God's Not Dead: A Movie Review
“Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven. (Matthew 10:32 - 33)
Spoiler Alert: some elements of the movie are discussed in this review. If you would like to watch it, it is available on Pureflix.
God’s Not Dead is an American movie released in 2014, directed by Harold Cronk. It stars Shane Harper (Good Luck Charlie, Dirty Dancing) and Kevin Sorbo (Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Light in the Darkness) in the evangelical drama. He shares the screen with David A.R. White (The Encounter, Faith in our Father) and Benjamin A. Onyango (Freshman Year, God’s Not Dead) in this hour and thirteen minute story about the ability to profess the name of the Lord, even in the darkest of times.
The story of God’s Not Dead is multifaceted, with many divergent storylines. The major one is the debate between freshman believer Josh Wheaton (Shane Harper) and atheist Professor Jeffery Radisson (Kevin Sorbo). They debate the existence of God Yahweh in a philosophy classroom which impacts students within the university until it reaches out far beyond. There are illnesses as well as transitions of faith that happen within the movie that add to the final adage of “God’s Not Dead”.
The major lesson from the movie is the resounding theme of the ability to profess your faith. Every believer struggles with this concept in some form or another. The protagonist, Josh, questions the idea of processing and debating the faith in his class, to the point of accepting to lose his longtime girlfriend. He bases himself on Matthew 10:32 - 33, which can be summarized to whoever acknowledges Christ will be acknowledged by Him when He speaks to the Father. Ayisha (Hadeel Sittu), turns her life over to Christ, after having lived in a Muslim house her entire life; she struggles with being open about her faith, knowing her parents would disapprove. The Bible says in Psalm 27:10:
For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but the Lord will take me in.
- Psalm 27:10
The beauty of the message is powerful. We must be ambassadors of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20) in everything that we do and be willing to testify His holy name to people. There is truth in Yeshua, for He is the truth and the way, as presented by John 14:6. While others may deem at being too preachy and stereotypical, it is worth it for the message.
In the end, the movie is a powerful lesson, teaching true believers must be willing and able to defend the faith at all times. We must remember that the Apostles and first martyrs died for the Lord that they believed in (Matthew 10:28). We must be able to present the Lord of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in everything that we can do, and to say that God’s Not Dead.