n e w c h u r c h l i f e : m ay / j u n e 2 0 1 4
The student in the movie nervously balks at the assignment and the
smug professor challenges him: prove God’s existence with well-researched,
intellectual arguments and evidence or he will fail the course.
A promotion for the movie sums it up: “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 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.”
Wolfe concedes that the movie may be “preaching to the choir,” but hopes
to connect with nonbelievers too. “What the movie does,” he says, “is it silences
and quiets people down in a dark room – and it takes them to a place that they
won’t even let their best friend take them. They’re asked that question, ‘Is there
or isn’t there a God?’ and then they need to answer that for themselves.”
In a recent Peanuts comic strip, Charlie Brown tells Lucy he’s going to
a church picnic with his family. Lucy says, “I didn’t know you belonged to a
church.” Charlie Brown answers, “Of course we do. Don’t you?” To which Lucy
answers: “We used to, but now we belong to a coffee house.”
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