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So would the new film, “God’s Not Dead: We The People” continue this more nuanced and self-aware approach to addressing modern political and cultural concerns for evangelical Christians?
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As White has been a huge part of shaping the franchise from the beginning, I hoped that - regardless of how the third movie fell short, in my opinion - he could shed some light on the thinking of the franchise and this film in particular. The makers of the “God’s Not Dead” films very explicitly said in the marketing that they made the film because they wanted to help move a divided country toward reconciliation. He ended up apologizing to everyone and giving up his fight to save his church. During the film, pastor Dave realizes that he has been unfairly demonizing his opponents and was exaggerating the level of persecution against him in a way that was tearing his community apart. The film centered on Reverend Hill working with his atheist brother to fight to keep his campus church on university grounds despite the wishes of the university.
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That said, I was intrigued - and even hopeful - to watch this entry and have the opportunity to interview White, mainly for one reason: The previous entry in the franchise, “God’s Not Dead: A Light in the Darkness,” was a huge improvement artistically and morally on the rest of the series - and shockingly functioned as a meta-commentary admitting that the critics of the franchise up to that point were right. But I also disliked it because I thought it made Christians look bad, and I thought if I made a big show of how much I disliked it, I could show I was one of the “good Christians.” I disliked it artistically - for the bad acting, the bad dialogue that was always more preaching than dialogue - and morally, for the way it misrepresented the people that it disagreed with. White), who reluctantly goes to Washington to try to persuade lawmakers not to vote for a bill that would force homeschooling families to conform to federal standards that don’t reflect their values.Īs a lifelong Christian who was homeschooled and a film lover, I always strongly disliked the “God’s Not Dead” films - both for good and not-so-good reasons. The latest entry in the franchise, “God’s Not Dead: We The People” centers on the returning protagonist, the Rev. Since the first movie came out, the franchise has become the poster boy for how White conservative Christians exaggerate the reality of Christian persecution in America and, intentionally or unintentionally, caricature and demonize their opposition. It went on to spawn two other sequels: “God’s Not Dead 2” in 2016 and “God’s Not Dead: A Light in the Darkness” in 2018. It became one of the most profitable movies of all time, grossing $65 million at the box office on a $1.5 million budget. The first film, “God’s Not Dead,” released in 2014 and centered on a Christian college student battling his atheist professor who bullied him. The “God’s Not Dead” franchise is a series that is as hated as it is successful.