God's Not Dead 2: 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 2 is an American movie released in 2016, directed by Harold Cronk. It stars Melissa Joan Hart (Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Melissa & Joey), Jesse Metcalfe (Passions, Desperate Housewives) in the evangelical drama. They share 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 twenty minute story about the ability to profess the name of the Lord, even in the darkest of times.
Unlike the first God’s Not Dead movie, this one is a much more clear cut story, with much smaller subplots that accentuate the story. AP History teacher Grace Wesley (Melissa Joan Hart) is brought to court when she answers a history question about peaceful protest in class with a rational answer of Jesus. She is defended by her lawyer, Tom Endler (Jesse Metcalfe). All the while, the child who asked the question, Brooke Thawley (Hayley Orrantia) is figuring out her own faith, as well as Matin Yip (Paul Kwo), a friend of Josh who is inquisitive on the faith and asks the help of Reverend David Hill.
The major lesson from the movie is the resounding theme of the ability to profess your faith. However, what’s important to know as being different is how far will one go for the faith and YHWH. The Word says in John 3:19 that:
This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.
- John 3:19
It is normal for people of this world to hate the light of Yeshua and the peace that comes from it because they do not know it and refuse to partake in it. Believing in Him may mean that you will lose some to darkness, but it is worth it for one day in the presence of the Lord (Psalms 84:10). She adds an adage that is not in the bible, but is very popular: I would rather be judged by the world than judged by God.
The Bible is filled with people who go through extreme hardships. One of the great examples is Job: through sickness and death, he continued to trust in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. His faith did not fail and he ended up having more than he could’ve ever had before.
In the end, the movie is a powerful lesson, teaching true believers must be willing to fight for the faith at all times. Plus, they must be willing to lose physical things, even some friends, if it means defending YHWH and standing firm in the faith. 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 God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in everything that we can do, and to say that God’s Not Dead.