Wikipedia

God's Not Dead(film)

God's Not Deadis a 2014 AmericanChristiandrama filmdirected byHarold Cronkand starringKevin Sorbo,Shane Harper,David A. R. White,andDean Cain.Written by Cary Solomon and Chuck Konzelman from a story they co-wrote with Hunter Dennis, and inspired by Rice Broocks' bookGod's Not Dead: Evidence for God in an Age of Uncertainty,the film follows a Christian college student (Harper) whose faith is challenged by anatheistphilosophy professor (Sorbo), who declares God a pre-scientific fiction. The film was produced byPure Flix Entertainmentin association with Check the Gate Productions, Red Entertainment Group, and Faith Family Films, and released theatrically on March 21, 2014, byFreestyle Releasing.[4]

God's Not Dead
In front of a crowd, a young man on a stepladder puts a piece of paper, with the word "NOT" written on it, in between the words "GOD'S" and "DEAD" which were painted on a wall.
Theatrical release poster
Directed byHarold Cronk
Written by
  • Chuck Konzelman
  • Cary Solomon
Story by
  • Chuck Konzelman
  • Cary Solomon
  • Hunter Dennis
Based onGod's Not Dead
by Rice Broocks
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyBrian Shanley
Edited byVance Null
Music byWill Musser
Production
company
Distributed byFreestyle Releasing
Release date
  • March 21, 2014(2014-03-21)
Running time
113 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$2 million[2]
Box office$64.7 million[3]

God's Not Deadwas a commercial success, grossing over $62 million on a $2 million budget.[3]Despite this, it was heavily panned by mainstream critics, who criticized its screenplay, Cronk's directing, performances, mean-spirited tone, characters, and use ofstraw manarguments and common stereotypes of atheists, instead of any actual debate.[4][5][6][7]

The film successfully spawned afilm series of the same name,consisting of foursequels.

Plot

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In the fall of 2013, Josh Wheaton, a college student andevangelical Christian,enrolls in a philosophy class taught by Professor Jeffrey Radisson, anatheist.Radisson demands his students sign a declaration stating "God is dead"to pass his class. Josh is the only student who refuses. Radisson requires Josh to debate the topic with him but agrees to let the rest of the class decide who the winner is.

In the first two debates, Radisson has counter-arguments for all of Josh's points. Josh's girlfriend Kara demands that Josh either sign the statement or drop Radisson's class, as standing up to Radisson will jeopardize their academic future. When Josh refuses, Kara breaks up with him.

In the final debate, Josh halts his line of debate to ask Radisson: "Why do you hate God?" Radisson explodes in rage, confirming hehates Godfor his mother's death. Josh asks Radisson how he can hate someone that does not exist. Martin, a Chinese student whose father forbids him from talking about God to avoid jeopardizing his brother's chance at overseas study, stands up and says, "God's not dead." Most of the class follows Martin's lead, and Radisson leaves the room in defeat.

Radisson dates Mina, an evangelical whom he belittles in front of his fellow atheist colleagues. Her brother Mark, a successful businessman and atheist, refuses to visit their mother, who suffers from dementia. Mark's girlfriend Amy is a left-wing blogger who writes articles critical ofDuck Dynasty.When Amy is diagnosed with cancer, Mark dumps her. A Muslim student, Ayisha, secretly converts to Christianity and is disowned by her infuriated father when he finds out.

Josh invites Martin to attend aNewsboysconcert. Radisson reads a letter from his late mother and is moved to reconcile with Mina. Amy confronts the Newsboys in their dressing room but asks them to help guide her in converting to Christianity. On his way to find Mina, Radisson is struck by a car and fatally injured. A reverend waiting at the intersection tends to Radisson and helps him as he dies. Mark, at last, visits his mother, but mocks her for her faith. She responds that his financial success was given to him by Satan to keep him from turning to God; then she does not remember his name. At the concert, the Newsboys show a video clip ofWillie Robertsoncongratulating Josh on standing up to Radisson and encourages the audience to text "God's Not Dead" as a message to others. The Newsboys begin to play their song "God's Not Dead",dedicating it to Josh.

Cast

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  • Shane Harperas Josh Wheaton, an evangelical college student
  • Kevin Sorboas Professor Jeffrey Radisson, Josh's philosophy class teacher, a self-professed atheist.
  • David A. R. Whiteas Reverend Dave, the pastor of St. James Church. He would later play a larger role in the next films.
  • Trisha LaFache as Amy Ryan, an atheist blogger who is diagnosed with cancer.
  • Hadeel Sittu as Ayisha, a Muslim student who secretly converts to Christianity.
  • Marco Khanas Misrab, Ayisha's estranged father who finds out her suspicions
  • Cory Oliver as Mina, Professor Radisson's girlfriend who is an evangelical Christian.
  • Dean Cainas Mark, an atheist businessman who is Mina's older brother and Amy's boyfriend
  • Jim Gleason as Ward Wheaton
  • Benjamin Onyangoas Reverend Jude, a minister fromGhanawho becomes Dave's friend.
  • Cassidy Giffordas Kara, Josh's girlfriend
  • Paul Kwo as Martin Yip, a foreign exchange student and Josh's best friend who gets to know God.
  • Newsboysas themselves
  • Willie Robertsonas himself, the host ofDuck Dynasty.
  • Korie Robertsonas herself, Willie's wife
  • Alex Arstidis as Fahid, Ayisha's younger brother
  • Lenore Banks as the mother of Mina & Mark; she is also a Christian, but suffers from dementia.
  • Franklin Grahamas himself (voice only)

Inspirations

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The film's script was inspired by lawsuits involving the place of the Christian faith in universities and by the bookGod's Not Dead: Evidence for God in an Age of Uncertaintypublished by Pastor Rice Broocks.[8][9]

Production

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The film was shot from October to November 2012, inBaton Rouge, Louisiana,with the concert scene done inHouston,Texas.[10]However, exterior shots of the concert were filmed atStaples Center.

The film soundtrack was released on March 3, 2014, byInpop Records.[11]

For the 10th anniversary, an extended cut of the film (which runs at 128 minutes) was released on home media.[12]

Reception

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Box office

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The film became a surprise success at the box office. In its first weekend of release, the film earned $9.2 million[3]with an $11,816 per-screen average from 780 theaters, causingEntertainment Weekly's Adam Markovitz to refer to it as "the biggest surprise of the weekend".[13]During that weekend, it finished third behindDivergentandMuppets Most Wantedat the box office.[14]

The film began its international roll-out in Mexico on April 4, 2014, where the movie grossed $89,021 its opening weekend.God's Not Deadgrossed $60.8 million in North America and $3.9 million in other territories for a total of $64.7 million, against a budget of $2 million.[3]At the end of 2014,God's Not Deadwas ranked 93rd in terms of worldwide gross, and finished with $64.7 million worldwide.[15]

Critical reception

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On thereview aggregatorRotten Tomatoesthe film received 12% positive reviews, based on 26 reviews, with anaverage ratingof 3.40/10. The consensus reads, "Deploying sledgehammer theatrics instead of delivering its message with a dose of good faith,God's Not Deadmakes for bad drama and an unconvincing argument to the unconverted. "[16]OnMetacritic,the film received a score of 16 out of 100, based on six critics, indicating "overwhelming dislike".[17]

Elaine Wilkinson criticized the film for presenting a narrative based on aChristian persecution complexin the United States,[18]specifically the idea of colleges as "atheist factories", a premise criticized as an inaccurate stereotype by Emma Green, writing forThe Atlantic.[19]Writing forThe A.V. Club,Emily St. Jamesgave the film a "D−", saying, "Even by the rather lax standards of the Christian film industry,God's Not Deadis a disaster. It's an uninspired amble past a variety of Christian-email-forward bogeymen that feels far too long at just 113 minutes ".[6]Reviewer Scott Foundas ofVarietywrote "... even grading on a generous curve, this strident melodrama about the insidious efforts ofAmerica's university systemto silence true believers on campus is about as subtle as a stack of Bibles falling on your head... "[4]Some sources and blogs have cited the film's similarities to a popularurban legend.[20][21]

Evangelical and Roman Catholic response

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TheAlliance Defending Freedom,American Heritage Girls,Faith Driven Consumer, Denison Forum on Truth and Culture,Trevecca Nazarene University,The Dove Foundationand Ratio Christi have all endorsed the film.[22]

Dave Hartline ofThe American CatholicgaveGod's Not Deada positive review and hoped that other films like it would follow.[23]Vincent Funaro ofThe Christian Postpraised the film for being "a hit for believers and may even appeal to skeptics searching for answers".[24]

EvangelicalMichael Gerson,however, was highly critical of the film and its message, writing "The main problem withGod's Not Deadis not its cosmology or ethics but its anthropology. It assumes that human beings are made out of cardboard. Academics are arrogant and cruel. Liberal bloggers are preening and snarky. Unbelievers disbelieve because of personal demons. It is characterization by caricature. "[25]John Mulderig echoed similar concerns in his review for theCatholic News Service,stating: "There might be the kernel of an intriguing documentary buried within director Harold Cronk's stacked-deck drama, given the extent of real-life academic hostility toward religion. But even faith-filled moviegoers will sense the claustrophobia of theecho chamberwithin which this largely unrealistic picture unfolds. "[26]

Sequels

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Main article:God's Not Dead (film series)

Pure Flix Entertainmentproduced a sequel,God's Not Dead 2,[27]with a release date of April 1, 2016.[28][29][30]A second sequel,God's Not Dead: A Light in Darkness,was released on March 30, 2018.[31]A third sequel,God's Not Dead: We the People,was released on October 4, 2021. David A. R. White, Paul Kwo, Trisha LaFache, and Benjamin Onyango reprise their roles in the second film. However, in the third film, only David A. R. White and Benjamin Onyango reprise their roles, withShane Harperalso reprising his role as Josh Wheaton from the first film.

Awards and nominations

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The film was honored at the 2015MovieGuide Awards,securing the Epiphany Prize in the Inspiring Movie category.[32]

References

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  1. ^"God's Not Dead(PG) ".British Board of Film Classification.April 7, 2014.Archivedfrom the original on April 9, 2014.RetrievedApril 8,2014.
  2. ^Busch, Anita (April 3, 2014)."'God's Not Dead's Kevin Sorbo Takes Hollywood & Media To Task As He Backs Crowdfunding Campaign For Telefilm On Convicted Abortion Doctor Kermit Gosnell ".Deadline Hollywood.Archivedfrom the original on April 6, 2014.RetrievedApril 5,2014.
  3. ^abcd"God's Not Dead (2014)".Box Office Mojo.Amazon.Archivedfrom the original on August 12, 2014.RetrievedAugust 14,2014.
  4. ^abcFoundas, Scott (March 22, 2014)."'God's Not Dead' Review: A Ham-Fisted Christian Melodrama ".Variety.Archivedfrom the original on March 30, 2014.RetrievedApril 26,2014.
  5. ^Farber, Stephen (March 21, 2014)."God's Not Dead: Film Review".The Hollywood Reporter.Archivedfrom the original on March 25, 2014.RetrievedApril 26,2014.
  6. ^abSt. James, Emily Todd (March 24, 2014)."God's Not Dead is a mess even by Christian film standards".The A.V. Club.Archivedfrom the original on April 1, 2014.RetrievedApril 26,2014.
  7. ^"God's Not Dead? Neither Is Philosophy".Psychology Today.March 25, 2014.
  8. ^Sarah Whitman,Shane Harper, Kevin Sorbo depict Christian vs. atheist debate in God's Not Dead,tampabay, USA, April 2, 2014
  9. ^Holly Meyer,Minister's book helps inspire 'God's Not Dead' movie,tennessean, USA, April 14, 2016
  10. ^Schoen, Taylor (November 12, 2012)."Christian movie filming on campus".The Daily Reveille.Baton Rouge, Louisiana:Louisiana State University.RetrievedAugust 30,2013.
  11. ^"God's Not Dead (The Motion Picture Soundtrack)".iTunes Store. January 2014.Archivedfrom the original on December 8, 2016.RetrievedDecember 5,2016.
  12. ^https:// tvguide /movies/gods-not-dead-extended-cut/2030569797/
  13. ^Highfill, Samantha (March 23, 2014)."Inside Movies Box office report: 'Divergent' heads straight for $56 million win".Entertainment Weekly.Archivedfrom the original on May 25, 2014.RetrievedApril 26,2014.
  14. ^Brevet, Brad (March 23, 2014)."Weekend Box Office: Breaking Down 'Divergent' at #1, 'Muppets 2' is Weak & 'God's Not Dead' Surprises".ComingSoon.net.Archivedfrom the original on February 12, 2017.RetrievedMarch 23,2014.
  15. ^"2014 Worldwide Grosses".Box Office Mojo.2014.Archivedfrom the original on November 25, 2014.RetrievedFebruary 26,2018.
  16. ^"God's Not Dead (2014)".Rotten Tomatoes.Archivedfrom the original on May 20, 2019.RetrievedDecember 1,2020.
  17. ^"God's Not Dead Reviews".Metacritic.Archivedfrom the original on November 2, 2014.RetrievedOctober 12,2014.
  18. ^Wilkinson, Alissa (April 3, 2018)."How the Christian movie series God's Not Dead fails to be Christian".Archivedfrom the original on November 14, 2019.RetrievedMarch 25,2020.
  19. ^Green, Emma (August 14, 2014)."It Turns Out Colleges Aren't Actually Atheist Factories".Archivedfrom the original on March 26, 2020.RetrievedMarch 26,2020.
  20. ^Seemayer, Zach (March 30, 2014)."'Noah' Washes Away Competition At The Box Office ".ETonline.Archivedfrom the original on July 31, 2017.RetrievedOctober 13,2019.
  21. ^Mehta, Hemant(September 10, 2013)."If an anti-atheist story on Snopes were made into a film, it'd be this one".Patheos.Archived fromthe originalon June 12, 2018.RetrievedOctober 13,2019.
  22. ^"God's Not Dead – Endorsements".Pure Flix Entertainment.Archived fromthe originalon December 15, 2014.RetrievedApril 1,2014.
  23. ^Hartline, Dave (March 30, 2014)."God's not dead; There's something happening here".American Catholic.Archivedfrom the original on March 31, 2014.RetrievedApril 2,2014.Slowly but surely with movies like God's Not Dead, others will follow, and the old secular guard will not like it and force us to endure some trials and tribulations.
  24. ^Funaro, Vincent (April 21, 2014)."'God's Not Dead' Review: Encouragement for Believers Facing Secular Hostility ".The Christian Post.Archived fromthe originalon August 8, 2014.RetrievedAugust 5,2014.
  25. ^Gerson, Michael (March 21, 2014)."Michael Gerson: 'Noah,' 'God's Not Dead' are movies lacking grace".The Washington Post.Archivedfrom the original on April 1, 2014.RetrievedApril 2,2014.
  26. ^Mulderig, John."God's Not Dead".Catholic News Service.Archived fromthe originalon July 13, 2014.RetrievedApril 2,2014.
  27. ^"'God's Not Dead 2' Getting Ready to Rock Atheists' World ".Charisma News.October 22, 2014.Archivedfrom the original on July 12, 2015.RetrievedJuly 12,2015.
  28. ^Endriga, Jomar (October 17, 2015)."God's Not Dead 2 Teaser Trailer Released in Time for Woodlawn Movie; NFL Star Tim Tebow Comments on Woodlawn Sneak Peek".The Gospel Herald.Archivedfrom the original on October 19, 2015.RetrievedOctober 19,2015.
  29. ^"God's Not Dead 2: Coming April 1, 2016".God's Not Dead Blog.August 25, 2015.Archivedfrom the original on October 23, 2015.RetrievedOctober 19,2015.
  30. ^"Pureflix Sets Release Date for God's Not Dead 2: He is Surely Alive".1More Film Blog.July 8, 2015.Archivedfrom the original on October 15, 2015.RetrievedOctober 19,2015.
  31. ^"God's Not Dead: A Light in Darkness (2018)".Rotten Tomatoes.Archivedfrom the original on January 8, 2018.RetrievedJanuary 14,2018.
  32. ^"Winners Archives".Movieguide® Awards.RetrievedSeptember 11,2024.
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