God’s Not Dead – He Isn’t Even Sick!

Last night Susanne and I saw an excellent movie; God’s Not Dead. Why did we like it so much? Here are a few reasons;

1. The subject used is near to our hearts! The take-away for me was that seeking for – and standing for – truth is more important than anything else. In this show the main character is a college student enrolled in classes which lead to the coursework for a degree in law. One of the required subjects he must take is philosophy, and it seems the only class available is one that is taught by a devout atheist. Not only is this man an atheist, he is aggressively anti-god (or as the lead character states, he is anti-theist). The beginning of the class sets up a conflict for our hero/lead character, insomuch that the professor requires all the students to write “God is dead” as the first in-class assignment. Our hero (named Josh) decides he can’t complete that assignment because it would violate his faith. Because of his stand of faith he is then required to provide the antithesis (counter-view) to the professor’s atheistic assumptions. Let the games begin!

2. Both sides of the creation/evolution discussion (although just a fraction of the information available – obviously) are presented. Many people in college and university, and especially so in western nations, are only presented with one side of the ‘argument.’ It’s no wonder that with such a prejudiced and lop-sided presentation people accept was is said as truth when, in reality, it is far from it.

3. It reinforces the power and results which can (and often do) come from faith. There are many supporting characters in this movie which are effected by our hero’s stand for truth. Some of these people allow the truth to change them. Others reject the very same truth. The underlying theme however, is that certain things were set in motion which otherwise might not ever have happened. All these things happen because of one person’s following the internal ‘still, small voice’ leading of faith. Some will say, “That was just a movie!” True enough, but I have been around long enough to know (and have been personally a part of) the very things that the movie shows happening.

4. It emphasizes personal choice as well as personal accountability. The motivation of Josh is that he wants to offer the people of his class a clear choice between two conflicting world views. This seems to be a clear contrast between what the professor asserts versus what Josh asserts. Sadly, this is the real-life situation in a great majority of our educational institutions today.

5. Many, many people who are avid atheists were once religious, or have had religious instruction at some point in their lives. This is unfortunately the case for quite a few people. The real tragedy is that while they may have been involved with some form of ‘Christian’ religion – or at least subject to it – they in all likelihood never had the relationship that leads to salvation. That relationship is only found in a real, living and ongoing interaction with the Captain of our salvation, Jesus Christ. Even though someone has had that relationship in the past, things happen in people’s lives which are disappointing and disturbing. Instead of going to God for understanding and comfort, sometimes people assume things which are not so. Other times people are simply incorrectly taught by well-meaning but ignorant or uneducated people. The end result is that they reject the One they think has brought them so much pain and suffering. The end result of this confusion and misunderstanding is that they label Him a monster, which is a form of character assassination.

6. It has Willie Robertson and The Newsboys!

If you haven’t seen this film you should make a point to do so. We plan on getting not just one but several copies, once it’s released on disc. We think it would make great ‘stocking stuffer’ or a wonderful tool to reach out to the lost.