize their academic future. When Josh refuses, Kara breaks up with him. In the final debate, Josh halts his line of debate to ask Radisson: "Why do you hate God?" Radisson explodes in rage, confirming he hates God for his mother's death. Josh asks Radisson how he can hate someone that does not exist. Martin, a Chinese student whose father forbids him from talking about God to avoid jeopardizing his brother's chance at overseas study, stands up and says, "God's not dead." Most of the class follows Martin's lead, and Radisson leaves the room in defeat. Radisson dates Mina, an evangelical whom he belittles in front of his fellow atheist colleagues. Her brother Mark, a successful businessman and atheist, refuses to visit their mother, who has
dementia Dementia is a syndrome associated with many neurodegenerative diseases, characterized by a general decline in cognitive abilities that affects a person's ability to perform activities of daily living, everyday activities. This typically invo ...
. Mark's girlfriend Amy is a left-wing blogger who writes articles critical of '' Duck Dynasty''. When Amy is diagnosed with cancer, Mark dumps her. A
Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...
student, Ayisha, secretly converts to
Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...
and is disowned by her infuriated father when he finds out. Josh invites Martin to attend a
Newsboys Newsboys (sometimes stylised as newsboys) are a Christian rock band that has existed in various permutations since its founding in 1985 in Mooloolaba, Queensland, Australia, by Peter Furler and George Perdikis. Now based in Nashville, Tenness ...
concert. Radisson reads a letter from his late mother and is moved to reconcile with Mina. Amy confronts the Newsboys in their dressing room but asks them to help guide her in converting to Christianity. On his way to find Mina, Radisson is struck by a car and fatally injured. A pastor waiting at the intersection tends to Radisson and helps him come clean of his sins and regain his religious faith as he dies. Mark finally visits his mother but mocks her for her faith. She responds that his financial success was given to him by
Satan Satan, also known as the Devil, is a devilish entity in Abrahamic religions who seduces humans into sin (or falsehood). In Judaism, Satan is seen as an agent subservient to God, typically regarded as a metaphor for the '' yetzer hara'', or ' ...
to keep him from turning to God; then, she does not remember his name. At the concert, the Newsboys show a video clip of
Willie Robertson Willie Jess Robertson (born April 22, 1972) is an American TV personality, businessman, author and news contributor. He is best known for his appearances on the reality TV series ''Duck Dynasty'' on A&E (TV channel), A&E, and is the current CEO ...
congratulating Josh on standing up to Radisson and encouraging the audience to text "God's Not Dead" as a message to others. The Newsboys then begin to play their song " God's Not Dead", dedicating it to Josh.


Cast

* Shane Harper as Josh Wheaton, an
evangelical Christian Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of th ...
college student * Kevin Sorbo as Professor Jeffrey Radisson, Josh's philosophy class teacher and a self-professed
atheist Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no ...
* David A. R. White as Reverend Dave, the
pastor A pastor (abbreviated to "Ps","Pr", "Pstr.", "Ptr." or "Psa" (both singular), or "Ps" (plural)) is the leader of a Christianity, Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutherani ...
of St. James Church, plays a larger role in the sequel * Trisha LaFache as Amy Ryan, an atheist blogger who is diagnosed with cancer * Hadeel Sittu as Ayisha, a
Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...
student who secretly converts to
Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...
* Marco Khan as Misrab, Ayisha's estranged father, who finds out about her conversion * Cory Oliver as Mina, Professor Radisson's girlfriend and an evangelical Christian *
Dean Cain Dean George Cain ( né Tanaka; born July 31, 1966) is an American actor. From 1993 to 1997, he played Clark Kent / Superman in the TV series '' Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman''. Cain was the host of '' Ripley's Believe It or Not! ...
as Mark, an atheist businessman, Mina's older brother, and Amy's boyfriend * Jim Gleason as Ward Wheaton * Benjamin Onyango as Reverend Jude, a Christian minister from
Ghana Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...
who becomes Dave's friend * Cassidy Gifford as Kara, Josh's girlfriend * Paul Kwo as Martin Yip, a foreign exchange student and Josh's best friend who becomes a Christian *
Newsboys Newsboys (sometimes stylised as newsboys) are a Christian rock band that has existed in various permutations since its founding in 1985 in Mooloolaba, Queensland, Australia, by Peter Furler and George Perdikis. Now based in Nashville, Tenness ...
as themselves *
Willie Robertson Willie Jess Robertson (born April 22, 1972) is an American TV personality, businessman, author and news contributor. He is best known for his appearances on the reality TV series ''Duck Dynasty'' on A&E (TV channel), A&E, and is the current CEO ...
as himself, the host of '' Duck Dynasty'' *
Korie Robertson Korie Howard RobertsonGenzlinger, Neil (October 7, 2012 ''New York Times''. Retrieved May 28, 2013 (born October 24, 1973) is a reality television star on the A&E show '' Duck Dynasty''. Life and career Robertson is the daughter of John and C ...
as herself, Willie's wife * Alex Arstidis as Fahid, Ayisha's younger brother * Lenore Banks as the mother of Mina and Mark, a Christian with
dementia Dementia is a syndrome associated with many neurodegenerative diseases, characterized by a general decline in cognitive abilities that affects a person's ability to perform activities of daily living, everyday activities. This typically invo ...
* Franklin Graham as himself (voice only)


Inspirations

The film's script was inspired by lawsuits involving the place of the Christian faith in universities and by the book ''God's Not Dead: Evidence for God in an Age of Uncertainty'' published by Pastor Rice Broocks.


Production

The film was shot from October to November 2012, in
Baton Rouge, Louisiana Baton Rouge ( ; , ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It had a population of 227,470 at the 2020 United States census, making it List of municipalities in Louisiana, Louisiana's second-m ...
, with the concert scene done in
Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...
, Texas. However, exterior shots of the concert were filmed at
Staples Center Crypto.com Arena (originally and colloquially known as Staples Center) is a multi-purpose indoor arena in downtown Los Angeles. Opened on October 17, 1999, as Staples Center, it is located next to the Los Angeles Convention Center complex along F ...
. The film soundtrack was released on March 3, 2014, by Inpop Records. For the 10th anniversary, an extended cut of the film (which runs at 128 minutes) was released on home media.


Reception


Box office

The film became a surprise success at the box office. In its first weekend of release, the film earned $9.2 million with an $11,816 per-screen average from 780 theaters, causing ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...
''s Adam Markovitz to refer to it as "the biggest surprise of the weekend". During that weekend, it finished third behind '' Divergent'' and '' Muppets Most Wanted'' at the box office. The film began its international roll-out in Mexico on April 4, 2014, where the movie grossed $89,021 its opening weekend. ''God's Not Dead'' grossed $60.8 million in North America and $3.9 million in other territories for a total of $64.7 million, against a budget of $2 million. At the end of 2014, ''God's Not Dead'' was ranked 93rd in terms of worldwide gross, and finished with $64.7 million worldwide.


Critical reception

On the
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the film received 13% positive reviews, based on 24 reviews, with an average rating of 3.20/10. The consensus reads, "Deploying sledgehammer theatrics instead of delivering its message with a dose of good faith, ''God's Not Dead'' makes for bad drama and an unconvincing argument to the unconverted." On
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, the film received a score of 16 out of 100, based on six critics, indicating "overwhelming dislike". Elaine Wilkinson criticized the film for presenting a narrative based on a Christian persecution complex in the United States, specifically the idea of colleges as "atheist factories", a premise criticized as an inaccurate stereotype by Emma Green, writing for ''
The Atlantic ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher based in Washington, D.C. It features articles on politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 185 ...
''. Writing for ''
The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was created in ...
'', Emily St. James gave the film a "D−", saying, "Even by the rather lax standards of the Christian film industry, ''God's Not Dead'' is a disaster. It's an uninspired amble past a variety of Christian-email-forward bogeymen that feels far too long at just 113 minutes". Reviewer Scott Foundas of ''
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'' wrote "... even grading on a generous curve, this strident melodrama about the insidious efforts of America's university system to silence true believers on campus is about as subtle as a stack of Bibles falling on your head ..." Some sources and blogs have cited the film's similarities to a popular
urban legend Urban legend (sometimes modern legend, urban myth, or simply legend) is a genre of folklore concerning stories about an unusual (usually scary) or humorous event that many people believe to be true but largely are not. These legends can be e ...
.


Evangelical and Roman Catholic response

The
Alliance Defending Freedom The Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), formerly the Alliance Defense Fund, is an American conservative Christian legal advocacy group that works to expand Christian religious practices within public schools and in government. ADF is most known ...
, American Heritage Girls, Faith Driven Consumer, Denison Forum on Truth and Culture,
Trevecca Nazarene University Trevecca Nazarene University (TNU) is a private Nazarene liberal arts college in Nashville, Tennessee. It was founded in 1901. History TNU was founded in 1901 by Cumberland Presbyterian minister J. O. McClurkan as the "Pentecostal Literary a ...
,
The Dove Foundation The Dove Foundation is an American non-profit organization based in Portland, Oregon, that issues film reviews, ratings and endorsements of movies that it considers suitable for family audiences, and that bases said reviews on their Christian v ...
and Ratio Christi have all endorsed the film. Dave Hartline of ''The American Catholic'' gave ''God's Not Dead'' a positive review and hoped that other films like it would follow. Vincent Funaro of ''
The Christian Post ''The Christian Post'' is an American non-denominational, conservative, evangelical Christian online newspaper. Based in Washington, D.C., it was founded in March 2004. News topics include the Church, ministries, missions, education, Christi ...
'' praised the film for being "a hit for believers and may even appeal to skeptics searching for answers". Evangelical
Michael Gerson Michael John Gerson (May 15, 1964 – November 17, 2022) was an American journalist and speechwriter. He was a neoconservative op-ed columnist for ''The Washington Post'', a Policy Fellow with One Campaign, a visiting fellow with the Center fo ...
, however, was highly critical of the film and its message, writing "The main problem with ''God's Not Dead'' is not its cosmology or ethics but its anthropology. It assumes that human beings are made out of cardboard. Academics are arrogant and cruel. Liberal bloggers are preening and snarky. Unbelievers disbelieve because of personal demons. It is characterization by caricature." John Mulderig echoed similar concerns in his review for the
Catholic News Service Catholic News Service (CNS) is an American news agency owned by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) that reports on the Catholic Church. The agency's domestic (United States) service shut down on 30 December 2022, but CNS ...
, stating: "There might be the kernel of an intriguing documentary buried within director Harold Cronk's stacked-deck drama, given the extent of real-life academic hostility toward religion. But even faith-filled moviegoers will sense the claustrophobia of the
echo chamber Echo chamber of the Dresden University of Technology Hamilton Mausoleum has a long-lasting unplanned echo An echo chamber is a hollow enclosure used to produce reverberation, usually for recording purposes. A traditional echo chamber is cove ...
within which this largely unrealistic picture unfolds."


Sequels

Pure Flix Entertainment produced a sequel, '' God's Not Dead 2'', with a release date of April 1, 2016. A second sequel, '' God's Not Dead: A Light in Darkness'', was released on March 30, 2018. A third sequel, '' God's Not Dead: We the People'', was released on October 4, 2021. David A. R. White, Paul Kwo, Trisha LaFache, and Benjamin Onyango reprise their roles in the second film. However, in the third film, only David A. R. White and Benjamin Onyango reprise their roles, with Shane Harper also reprising his role as Josh Wheaton from the first film.


Awards and nominations

The film was honored at the 2015 MovieGuide Awards, securing the Epiphany Prize in the Inspiring Movie category.


References


External links

* * {{Portal bar, Film, United States, Religion, Christianity, Education, 2010s 2014 films 2014 independent films American drama films American independent films Films about evangelicalism Films set in 2013 Films directed by Harold Cronk Films shot in Los Angeles Films shot in Louisiana Films shot in Houston Pure Flix Entertainment films Alliance Defending Freedom Films produced by Russell Wolfe Christianity-related controversies in film Religious drama films 2014 drama films Criticism of atheism Films produced by David A. R. White 2010s English-language films 2010s American films God's Not Dead (film series) Freestyle Releasing films English-language independent films