Today’s Prayer Focus
MOVIE REVIEW

God's Not Dead

MPA Rating: PG-Rating (MPA) for thematic material, brief violence and an accident scene.

Reviewed by: Roger Patterson
ANSWERS IN GENESIS (Christian Answers team member)

Moral Rating: Good
Moviemaking Quality:
Primary Audience: Kids Family Teens Adults
Genre: Christian Family Comedy Drama
Length: 1 hr. 53 min.
Year of Release: 2014
USA Release: March 21, 2014 (wide—780 theaters)
March 28, 2014 (wide—1,178 theaters)
DVD: August 5, 2014
Copyright, Pure Flix Entertainmentclick photos to ENLARGE Copyright, Pure Flix Entertainment Copyright, Pure Flix Entertainment Copyright, Pure Flix Entertainment Copyright, Pure Flix Entertainment Copyright, Pure Flix Entertainment Copyright, Pure Flix Entertainment Copyright, Pure Flix Entertainment
Relevant Issues
Copyright, Pure Flix Entertainment
God

God (WebBible Encyclopedia)

How can we know there’s a God? Answer

What if the cosmos is all that there is? Answer

If God made everything, who made God? Answer

Why does God allow innocent people to suffer? Answer

Is Jesus Christ the answer to your questions?
Discover the good news that Jesus Christ offers

Are you good enough to get to Heaven? Answer

Creation SuperLibrary.com
Top choice for accurate, in-depth information on Creation/Evolution. The SuperLibrary is provided by a top team of experts from various respected creationist organizations who answer your questions on a wide variety of topics. Multilingual.

faith

Featuring Willie Robertson … Willie Robertson
David Dean Cain … Mark
A.R. White
Reverend Dave
Shane Harper … Josh Wheaton
Kevin SorboProfessor Radisson
Trisha LaFache … Amy Ryan
Korie Robertson … Korie Robertson
Marco Khan … Misrab
Alex Aristidis … Fahid
Lisa Arnold … June Wheaton
See all »
Director Harold Cronk
Producer Pure Flix Entertainment
Red Entertainment Group
Cary Solomon … Co-Producer
See all »
Distributor Distributor: PureFlix. Trademark logo.Pure Flix Entertainment, a subsidiary of AFFIRM Entertainment, a Sony CompanyPure Flix Entertainment

Why did two of the world’s largest and most active Creation science organizations decline to endorse this film?

We were excited about this motion picture and its production quality, until the content became clear—far too weak scientifically and biblically, and even unbiblical (implying God used Evolution and the supposed Big Bang). As Creation Ministries International notes, “The filmmakers went out on a limb to address some of the most foundational questions that plague the minds of so many in our culture, but we are staggered at how poorly they answered them.” Following is a review from our Team Member Answers in Genesis, and after that we provide a link to a discerning review by Team Member Creation Ministries International.

Spoiler Alert: This review reveals certain elements of the plot, but only to the extent necessary to convey content concerns.

Sequels: • God's Not Dead 2: He's Surely Alive (2016)
• “God's Not Dead: A Light in Darkness” (2018)

“God’s Not Dead” weaves the stories of several students on a college campus, an outspoken professor, a local pastor, and several other characters together into a very interesting film.[1] The storyline is one of conflict on a college campus where worldviews collide from multiple angles.

The trailer for the film features Professor Radisson challenging his philosophy students to acknowledge that God is dead by writing those three little words on a piece of paper. Josh Wheaton refuses to deny God in front of his peers and finds himself challenged to defend his belief in God in a series of debates with Professor Radisson in front of the class. The class gets to serve as judge and jury.

As Wheaton considers his strategy, he comes to the conclusion that he must battle on an academic level with his professor in order to win the argument in his classmates’ eyes. Josh believes God wants to be defended before this group of college freshmen.

How can we know there’s a God? Answer

What if the cosmos is all that there is? Answer

In the first debate, Wheaton boldly declares to his classmates, “We’re going to put God on trial!”

Think about that for a moment. A college freshman is going to place a group of teenagers, who are willing to sign away their souls to please a philosophy professor they don’t even know, as judge and jury over the omnipotent Creator God of the universe.

While Wheaton sought counsel from a pastor on his decision, he might have done well to consult his Lord who plainly said when He was tempted in the wilderness,

“You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.” —Luke 4:12, ESV)

Only a fool thinks he can sit as judge over the Judge of the universe.

In approaching the issue in this manner, Wheaton ignores the truth of Romans 1:18–32.

“…For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse”

The people sitting in those seats, and even the professor, know God exists. The existence of God is not the question—whether they are willing to bow to Him as King is.

Wheaton could have agreed to the debate and used the Word of God as his foundation, as Jesus did in the wilderness temptation, but he chose to appeal to reason—the reason of fallen men and women whose minds are blinded by the god of this age (2 Corinthians 4:1–6). What’s more, as the debates play out, Wheaton uses a quote from Lee Strobel about the evolution of living things through the ages and a quote from the Roman Catholic astronomer Georges Lemaitre describing how the big bang corresponds to “let there be light” in Genesis 1:3 as his evidence for God’s existence. Rather than looking to God’s Word and character, the ideas of men developed a relatively short time ago form the basis for the case for God’s existence. Man’s words were elevated above God’s Word.[2]

In the climax, an emotional appeal draws out Radisson’s failure to accept God allowing evil in the world to reveal what Paul already told us—Radisson knew God existed, he just hated God and refused to acknowledge Him as Creator. He didn’t have an intellectual blindness; he had a spiritual and moral blindness.

While many Christians are excited to promote a movie that is well-made, tells a compelling story, and has the potential to spark conversations about God in our post-modern culture, some do so undiscerningly. In some instances, they may be unaware of the fact that this movie uses the big bang and the alleged evidence for the evolution of life on Earth as major “proofs” of God’s existence. In other instances, the Christians endorsing the movie are happy to accept the big bang and biological evolution as proof of God’s work in the universe. In fact, the number of Christians insisting on that explanation is growing rapidly, and this film may serve to cause an inflation in those numbers. Regardless, this movie may cause people to think about God, but it will lead them away from the foundational truths of Genesis because of its unbiblical foundation. If this movie tells its viewers that they can’t trust Genesis as straightforward and foundational history, why then would they trust the rest of the Bible—including their need for a Savior—built on that shaky foundation?

Does God expect us to read Genesis 1-11 as a record of authentic historical fact, or is this simply a collection of parable-like stories? Answer

Was there a “Big Bang”? Answer

THEISTIC EVOLUTION—Is it biblical? Answer

CREATION OR EVOLUTION—What difference does it make? Can’t one embrace Christianity and evolution? Answer

Is the age of the Earth a “trivial” doctrinal point? Answer

Spread throughout the film were examples of very unbiblical counsel from Christian characters, sprinklings of secular psychology, and a failure to ever acknowledge sin as rebellion against God. Additionally, a cameo by Willie Robertson from the television show Duck Dynasty elevates the “red letters” in the Bible over the rest of Scripture as he talks to a reporter.

Clichés die hard, and that was the case with a scene dealing with the demise of one of the key characters. Rather than using biblical language to proclaim the gospel that saves rebel souls from hell, an emotional appeal is made to this person that does not resemble the call to saving faith described in Scripture. The constant refrain of Jesus and the apostles was to repent and believe (Mark 1:15; Acts 20:21). You won’t find those elements together in this movie.

There were several positive elements of the film. For example, I can’t remember the last time I heard Philippians 4:13 used in its true context in popular Christian media, as it was here. Further, it was a very engaging storyline with interesting twists and crossing plotlines. Several characters gave up important things to profess their faith in Christ. However, all of these positive elements are overshadowed by the failure to acknowledge God’s Word and character as the foundation of the Christian worldview. While the film approached the topic of evil in the world, it abandoned the ability to answer that question by demanding that God brought life into the world through the process of death through evolutionary processes. It presented an origin for the universe that requires a rewriting of the events of Genesis 1 to accept.

As with lots of movies, an astute and mature Christian can use this film as a teaching opportunity by opening up the pages of Scripture with those who have seen it to explain the real origin of suffering in the world as well as the real hope of salvation by repenting of sin and trusting fully in the Creator God—Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is not dead: He is risen and seated at the right hand of the Father. Let us boldly proclaim that He is the Judge of the living and the dead rather than putting ourselves in His rightful place.

Footnotes

  1. Answers in Genesis was allowed to preview the film in the fall of 2013 and asked to consider endorsing the film. Because of the promotion of several unbiblical elements, AiG informed the producers that we would not be able to endorse the film. Back

  2. In the February 2014 debate between Bill Nye and Ken Ham, Ken debated his position from the authority of the Scripture and the certainty of God’s existence, even challenging Bill Nye to explain the foundation for his reasoning apart from God. God was not put on trial, but the audience was told that apart from God they have no foundation for their belief in logic, the laws of nature, and morality. The evidence presented was used to demonstrate the reasonableness of the biblical accounts and explanations, not to prove the existence of God (a fact Romans 1:18–20 tells us all people already know)—using a presuppositional apologetic methodology that places God and His Word as the judge and calls people to submit to the truth.

    The evidential argument used by Wheaton in the film puts the person considering the evidence as judge over God using their flawed human reasoning and the evidence in a broken, corrupted world apart from the truths of Scripture. We should never abandon the authority of God and His Word, and we can never rightly interpret the world around us without starting from the truths revealed in Scripture. Back

Violence: Moderate / Profanity: None / Sex/Nudity: Mild

Also see the review provided by Creation Ministries International, “‘God’s Not Dead’ movie review: A ‘feel-good’ movie that sadly did not make us feel good at all!” (“…We would have dearly liked to give this feature film our endorsement. Unfortunately, the content of the film has many problematic areas… we fear is that hapless college students may take these weak arguments, try to use them, and get shot down. … [the] weak apologetic arguments [are] due to compromise… To be blunt, if this were the best that Christians can come up with, we would be in serious trouble, and it is likely we would not convince anyone of the truth. But the good news is you can get equipped with a biblical, scientific and effective apologetic that you can boldly use to impact your family, friends and community as you stand up for the truth and authority of God’s Word. Just don’t expect a ‘fictional’ movie to do it for you.”) [more]

See list of Relevant Issues—questions-and-answers.


Viewer CommentsSend your comments
Positive
Positive—It’s great to see the faith based movies are coming back to Hollywood. “Noah,” “Son of God,” “Mary,” a remake of “Ben-Hur,” “Exodus”—starring Christian Bale as Moses, “Cain and Abel” with Will Smith, and remember the recent film “The Investigator”—a homicide detective investigating Jesus” death and resurrection. “God’s NOT Dead” is an excellent movie, the plot centered on a student stands up to the misotheist professor (not atheist but misotheist) who is angry with the very idea of God. You can argue Kevin Sorbo’s character Prof. Radisson is an atheist as the initial taking is that he refuses to believe God’s existence.

When Josh (Shane Harper) a student of the class disagree with the Philosophy professor Radisson’s anger against God, it starts a chain reaction of events, which the professor takes as a very personal dual. Kevin Sorbo (in real life a passionate believer) and Shane Harper did very well in this highly inspiring movie. As Christians we’ve the obligation to promote these types of movies, which will open more producers” heart for Christian movies instead of the usual Hollywood trash.

This is a very clean movie, exciting, intriguing, fast paced, yet it has the serenity and the calmness of an ocean of grace. I highly recommend this movie, please watch this one with your family.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Excellent! / Moviemaking quality: 5
Cyril Thomas, age 32 (United Kingdom)
Positive—LOVE IT, AMAZING. I was sooo excited for this movie to come out, like a kid looking forward to Christmas!! I loved it. I laughed, I cried. There are some really powerful moments in this film. The elderly lady towards the end, her comment was so powerful. Simple, soft spoken truth. The acting was great—Christian based films have come so far.

This film is not tainted by Hollywood being involved, but put out by PureFlix entertainment, who focuses on Christ centered messages. Believers and non believers, young and old, all should see this film. Shane Harper is the draw for young girls who know him from Disney channel. How refreshing to see this young man proudly proclaiming his faith. Please go see it. Invite your friends and family. God is good, all the time and all the time, God is good.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Excellent! / Moviemaking quality: 5
Andrea, age 41 (USA)
Positive—This was an AWESOME movie. A must see. The theater was 90% full on a Saturday afternoon. At the end of the movie everyone gave it an ovation.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Excellent! / Moviemaking quality: 5
Ken, age 58 (USA)
Positive—Excellent!
My Ratings: Moral rating: Excellent! / Moviemaking quality: 4½
David, age 48 (USA)
Positive—Saw the movie “God’s Not Dead” just two days ago with my wife. I must say right up front that this movie far exceeded my expectations, and I readily recommend it for all people (probably age 9 and above). I had seen a few negative reviews prior to its release, but they are quite unfounded. I am a Christian Apologist by training, and found their treatment of life’s big questions very well handled. Questions about the existence of God, why is there pain and suffering if an all-loving God exists, is there meaning to life… these important things were addressed in thought-out and valuable manner. The scenarios presented were all very realistic and exist all around us: how do you live out your faith, is there more than one god, what’s most important in your life, what motivates your morality and choices…

The movie quality was actually quite good and does not fall into a “B” category, in my mind. The main characters are well presented, along with their sub-plots. To be sure, if you are a student of world religions and Philosophy, you will want much greater debate and many more hours of evidence. But this movie could not possibly do justice to every Argument leveled, just as all the books written still cannot present perfect cases. But what lines of evidence are presented, are done well and in a loving and gentle way. See all »
My Ratings: Moral rating: Excellent! / Moviemaking quality: 4½
Joel Weber, age 41 (USA)
Positive—First, I did have a professor like this in College, only I was not a Christian at the time, so I bought into his philosophical sophistry. Second, the movie does a good job at depicting what Christians who hold to their faith will face if they dare proclaim their Christianity. The main character (Josh) does a good job at refuting his professor’s arguments and making the case for not only God, but the Bible, too!

I took my teen daughters to see it, and they liked it. I hope all Christian parents will take their kids to see this movie.

Third, the movie is a good evangelism tool so take your teen’s friends too!! ***SPOILER*** in the movie, when Josh is deliberating whether or not he should accept the professor’s challenge to “prove God” in front of his classmates, the pastor tells him that him (Josh) speaking, may be the only opportunity his classmates will have to hear about Jesus, since they will probably not go to any church. In the end, the entire class (it appears) agrees with Josh and at least one of his fellow classmates decides to follow Jesus.

Fourth, the Bible tells us that our lives can witness for or against The Lord whom we profess! There’s almost nothing worse than a “Christian” whose life does not match his/her profession of faith. I teach my kids that we should clean up after ourselves. Unfortunately, after everyone clapped for the movie and for Jesus, the theater was left looking like a pig pen! PLEASE… When you leave the Theater, leave a good witness too by picking up your own trash!!!…
My Ratings: Moral rating: Excellent! / Moviemaking quality: 4
RD, age 44 (USA)
Positive—I believe this is the best Christ-based movie to date. I went in expecting a lot and came out beyond satisfied. Everything about this movie has come a long way since “Courageous.” I don’t like “spoilers” nor do I like to give them, but I would like to give these key elements to watch for when you go to see this movie. Of course, standing up for your faith in Christ and confirming that He is not dead is the overall point of the movie. However, I loved the fact how they also tied in elements of love, trust, patience, faith, and perseverance throughout the movie. The seemingly “small” scenes that they used to get across these messages came across as big to me.

I think that the acting has come a long way, as far as Christian films go. The movie making quality was good, and I am really excited to see what God has in store for future Christian films.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Excellent! / Moviemaking quality: 4
Colton Dowdy, age 19 (USA)
Positive—Our family was excited to have the opportunity to see this movie, and we were not disappointed. The debate between professor and student was enlightening, as was learning the truth behind the professor’s arguments against God. We were further impacted by watching effects on other relationships as individuals faced choosing to mold their lives by holding God first and foremost, which we have personally found is the only way to live.
The theater was packed. At the end of the movie, viewers were texting… sending out the good news… before leaving the theater (you’ll understand when you see the movie). Overall, a wonderful experience. We encourage everyone to watch this movie. …
My Ratings: Moral rating: Excellent! / Moviemaking quality: 5
Bre, age 60 (USA)
Positive—Great movie! Standing ovation. Worth the price of the ticket. This a great film for both Christians and non-Christians. For Christians, this movie gives you the insight about what is really happening on college campus’s. For the non-Christians, it’s a great insight for those who are struggling with their belief if there really is a God, and this movie may answer some of their questions.

For me, this movie gave me a much bolder strength to stand up for The Lord whenever people come and question me about my faith. This movie will make you laugh, cry and think all rolled into one.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Excellent! / Moviemaking quality: 5
Travis Ginther, age 29 (USA)
Positive—I really loved this movie!!! It was more than a movie. To me, it was another avenue used by GOD to try to save whosoever will believe. Time is getting so short until Jesus’ return, and GOD is using every means possible to save people, whom he loves soooo much!
My Ratings: Moral rating: Excellent! / Moviemaking quality: 4½
Norma, age 52 (USA)
Positive—This move is AWESOME! It’s very well made, interesting and has lots of great points. Also, shows both sides of Atheists and Christians. The filming was the quality of a regular movie. Very refreshing seeing, after I felt so corrupted by watching “Noah”! “God’s Not Dead” is great for all ages and youth.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Excellent! / Moviemaking quality: 5
Stephanie, age 39 (USA)
Positive—There were so many good things in this film; I will not take all the time needed to cover them all. Instead, I will speak on one specific part, as it relates to me. I imagine it relates to many people. Everyday we look around and want to believe godly actions will lead to a good, comfortable life; living an unGodly life will lead to a tough life filled with many unpleasant things. Reality paints a completely different picture. Often we look at certain people who live a life completely devoid of God, and yet their life seems so perfect. They have no financial troubles, they are physically healthy, they are attractive, they are surrounded by friends, admired by others, and on and on. We may find it hard to understand how God can let such a person have a comfortable life while many “good” people struggle daily with things ranging from disease to hunger. The truth is, most of us do not look at reality as we should.

God is not the only one at work. Satan is busy everyday trying to keep more and more people from turning to God. What better way to accomplish this than giving a person everything they want to make their life satisfying. Fame, money, power, all given so that a person will hopefully never feel the need to turn to God for anything. We normally do not consider how badly Satan has trapped that person. We usually do not consider 2 Corinthians 12:9… But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

It’s tough for us to look at our hard times and feel blessed that our weakness can be a blessing. For myself, this lesson was really driven home, and I felt truly blessed by the Lord. Even though I have sinned repeatedly, he loves me so much that he still blesses me greatly. That he has given me grace. Watch this movie; show it to your children, your friends, everyone.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Good / Moviemaking quality: 4
Troy Mendez, age 39 (USA)
Positive—Awesome movie!!! An absolute must-see! I left the theater with a very happy feeling.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Good / Moviemaking quality: 4
Rosey, age 18 (USA)
Positive—I have to say I sincerely appreciate your reviews which are thought captivating and filled with the nutrition of God’s Word, “but,” just a small one—God can’t be put in a box with our opinions and thoughts. His ways are not our ways etc… So, in my opinion, this movie rates tops. As I see it, there is plenty of information for many people who don’t know God or even God’s Word enough to have anything but a positive impact. The rest is left to the followers of “Jesus our Lord and Savior” to guide people in the pure direction for those who ask questions. From milk to maturity. My opinion would be looking at the brighter side—of many more people open to more information about God. God does the rest by leading those people to his chosen… Best Regards,
My Ratings: Moral rating: Excellent! / Moviemaking quality: 5
Rick, age 52 (USA)
Positive—This is absolutely the Best/Most excellent film I have seen in years. Kept us on our toes the whole time. I loved the attorney angle in the classroom and how he had a comeback to his teacher every time and the interaction of characters in the movie. Will buy this for my home theater when it comes out and will go see it again. Our whole family went to see it with a group of 50. There was not an empty chair in the theater and a lot of interaction in the audience: clapping, cheering, Amens, etc. It was a great interactive movie: like having church at the movies.

I had seen the Newsboys in concert at Winterjam in Columbus, OH with my young niece and a couple of her friends which is where I had heard about the movie. I was looking forward to it and was not disappointed. It was truly an amazing Christian movie. Thank God for Christan actors/actresses/Directors/Producers
My Ratings: Moral rating: Excellent! / Moviemaking quality: 4½
Rita Mcclure, age 63 (USA)
Positive—This movie is very good tool for a student entering college as a freshman. So many young students have been pulled from the faith due to college professors. I commend this movie for trying to help our young people take a stand against these academic scholars in secular schools. The student spoke on the atheist professor’s terms. He used analogies and metaphors in a trial because it was on the professor’s turf. As a believer, some times you need to speak the language of the people you are witnessing to in order to win them over. This movie does a nice job of helping young students combat what they could face in the secular (or even Christian) universities. I hope that many believers will go out and support this movie!
My Ratings: Moral rating: Excellent! / Moviemaking quality: 3
Karen, age 48 (USA)
Positive—I totally enjoyed God’s Not Dead. While I respect your site and your team of reviewers, I must disagree with the reviewer’s take on this film. This film was about sharing your faith in a hostile environment not delivering an apologetics speech to a group of believers. Josh’s use of the writings of other atheists to combat the “God is dead” supposition by his atheistic professor was not only brilliant, it played to his lost and cynical audience.

It reminded me of Paul at the Areopagus in Athens (Acts 17) as he used the altar dedicated to the “Unknown God” as an instrument of evangelism. Paul didn’t rail the idolaters or even begin by sharing scripture but as he garnered their attention he introduced some to Jesus. Josh not only spoke in a language that the students could understand, he stood boldly on his relationship with Jesus and loved the students. He also showed great respect for the professor even though his opponent treated him harshly. In my experience as a pastor and soul winner, when a person meets Jesus and is indwelt by the Holy Spirit, the one who has led the unbeliever to Christ can easily teach the truths of God’s Word over secular reasoning.

This film has now been seen by millions. I pray that many will turn to Jesus as a result.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Better than Average / Moviemaking quality: 4
Pastor Larry Nunnally, age 66 (USA)
Positive—This film did not discard or deny the history or the concepts of Genesis. The film blended both science and the Bible to prove a point to those that do not believe the Bible, using the skeptics own philosophy and science to help prove their errors through using their own reasoning reference points. In apologetics using the Bible along is not wise, because the ones you are trying to reach have no knowledge of the Scriptures and do not believe in their validity to start with, for only the spiritual can understand the spiritual. As one who holds a BA in Bible and an MA in Christian Theology I felt the film did a excellent job in presenting its case and did not promote a long or short view of creation, but only use the skeptics arguments against themselves.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Excellent! / Moviemaking quality: 4
Reid Ashbaucher, age 57 (USA)
Positive—If you’re a hard nosed proponent of presuppositional apologetics, you will probably not like this movie. The thought of putting God on trial will make you cringe. I agree with the presuppositional approach to apologetics, but I also know when to acknowledge that a Christian movie has good entertainment value. A major flaw with this movie however, is that it uses the classical approach to apologetics in trying to prove the existence of God. It uses philosophy, quotes of so called great thinkers, and what we know about science to show that God exists, when in reality, everyone already knows that He exists. They are just willingly ignorant of what’s right in front of their eyes. After all, the heavens declare the glory of God, and the Earth shows forth His handiwork. The Bible doesn’t try to defend itself. It simply says “In the beginning, God…” It also states that anyone who can’t see that there is a God is a fool, and Proverbs 26:4 tells us how we should deal with them.

Having said all of that, this movie is still much better than I would have thought a movie with an apologetics theme could be. The way they brought the characters together made the movie very entertaining. I even had to hold back tears of joy when seeing some of the characters respond to The Gospel. It’s great to see that the quality of Christian movies is improving. Even other Pureflix films I’ve seen in the past have had that sort of B movie cheesy feel to it. But not this one.

To me, this movie was nothing but great clean Christian entertainment. I still think you have to be a serious Christian to appreciate it though. I don’t believe that the philosophical arguments used in this movie are enough to convince the skeptic. Also, if you have a bunch of carnal people watching the movie, they’ll probably think it’s boring. But for the small niche that will appreciate this movie, it’s a great way to spend the afternoon without compromising your values.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Good / Moviemaking quality: 4
Frank, age 45 (USA)
Positive—We spent 16 years in ministry next to a university campus. We have met professors just like this. Excellent movie. Am praying it will encourage students to stand up courageously before atheists and other unbelievers and shine the light of their Truth. Also, parents had better understand the hostile jungle their children are sent off to. Prepare them well. We aren’t called to hide out, but students had better go with full knowledge that God is sending them to be His militant missionary and that either the prevailing culture will conquer them, or they will conquer it. No neutrality.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Excellent! / Moviemaking quality: 5
Cheri Ford, age 60 (USA)
Positive—Standing ovation. May it spark the next Great Awakening.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Excellent! / Moviemaking quality: 5
Tori, age 40+ (USA)
Positive—I went to this movie thinking it might be a boring debate but my husband wanted to see it. I was surprised that it was a very interesting movie. While some of the unsaved characters might have been exaggerated, there are people quite close to that in the world. I enjoyed seeing people take a stand for Christ as this is so important. The fact that the professor is bitter is where a lot of people seem to live so that seemed valid to me. The girl who gets cancer finally sees a need in her life. This is also valid. Sometimes it gets a lot to get our attention.

I am thankful that Christians have entered the world of movie making and that we all get to watch some decent movies for a change. While no movie is perfect I think this movie and others are trying to reach out to a lost world and for that I thank God
My Ratings: Moral rating: Excellent! / Moviemaking quality: 5
Judy, age 64 (USA)
Positive—The film was excellent because it did not use God’s name in vain, and there was no curse words. It also encouraged Christians to stand up for their faith in Jesus.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Excellent! / Moviemaking quality: 5
Elizabeth, age 42 (USA)
Positive—I have watched this movie three times and have been touched every time. Just watched it with someone that said they believe in Jesus, but could not believe that Jesus is the only way to heaven. It made me so sad. I tried to explain what the Bible says about the only way to come to the Father is through His son. She said the Bible was written by man. I said men that were filled with the Holy Spirit and directed by God. She just nodded, but did not say anything. How can such a powerful movie not minister to people? Thank you for getting the message across. Can’t wait to see what God has planned for future movies to get the message out on the truth.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Excellent! / Moviemaking quality: 5
Priscilla Leon, age 62 (USA)
Positive—It was uplifting and so nice to watch young people believing and not doing sex drugs, etc. Loved it and wish that more people realized how good our god is.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Excellent! / Moviemaking quality: 5
Diane, age 71 (USA)
Positive—Thank you for restoring my faith in Christian movies again!!! This movie is bold to present the good news of Christ in such a bold way, when Hollywood makes Biblical movies and waters down the message of Christ in such an offensive way. THANK YOU!!! I went to see this four times (twice in theater, twice at other churches), before the DVD came out, and I got two copies, may get a third for my aunt who is an atheist.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Excellent! / Moviemaking quality: 5
Jennifer, age 29 (USA)
Positive—Best movie I have ever watched from Christian’s view. I highly recommend it for everyone!
My Ratings: Moral rating: Excellent! / Moviemaking quality: 5
Laura Matheson, age 62 (Canada)
Positive—I have to say that many Christian films suffer from cheesiness and some bad acting, but, except for some cliché and cheesy moments, all in all, it was an entertaining and thought-provoking film. As far as the criticism, I didn’t see that the film overtly argued for the biblical account to be in accord with evolution. It simply stated that the Big Bang actually, if anything, supports the biblical world view, not the other.

As far as how the character handled the challenge, we all stumble. God wants us to do our best in representing him, but we are human. We hum and haw, and struggle with how to tell believers about him. I think it made the point clear that it is not so much Christians that are hated, but God that is hated. See all »
My Ratings: Moral rating: Excellent! / Moviemaking quality: 4
Jason Bertucci, age 43 (Canada)
Positive—First of all, with all due respect to the CSE reviewer, there are those who do not believe in God. For instance Pharaoh in Exodus did not know God. And I know people who do not believe in Him. If you were to approach a non-believer and simply say, “The existence of God is not the question—whether [you] are willing to bow to Him as King is,” I don’t think that would sell them on the existence position. A better approach would be whether they are willing to accept His love and grace and heaven. (You catch more flies with honey.)

Regarding the movie, if the debate was going to be whether or not there is a God, the title is wrong. A better title would be: THERE IS NO GOD with a big red line going through the word NO. “God’s Not dead” implies the argument is He once lived and now doesn’t.

I liked the overall plot, and the quality of movie making was good for a non-Hollywood film. I liked seeing other worldly religions involved and family members making hard choices. However, the clichés were a bit passé.” I would have liked to hear between the two guys whose car wouldn’t start for the first to say “And we know that all things work together for good” and the other guy respond “to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” (Rom. 8:28) That never gets old. See all »
My Ratings: Moral rating: Good / Moviemaking quality: 3½
Jeff, age 57 (USA)
Positive—…“God’s Not Dead” meets faith vs. college in a quite intense way. Our student and teacher we meet, and the debate turns out for the best. It’s controversial. But it still stands. Our student says: “You hate God” to the teacher, proving God to him, which became the teachers salvation. He had many great debates our student, and the whole class was even touched by him.

The problem I have with the original is that it doesn’t mention Jesus enough, but yes does focus on God’s existence and aliveness forever. So for people who will see it again or have yet to see it, make sure not to be drifted away from God’s son because it doesn’t mention Jesus as much as the other two films do.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Good / Moviemaking quality: 3½
Stephen Matthew Jacewicz, age 22 (USA)
Neutral
Neutral—The quality of this film is much better than the previous generation of “Christian witness films” but still far below the ability of secular writers and producers to portray life realistically. Most the conversations actually do raise important issues, but they are constructed in very unnatural ways. The best I can say of the movie style is that it is good parody, but I doubt if the writers intended it that way. I would not take an unbeliever to see the movie, but I hope I live long enough to see some really good writing in Christian film.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Good / Moviemaking quality: 3½
Richard, age 60+ (USA)
Neutral— I appreciated the heart of the movie, but I was very disappointed in the two-dimensional characters, unrealistic dialog, and their having taken on too many ideas. A lot is about details. A college professor can’t threaten to keep a student out of law school, and I’m not sure how he ever thought he had any way to do it. As a Christian college teacher, I have never met anyone like that, and I work in a very liberal department. Portraying liberals as simply arrogant and hostile is no better approach than how liberals portray Christians in movies.

Other details: Why is the student dating a shrew who thinks she has to hold his hand to get him into law school when, clearly, he can argue on the same level as the “brilliant” professor from the start? After 6 years, is she really going to dump him at the drop of a hat? Is it believable that a young Muslim girl will get kicked out of her home and be totally happy two days later at a Newsboys concert? Why are we afraid to admit that, even though you become Christian, the road may still be difficult? Isn’t that more true to life?

I want this film to have impact, but we keep talking to the hometown crowd. I doubt that an unbeliever would have been moved. And that makes me sad.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Better than Average / Moviemaking quality: 2½
Jane, age 53 (USA)
Neutral—From a filmmaking perspective: I thought this movie was pretty decent. Unlike so many other films made by Christians, which tend to have uneven dialog or poor cinematography, I thought this one was rather well done. Some, particularly the young, will probably find it boring, but those with a reasonable attention span will find much of it entertaining.

Perhaps the main weakness in filmmaking was that the various sub-plots, perhaps modeled after movies like “Traffic” and “Crash,” did not really interweave effectively, which made for a bit of a disjointed movie.See all »
My Ratings: Moral rating: Good / Moviemaking quality: 3½
Carl, age 32 (USA)
Negative
Negative—I’m a firm believer in not just liking a movie *just because* it’s Christian or has a high “moral rating” from many evangelicals out there. This film does not acknowledge atheists who simply disbelieve because they just don’t believe. And that’s not the only problem. There are many tired old arguments hashed out in this movie against atheists, such as the “without God, atheists have no justification for being moral” claim.

Of course, atheists can lay claim to having good reasons for their moral behavior—in order for societies to function well, even in a secular perspective, people must treat one another kindly and compassionately. Also, almost all the Christian characters in the film are portrayed in a positive light (with the exception of Josh’s girlfriend). But none of the non-Christian characters are portrayed in a positive light. They’re all simplistic bullies who either end up believing in Christianity by the end of the movie or continue in their one-dimensionally wicked ways (such as the awful Dean Cain character).See all »
My Ratings: Moral rating: none / Moviemaking quality: 2
Ben, age 28 (USA)
Negative—Let me start off by saying I’m a devout Christian who is all for the idea of fellow Christians putting together a movie with the intention of defending God’s existence. You can imagine how excited I was to see this film when it first came out. “Awesome! Finally we’re going to get a good, nicely thought out apologetics film which will surely raise questions for even the most hardened atheists.” I sat down in the theater, expectations running high, and paid full attention as the opening credits rolled. I have never been more disappointed by a Christian film in my entire life.

I expected a fair, balanced, well-researched, and respectful debate over God’s existence. What I got instead were two hours of pro-Christian, anti-atheist propaganda that left me feeling equal parts saddened and disgusted. To try and count each of this movie’s flaws would be a futile task, but that won’t keep me from pointing out its two biggest shortcomings: poor apologetics and a chilling air of self-righteousness. I don’t mean to sound harsh, but this is the single most narcissistic movie I’ve ever seen. Just a half hour into its running time already tells you that the people behind it had more on their minds that proving God’s existence. Their second goal was to blatantly demonize and dehumanize the opposition. See all »
My Ratings: Moral rating: none / Moviemaking quality: 1½
Joseph, age 18 (USA)
Negative—I found this film quite disappointing. It started out strong and seemed to show great promise in its presentation of intellectual discourse of how to prove or disprove the existence of God, according to theoretical arguments based on the laws of the physical universe. However, it quickly slid into a shallow and schlocky moralistic tale no better in quality than your lower than average after school special.

I understand that is a Christian film made for a Christian audience, and that its intent wasn’t to leave us with questions about whether God does indeed exist or not, since, for those with faith, the answer to that question is a foregone conclusion. This said, what annoyed me about the film was its quick descent into intellectual laziness surrounding these questions, as if Christians are incapable of being challenged intellectually about what they believe to be true, and that they need to be instructed in what to believe and why in a simple moralistic way, rather than deemed being capable of making sustainable arguments to counter those who argue that God doesn’t exist.

For the record, I am not a Christian or a follower of any other faith, but I do have a number of friends who are, and, from knowing them, I see that they take their faith seriously from an intellectual perspective as much as they do a moral one. In my opinion, films like this do the thinking that they do about their faith a disservice.
My Ratings: Moral rating: none / Moviemaking quality: ½
Jason (an agnostic), age 43 (Canada)
Comments from young people
Positive—I saw this movie with my high school friends. It was being played in 3 three different theaters within the complex because of its popularity. It was a very Christian, family-oriented atmosphere. I really enjoyed this movie and am encouraging my parents and siblings to see it as well. The film motivates people to be defenders of Christianity, to take a stand against non-believers and become a missionary for Christ.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Good / Moviemaking quality: 5
Geri, age 17 (USA)
Neutral—Normally I am not overly entertained by Christian movies. A lot of times the storyline line or the plot is weak, and a lot of them seem to fall into the same plotline. “God’s Not Dead” barely elevated itself above this.

While the plot was rather inventive and unique, I did have some objections. At the beginning of the movie, we were introduced to about 10 characters at once. This made for about 5 sub-plots diverging off of the main plot. I felt that a lot (2, 3) of these sub-plots could have been cut out of the movie. There were plot holes big enough to fly a Boeing 747 through, and tons of unresolved strings. It almost seemed that they cut about 20 minutes off the end of the movie, which makes for a very un-entertaining experience near the end of the film.

Also, there was several unrealistic parts. ***SPOILER*** It was unrealistic how Josh and his girlfriend had been going together for 6 years—then she broke up with him just because he was going to further pursue his faith. Also, it was unrealistic how the professor turned around so quickly. ***END SPOILER***

Overall, I gave “God’s Not Dead” a neutral rating, for the above reasons, and a movie-making quality of 4.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Excellent! / Moviemaking quality: 4
Nataniel, age 14 (USA)
Positive—I love this movie so much because it opens the eyes of every individual to the truth that nowadays people gradually forget what God did. This story told us that stand in the point if you know that it is right.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Excellent! / Moviemaking quality: 5
Josh, age 12 (Philippines)

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