End Times and Current Events

GOD’S NOT DEAD

Synopsis
 
How far would you go…to defend your belief in God?

Present-day college freshman and devout Christian, Josh Wheaton (Shane Harper), finds his faith challenged on his first day of Philosophy class by the dogmatic and argumentative Professor Radisson (Kevin Sorbo). Radisson begins class by informing students that they will need to disavow, in writing, the existence of God on that first day, or face a failing grade. As other students in the class begin scribbling the words “God Is Dead” on pieces of paper as instructed, Josh find himself at a crossroads, having to choose between his faith and his future. Josh offers a nervous refusal, provoking an irate reaction from his smug professor. Radisson assigns him a daunting task: if Josh will not admit that “God Is Dead,” he must prove God’s existence by presenting well-researched, intellectual arguments and evidence over the course of the semester, and engage Radisson in a head-to-head debate in front of the class. If Josh fails to convince his classmates of God’s existence, he will fail the course and hinder his lofty academic goals. With almost no one in his corner, Josh wonders if he can really fight for what he believes. Can he actually prove the existence of God? Wouldn’t it just be easier just to write “God Is Dead” and put the whole incident behind him? GOD’S NOT DEAD weaves together multiple stories of faith, doubt and disbelief, culminating in a dramatic call to action. The film will educate, entertain, and inspire moviegoers to explore what they really believe about God, igniting important conversations and life-changing decisions.

GOD’S NOT DEAD features a talented cast of actors including Kevin Sorbo (SOUL SURFER, HERCULES, ANDROMEDA), Shane Harper (GOOD LUCK CHARLIE, HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 2), David A.R. White (BROTHER WHITE, REVELATION ROAD and JERUSALEM COUNTDOWN), and Dean Cain (LOIS & CLARK: THE NEW ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN), with special appearances by Christian super-band Newsboys and “Duck Dynasty’s” Willie and Korie Robertson.

http://godsnotdeadthemovie.com/

This should be quite simple - he should get out his 1611 Authorized King James Bible and go through scripture after scripture.

2Timothy 3:16  All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
2Ti 3:17  That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.



Fixed! :)

It's a moot point. The movie is an obvious attempt to yet again call into question God, and the people that believe in Him. It's Hollywood again mocking God, when, "God is not mocked...".

"But when they shall lead you, and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost." Mark 13:11 (KJB)

i dont think this movie is going to be about mocking God. Im thinking this will be a good tool for Christians who are off to college and have to deal with this exact scenario on a daily basis. I bet this film ends up showing the devil possessed liberal professor how the Lord is very real and alive with simple truths and how a Christian can stand on those truths and not be ashamed of the Gospel.   ;)

Are we talking about the same Hollywood, or are you just being sarcastic? Hollywood not mock God? Not going to happen. This is just another churchianity pr film that plays on the emotions. Sorry to be pessimistic, but it is Hollywood, so I expect nothing good to come of it.

guess we will have to see. But David White tends to put out very pro Jesus movies.

Saw the trailer for it - my big gripe with it is that they don't mention Jesus Christ in it, and they show clips of that CCM stuff(which makes it look like CCM is somehow being used to evangelize the world, when it's been proven to the contrary).

And as for that guy sticking around on a secular college campus thinking he can change people's mind - scripture says otherwise, to simply wipe the dust off of your feet as a testimony against them. And to boot, Stephen didn't exactly change anyone's minds either(but got stoned).

Well, like said, I don't have plans to see this movie, b/c just from the 2.5 minute trailer alone, it has some major doctrinal errors(ie-notice the main character in it says "Jesus was God". And a couple of other scenes where one was at a Catholic Church, and an unbeliever getting a mammogram[which has been one of the agendas of Susan G. Komen]).

Guess it's no surprise that even these "Christian"-plotted movies raking in the $$.

http://movies.yahoo.com/news/box-office-god-not-dead-soaring-8-2-030235200.html
Box Office: ‘God’s Not Dead’ Soaring to $8.2 Million Opening in Limited Release
3/21/14

Talk about a box office diversion.

Shailene Woodley’s “Divergent” might be the No. 1 film in America but faith-based audiences are once again proving to be anything but conservative at the U.S. box office.

Christian drama “God’s Not Dead,” opening in fewer than 800 theaters, is on track for an impressive $8.2 million this weekend. That’s a per-screen average of over $10,400 from 782 locations.

The movie, produced by Pure Flix Entertainment and Red Entertainment, was only thought to reach $5 million through Sunday, still an impressive figure, but much like other Biblical stories of late, “God’s Not Dead” is seeing a heavenly windfall from religious audiences.

Earlier this month, the Mark Burnett-produced “Son of God” opened to $26 million at the box office while Russell Crowe’s Biblical tale “Noah” is expected to top the box office next weekend.

The low-budget “God’s Not Dead” tells the story of a college student who sets out to prove God’s existence.

Willie Robertson of “Duck Dynasty” appears in the film and shared with The Christian Post in an interview last week that his faith was strengthened as a result of the film, in which he appears as himself alongside his wife.

“I thought it was well written and it came together,” Robertson told the Christian Post, adding that the film “really raised the bar with these faith-based movies.”

Co-starring Shane Harper and Kevin Sorbo, “God’s Not Dead” is distributed by FreeStyle Releasing.

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http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/box-office-divergent-breaks-ya-690460
3/23/14

Yet another reason to AVOID this movie - this was based on a book with similar circumstances(over a college student's conversion testimony) - just spot the many doctrinal errors in this guy's "testimony".

http://www.christianpost.com/news/atheist-turned-christian-character-in-gods-not-dead-movie-was-inspired-by-real-life-harvard-educated-chinese-born-doctor-117336/
Atheist Turned Christian Character in 'God's Not Dead' Movie Was Inspired By Real-Life Harvard Educated, Chinese-Born Doctor
4/4/14

A character who leaves behind his atheist convictions in the recently released God's Not Dead movie was inspired by the real-life Lasik and cataract surgeon, Tennessee resident Wing Mang.

Wang, a native of China, endured the country's Cultural Revolution in the 1960s, which sent millions of its better-educated and professional citizens to hard labor camps.

In 1982, Wang immigrated to the United States, equipped with little more than $50 and a Chinese-English dictionary. He eventually was accepted to Harvard Medical School, from which he graduated with honors, and later became one of the first surgeons in the United States to perform laser cataract surgeon.

It was during his time in college that Wang, then an atheist, built a relationship with a professor who began asking him questions about God and showing him evidence for the existence of a deity.

"A Harvard professor, a professor of pediatrics, and a believer, saw the status of mind that I was in, confused and in crisis," Wang told The Christian Post in an email.

"He knew that because of his medical expertise, I would listen to him out of my respect of his medical knowledge. So he saw an opportunity, to guide and influence me, to broaden my understanding of life, to a broader prospective by introducing faith in my life which could help answer the questions that I had and for which I could not find answer in science."

Wang recalled a conversation where his professor asked him how he could believe that a car could somehow been created in the absence of a creator but yet assume that a brain had come about randomly.

"Right there and then, he opened a door, in my life, and I found God, found Christianity, that could provide the answers to the questions that I was asking. I have come to realize that faith and science serve to different purposes, they are the two sides of a coin: science is about what things are, and faith is about why things are," wrote Wang, who later received another medical degree from MIT.

Wang's Christian convictions later led him to found the Wang Foundation for Christian Outreach to China and Wang Foundation for Sight Restoration. Wang's organization provides pro bono sight restoration surgeries for both domestic and international patients from over 55 countries.

His story was subsequently recounted in the book, God's Not Dead, by Rice Broocks, the senior minister at Bethel World Outreach Church in Nashville. The 2013 release tells the story of six former atheists who eventually found a belief in God.

In the film, Martin Yip, a character inspired by Wang, is played by Paul Kwo. Unlike Wang's relationship with a professor, Yip finds himself reconsidering his original stance on God after his classmate Josh Wheaton (Shane Harper) defies his professor's proclamation that "God is dead."

Wang said it was "wonderful" see his story on screen.

"I have always believed that I have a duty, to help other students, to see that life is not just about science, it is about faith, it is about faith and science. It is about faith and science CAN can indeed work together," Wang wrote. "By conducting scientific research, guided by faith and a sense of purpose, we can solve the conflict, between faith and science, allowing them to work together, 1+1 will be MORE THAN two, and identify new and more powerful solutions, to the problems in our lives."

"This movie, will help me, in my continued effort to teach the students, to tell my life story, from science alone, to now faith with science," Wang told CP. "Believing in God, in faith, in research guided by faith, has inspired me to do all what I have done, medicine, charity, art… everything."

Wang also said while Kwo, "the Chinese student character," does portray part of his life story, the doctor also sees much of himself in the main character Wheaton.

"Some of the arguments that I made in the original book God's Not Dead, with regard to the evidence of existence of God, was put into Joshua's mouth, in his brilliant presentation of the evidence of existence of God. So, in essence, sort of half of me, in the original book, has gone into this main character Josh," he explained.

Over the weekend, God's Not Dead finished fifth place at the U.S. box office, earning just one percent less than the $9.2 million it brought in over its opening weekend when the film was released on March 21.

The small independent faith-based movie expanded its release last weekend by nearly 400 theaters and took in $9 million, bringing its total box office earnings to an impressive $22 million.

God's Not Dead was produced by Pure Flix Entertainment and Red Entertainment Group, directed by Harold Cronk, and stars Kevin Sorbo (Hercules) and Harper, a Disney Channel actor whose show Good Luck Charlie drew controversy earlier this year when it became the first show on The Disney Channel to include a same-sex couple. :o

could you point them out?

And nothing about Jesus Christ in his testimony.

You said,

i dont see any. I dont think there is enough info to make that claim at all. And you said nothing about Jesus in his testimony? He didnt really give one.


I think that statement talks of Jesus. He opened the door that the Lord is knocking on, and found God and the Christian faith. Jesus is God. That is a very profound Christian statement.

Was doing searches on Yahoo on the director of this film(Cary Solomon), apparently, he has Catholic connections(will post more in subsequent posts)...

http://www.linkedin.com/pub/cary-solomon/68/736/610

Cary Solomon's Additional Information

Groups and Associations

ASU's The Christian Professional's Club

Catholic Filmmakers Worldwide

Catholic Writers & Authors
 
Christian Film & Television Professionals

Christian Filmmaking Professionals

Christian Writers & Authors

Family Friendly Entertainment

Fellowship of Christian Filmmakers

Film Angels

Independent Christian Filmmakers Group

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God%27s_Not_Dead_(film)

Christian appraisal[edit]

The Alliance Defending Freedom, American Heritage Girls, Faith Driven Consumer, Denison Forum on Truth and Culture, Trevecca Nazarene University, The Dove Foundation and Ratio Christi have all endorsed the film.[16]

I believe Christians should go see this movie because it will strengthen their faith and help them question situations about how they stood up or backed down for their faith. It will also encourage them to share their faith more.

—Alliance Defending Freedom[17]

Dave Hartline of The American Catholic gave God's Not Dead a positive review and hoped that other films like it will follow.[18] Some Christian youth groups are colliding in the Methodist, Catholic, and Baptist traditions to watch God's Not Dead together, which have resulted in screenings of the film selling out.[19][20][21]

Granted, I'm not the expert at this kind of thing, but I'm with BornAgain2 about this movie. It seems to me like a tool for ecumenism.

Whether the actual student it's based on is saved? I have no idea. I can't see what's in his heart. I do admit, though, that it's a very vague article.

This movie was released on 3/21/14(which was 1 week before "Noah" was released).

Pt being that with all of the discussions, debates, and controversies surrounding "Noah", they quietly slipped "God's Not Dead" right through everyone's noses(as a "counter-programming" alternative for "Christian" audiences). All this was all by design.

Now the next thing they did in the media was show how GND was this HIT movie, while the anti-Christian "Noah" flopped at the box office - so the deceptive message the "alternative" MSM(ie-FOX, Breitbart, "conservative" sites like Town Hall, etc) put out is how "Christians are winning the battle against wicked Hollywood now!".

As for "Noah" being a flop - 1) It targeted the non-Christian audience like they wanted(ie-and this film all but affirmed their anti-Christian beliefs), and 2) It's made $250m worldwide(so it's already made a nice profit) - so again, they've targeted their demographics the way they wanted.

http://ca.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idCABREA3J0L320140420
Hollywood plays to the faithful, finds hits with God
4/20/14

By Ronald Grover and Chris Michaud
 
(Reuters) - Hollywood has embraced God in a big - and lucrative - way.
 
The movie "Heaven is for Real," which depicts the story of a young boy who claims to have visited heaven during a near death experience, is the fourth faith-based film this year to stir movie-going audiences with impressive box office numbers.
 
Made for $12 million, the film, which stars Greg Kinnear, collected $21.5 million over the Easter weekend in U.S. and Canadian theaters, finishing third at the box office behind bigger budget films "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" from Walt Disney and "Rio 2" from Fox.
 
Two other Christian-based films also cracked the top 10. "Noah," from Viacom's Paramount Pictures, stars Russell Crowe as the biblical figure and was ninth. It has generated more than $93 million at domestic theaters since opening in March, according to the site Box Office Mojo.
 
"God's Not Dead," about a religious freshman college student who debates his professor over the existence of God, was tenth and has totaled $48 million over five weeks, despite playing in only about half the numbers of theaters of Hollywood's larger films.
 
Fox's "Son of God," an adaptation of producer Mark Burnett's 10-hour TV mini series "The Bible," generated more than $59 million in domestic ticket sales after opening earlier this year.
 
"This audience has long felt left out by Hollywood and it certainly looks like this isn't the case anymore," said Paul Dergarabedian, senior market analyst of box office tracking firm Rentrak, in an email. "The numbers will encourage studios to make more of these types of films."

Studios have been searching for more faith-based films since Mel Gibson's 2004 "The Passion of the Christ," which tallied $611.9 million in worldwide ticket sales and was made on a modest $30 million budget, according to Box Office Mojo.
 
In the last five years alone, Hollywood has made 26 movies that the site classifies as "Christian" films, including three based on "The Chronicles of Narnia" fantasy novels by C.S. Lewis that literary academics say adopted several Christian themes.
 
"There's a core audience and they're very interested in seeing films with a faith-based center," said Rory Bruer, president of worldwide distribute for Sony Pictures Entertainment, whose TriStar Pictures unit distributed "Heaven is for Real."
 
"The one main ingredient most have is that they are somewhat inspirational in nature," said Bruer. "People feel like they get something out of it."
 
Not all get great reviews. "Heaven is for Real" got a positive "fresh" rating from only 31 of 59 reviewers, according to the site Rotten Tomatoes.
 
But some of the films can have a built-in marketing vehicle, according to David A. R. White, whose company Pure Flix produced the film "God's Not Dead."
 
White told Entertainment Weekly that Pure Flix waged an aggressive grass-roots campaign that included screening the film for 8,000 pastors prior to its opening.
 
"We have a lot of relationships to the gatekeepers who can rally their people to go to the movie theater," White told the magazine. He added of the American audience, "160 million plus people call themselves Christians. They go to church once a month, at least. That's a lot of people."

FINALLY a web site/ministry exposing this movie for what it is! :)

God's Not Dead -- A Close Examination
http://littlehiddentreasure.blogspot.ca/2014/04/gods-not-dead-close-examination.html

thats about the song called "Gods not dead"

Yes, and ministries/etc have gotten very corrupted when they would put in this CCM heresy.

This isn't just a little leaven, but ALOT - the fact that the filmmakers put this in there says ALOT.

Learning From Young Atheists: What Turned Them Off Christianity

It's something most Christian parents worry about: You send your kids off to college and when they come back, you find they've lost their faith. The prospect of this happening is why many parents nudge their kids towards Christian colleges, or at least schools with a strong Christian presence on campus.

But in many ways, the damage has been done long before our children set foot on campus. That's the message from a recent article in the Atlantic Monthly.

My friend Larry Taunton of the Fixed Point Foundation set out to find out why so many young Christians lose their faith in college. He did this by employing a method I don't recall being used before: He asked them.

The Fixed Point Foundation asked members of the Secular Students Associations on campuses around the nation to tell them about their "journey to unbelief." Taunton was not only surprised by the level of response but, more importantly, about the stories he and his colleagues heard.

rest: http://www.christianpost.com/news/learning-from-young-atheists-what-turned-them-off-christianity-124151/#!

The whole "youth group" agenda in these Babel buildings have played a big role - ultimately, it's b/c their parents just got too complacent thinking they could just let a some young "youth ministers" do all the teaching(and ministering) to them, that they will grow in their faith. But over the long haul the opposite happened.

'God's Not Dead 2' Too Heavy on Subplots, Debate over Jesus' Existence

https://www.facebook.com/ChristianMovieReview/videos/531168587043988/

http://www.christianheadlines.com/videos/god-s-not-dead-2-too-heavy-on-subplots-debate-over-jesus-existence.html

Not that I endorse Hellywood movies, but sequels, in general, are underwhelming.

http://www.boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=4172&p=.htm