God's Not Dead

{{Bronze}}{{title-italics}}{{film}}{{christianity}}

'''''God's Not Dead''''' is a series of crappy [[fundamentalist]] [[Christian]] [[propaganda]]/[[Christsploitation]] films released by Pinnacle Peak Pictures,<ref group=note>Formerly known as Pure Flix.</ref> with a recurring character, Reverend Dave Hill, played by the studio's founder, David A.R. White. The films drudge out [[Atheist professor myth|well-known urban legends]] and stereotypical Christian [[persecution complex|persecution]] myths. All of the films suffer from poor scripts, bad acting, and questionable premises.

==''God's Not Dead (2014)''==

{{cquote|It's bad and I'm sorry|||Anonymous Christian pastor<ref>[http://www.imdb.com/user/ur51764475/ God's Not Dead (2014) It's Bad and I'm Sorry.] Review by joefred-962-369729 on imdb.com.</ref>}}
The first movie was directed by Christian filmmaker [[Wp:Harold Cronk|Harold Cronk]]. It's effectively a movie-length version of the [[atheist professor myth]], and follows the story of a designated [[WASP]] hero, a freshman at the fictional Hadleigh University, Josh Wheaton<ref group=note>Get it?</ref> (Shane Harper), who takes a [[philosophy]] class in which he is challenged by [[atheist]] professor Jeffrey Radisson ([[Kevin Sorbo]]).<ref>[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2528814/?ref_=ttpl_ql God's Not Dead (2014)] at imdb.com.</ref>

The film currently boasts a rating of 14% on Rotten Tomatoes and has been criticized by secular and religious reviewers alike.<ref>[https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/gods_not_dead/ God's Not Dead (2014)] at Rotten Tomatoes.</ref>

===Plot===
{{cquote|You know, it's economical not to have a storyline, 'cause then you can just film people saying things.|||''Crow T. Robot, Mystery Science Theater: 3000 (Werewolf)''}}
The movie follows Josh in his quest to prove [[God]]'s existence to his classmates after Professor Radisson threatens him with a failing grade unless he either [[Burden of proof|proves that God exists]] or admits to the contrary. A few sub-plots include: a [[Muslim]] dad, Misrab, getting pissed at his daughter, Ayisha, for converting to [[Christianity]]; Radisson's relationship with his Christian girlfriend, whom he constantly belittles for her belief in [[Jesus]]; Radisson's girlfriend's brother, Mark (Dean Cain), refusing to visit his mother, who has {{wpl|dementia||;}} the brother being in a boss/employee relationship with a woman who loves to hate on ''Duck Dynasty'' (considering the role the Robertson family played in making this film, that's just being petty); and a lovable [[Racism|Chinese]] exchange student being led to Christ by Josh. After some preliminary debates, Josh trounces Radisson in a final debate by [[Not even wrong|asserting that there had to be a first cause]], and then [[Loaded question|prods]] Radisson until he yells that [[Misotheism|he really does believe in God, but he hates him]] because his [[Prayer|prayers]] as a child, to save his dying mother from cancer, didn't work. After this debate, Radisson tries to go to a Newsboys concert to apologize to his girlfriend, but is hit by a car and [[Deathbed conversion|converts to Christianity as he lies dying]]. Then everybody has a big Christian alt rock party as Raddison goes to Heaven.<ref>[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2528814/synopsis?ref_=ttpl_pl_syn God's Not Dead (2014) synopsis] at imdb.com.</ref>

===Why this would never happen===
The entire premise of the movie is reliant on Josh being persecuted for his religious beliefs by his professor. The problem is that most colleges have policies against the faculty discriminating on religious grounds. All Josh would have to do is complain to the administration and Radisson would be disciplined. Not that he would have to, because no self-respecting expert in [[philosophy]] would force his class to accept a view without question, as that would defeat the entire point of ''studying philosophy'' in the first place. He also wouldn't let the student take up the bulk of the time, unless he was exceptionally lazy (not generally something associated with rabid persecution).

===Portrayal of atheists===
{{cquote|Are you a Christian? Well, you're the persecuted hero who can do no wrong! Liberal blogger? You're a bitch and you'll get cancer! Atheist? You just hate God, verbally abuse your girlfriend and you will fucking die! Muslim? Your father will beat the shit out of you when he finds out you're reading scripture! Dean Cain? Bastard!|||''Brad Jones, The Cinema Snob<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d91DJm0OnMw God's Not Dead - The Cinema Snob]. Stoned Gremlin Productions on YouTube, 28 March 2016.</ref>}}
The movie depicts athiests as militant assholes who hate [[God]], Christians, and everyone else. Mark is portrayed as an inconsiderate asshole who dumps his girlfriend as soon as she gets [[cancer]] (and we thought that was [[Newt Gingrich]]'s specialty!). When he finally visits his mother, he insults her for being a demented old [[fundamentalist]]. She responds by saying "Your financial success was given to you by '''''[[Satan]]'''''." (And all this time we thought Christians felt [[Name it and claim it|wealth was a sign of God's favor]]!) Radisson is portrayed as what most fundamentalists think atheists are: God-haters, who really ''do'' believe in God. It is worth mentioning at this point that believing in and hating God is not atheism: it's [[misotheism]]. Radisson only uses weak arguments such as the [[argument from authority]] by citing Stephen Hawking.

===The "inspiration"===
The movie claims to be inspired by the "real-life court cases" of the Christian legal group [[Alliance Defense Fund|"Alliance Defending Freedom"]]. The credits of the movie include a list of several of the ADF's cases. Few of the ADF's cases are clear-cut, and none of them involve a professor violating a student's religious belief. Instead, there's a case of the ADF getting sexual harassment charges against a librarian dropped by threatening counter-action, and a fair number of cases involving students getting in trouble for [[Discrimination|discriminating]] against non-Christian students in their Christian clubs.<ref>[https://archive.is/CT6xU Exclusive Interview with Pure Flix Entertainment for God's Not Dead Movie.] Alliance Defending Freedom, 14 February 2014.</ref>

Due to the cost of making these being so low that it's nearly impossible to make a loss<ref group=note>The first two movies had a combined budget of only $7 million.</ref> regardless of how bad it's received, they're probably gonna keep churning these out until [[Armageddon]], and maybe even AFTER.{{fact|joke}}

===Critical reception===
The film's 14% Tomatometer rating (as of 23 April 2018) means it is 14 percentage points better than such [[Sarcasm|classic films]] as ''Jaws: The Revenge'', ''Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol'', ''Highlander 2: The Quickening'', ''A Thousand Words'', ''Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever'', Roberto Benigni's ''Pinocchio'', and Adam Sandler parody Western ''The Ridiculous 6'', although perhaps featuring fewer sharks, swordfights, or Native American caricatures.<ref>{{wpa|List of films with a 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes}}</ref> Rotten Tomatoes does list some positive reviews: ''The Hollywood Reporter'' praised its production and cast, and gave it credit for discussing the ideas of atheists [[Stephen Hawking]] and [[Richard Dawkins]], concluding "The film has entertaining moments, but these are clearly secondary to its proselytizing intentions."<ref>[https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/gods-not-dead-film-review-690393 God's Not Dead Review], Stephen Farber, ''The Hollywood Reporter''</ref> Along with 18 negative reviews, RT also lists praise from jackiekcooper.com and parental information site Screen It, which awarded 5.5/10 and admired its makers' earnestness.<ref>[http://www.screenit.com/ourtake/2014/gods_not_dead.html God's Not Dead], Screen It, 2014</ref>

==''God's Not Dead 2 (2016)''==

Released on 1 April 2016,<ref>[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4824308/ God's Not Dead 2], imdb.com.</ref> sources confirmed that it, unfortunately, was not an April Fool's Joke.{{lie}} The film has grossed a telling amount of $23 million worldwide.<ref>[https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl2826733057/ God's Not Dead 2]. Box Office Mojo, 2016.</ref> To no one's surprise, it has a much coveted 10% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.<ref>[http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/gods_not_dead_2/ God's Not Dead 2 (2016) &mdash; Rotten Tomatoes]</ref>
 
===Plot===
In this film, Grace Wesley (Melissa Joan Hart) is an AP History teacher who mentions [[Jesus]] to 
Erica Goldberg
 Brooke Thawley (Hayley Orrantia), a student in class. She is then sued by 
Leland Palmer
 
{{wpl|Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2|President Michael Dugan}}
 Pete Kane (Ray Wise), who now works for the [[ACLU]] despite &mdash; or, in this universe, ''because of'' &mdash; basically being a figure of pure [[evil]]. A cast of people you might dimly remember from old TV is bulked out by Robin Givens (''Head of the Class'') as an evil school administrator and Jesse Metcalfe (''Desperate Housewives'') as a nice lawyer. All your favorite characters from the first film pop up again, now even more extremist. Real-life [[Apologetics|Christian apologist]] J. Warner Wallace appears as a witness in the trial, plugging his book, ''Cold-Case Christianity'', along with [[Lee Strobel]], who plugs his ''The Case for Christ''. [[Mike Huckabee]] also makes a cameo. Some subplots of the film include a former college blogger getting convinced by [[anecdotal evidence]] that [[prayer]]s can be answered, and Martin Yip, a college student getting disowned by his father for being a Christian. In the end, Grace wins the lawsuit after Tom Endler (Jesse Metcalfe), her defense attorney, portrays Grace as a hostile witness. A sequel is set up at the end with Pastor Dave arrested when he won't turn over copies of his sermons under a subpoena (for no apparent reason). Overall, the plot bombs.

===Portrayal of atheists===
You would think that they would have made [[atheists]] seem less evil in the second movie than the first. However, it seems like they have yet to learn the difference between [[atheism]] and [[misotheism]]. In this film, atheists are portrayed as mean, selfish, and militant douchebags who believe [[God]] is Dead™ and that Christians are evil. Pete is portrayed as an evil lawyer who is such an atheist that he believes that [[Slippery slope|the loss of a single lawsuit will somehow result]] in [[secularism]] ending. Martin's father is also portrayed as cruel, selfish, and just a complete asshole. It is important to point out that most atheists do not behave this way, and that any people that do are not representative of the entire atheist population, contrary to what this movie tries to prove.{{fact|joke}} Grace's lawyer, however, is an exception, as he's an atheist but nice and ordinary (being her defender may be the reason, even though that's literally his job).

===Legal errors===
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the film entirely botches US law. First of all, the plot wouldn't happen at all. At most, if Grace did something inappropriate, she would be fired (as the film shows). They wouldn't then sue her. If anything, if what the film shows is true, she would probably sue ''them'' for wrongful termination and violations of her constitutional rights. These cases involve the school, not just the individual teacher. So if Grace had been, say, preaching to her students, the school might be sued. However, it would be in federal court. This is portrayed as in state court, with a jury. When suing a government (the public school, here, which represents one), however, there is no jury. During the trial, there's mention of a "not guilty" verdict and "indictment", which come from criminal law, while this is a civil case. Further, the historical existence of Jesus (or lack thereof) would be irrelevant. The "experts" called by the defense are not that, so the plaintiffs could have them disqualified, as neither is a historian. Lastly, the ACLU would likely ''defend'' Grace if she were sued (somehow) for simply mentioning Jesus. However, it isn't clear what Grace is even being sued ''for''.<ref group=note>Apparently the [[Persecution complex|persecution-fetishizing]] [[wingnut]]s responsible for this case think that you can be sued for being a Christian. Well, ''technically'', you can, but any judge with more than 10 brain cells would ''immediately'' dismiss such a frivolous case with extreme prejudice, and probably order sanctions against the attorneys filing the case for knowingly filing a frivolous case and wasting the court's time.</ref> Nor is a person's teacher's certificate something they could revoke for this. So to put it simply: they got every detail wrong.

===Critical reception===
Critics noted that the film was slightly more competent than the original, with Ray Wise in particular giving an entertaining performance, and generally more of an idea about basic things like structure, despite thumping its audience with a leaden and implausible one-note message no more advanced than the original.<ref>[http://www.avclub.com/review/gods-not-dead-2-jesus-gets-expelled-high-school-234668 God's Not Dead 2] AV Club</ref> ''Variety'' concluded that it operates at the level of your average middle-school play – except with far greater levels of upside-down logic and bald-faced intolerance for anyone not enraptured by the [[New Testament]].<ref>[http://variety.com/2016/film/reviews/film-review-gods-not-dead-2-1201743885/ God's Not Dead 2], Variety</ref> And yes, the Newsboys are back with more ''terrible'' Christian rock.

Rotten Tomatoes listed 3/36 good reviews, including one from bastion of liberalism ''[[Huffington Post]]'',<ref>[https://www.huffingtonpost.com/jackie-k-cooper/gods-not-dead-2-aims-stra_b_9598078.html ‘God’s Not Dead 2’ Aims Straight for the Christian Base], Jackie K Cooper, Huffington Post</ref> although Bitdefender claims that the website of San Diego Film Critics Society member Diana Saenger is too virus-ridden to allow me to read her 5/5 judgment.

==''God's Not Dead: A Light in Darkness (2018)''==

The third installment in the franchise. The drama follows the story of a congregation displaced when their church burns down and the challenges they face rebuilding. The film was released by PureFlix Entertainment on 30 March 2018 to generally unfavorable reviews.<ref>[https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/pure-flix-announces-theatrical-release-date-for-gods-not-dead-a-light-in-darkness-300573569.html Pure Flix Announces Theatrical Release Date For God's Not Dead: A Light in Darkness.] prnewswire.com, 19 December 2017.</ref>

The film includes cameos from [[Dana Loesch]] (a spokesperson for the [[NRA]], and formerly a presenter on [[TheBlaze]] and journalist for [[Breitbart]]), and Jeanine Pirro (a [[Fox News]] TV personalilty, Republican politician, and former judge).<ref name=rizov/> We're sure this film's political message will be, ''*ahem*'', "[[Fair and Balanced]]."

The total worldwide box offices revenue for the film was $7,354,761. U.S DVD sales were estimated to be $2,671,837.<ref>[https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Gods-Not-Dead-A-Light-in-Darkness-(2018) God’s Not Dead: A Light in Darkness (2018)]. the-numbers.com, 2018.</ref> Pureflix Entertainment is a distributor of the film, so the film is available through Pureflix, an online streaming service. 

===Plot===
Reverend Dave is the pastor of a local church that happens to sit on the property of a university. The church gets torched, killing an assistant pastor, causing Dave to lose his temper and question his [[faith]]. The church's presence on campus is deemed to be too divisive and the university uses [[eminent domain]] (incorrectly)<ref group=note>The university can't just take it, as they are not specifically a government entity with that power. They would have already owned it if it was on their campus, so why is this a thing?</ref> to seize the 
church
 property. Dave will have none of this, and seeks legal help from his brother, a [[social justice]] lawyer and [[atheist]]. Eventually, things climax in an ugly confrontation between groups for and against the church shouting at each other. Ultimately, Dave drops his lawsuit for reconciliation, and a new off-campus church is built. 

The film features several subplots involving young people struggling with their faith, or lack thereof. The man who tossed the brick that broke the gas line that burned down the church blames [[Christianity]] for breaking up his relationship and mistreating his mother, and ultimately [[pray]]s for forgiveness when he discovers he is responsible for the assistant pastor's death.<ref group=note>Not to mention guilty of involuntary manslaughter, which he somehow gets released from when Dave forgives him (which isn't his call).</ref> Pastor Dave commits the [[sin]] of becoming an [[asshole]], but draws inspiration from his girlfriend's simple faith.

===Critical reception===
Critics noted that the film is generally less hostile, defensive, and political than the first two films, which are overwhelmingly considered to be outright political propaganda.<ref>[http://www.patheos.com/blogs/crossexamined/2018/03/movie-review-gods-not-dead-3-gnd/ Movie Review: “God’s Not Dead 3”] at patheos.com, 30 March 2018.</ref><ref>Roger Moore, [https://rogersmovienation.com/2018/03/31/movie-review-gods-not-dead-3-a-light-in-darkness/ Movie Review: “God’s Not Dead 3: A Light in Darkness” tries to be less angry.] rogersmovienation.com, 31 March 2018.</ref> Sheila O'Malley noted that the film features a lot of people "grappling" with their faith and has a lot of good moments, even though it does not significantly challenge Christians to become better people.<ref name=omalley>[https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/gods-not-dead-a-light-in-darkness-2018 God's Not Dead: A Light in Darkness], Sheila O'Malley, rogerebert.com, Mar 30, 2018</ref> Star David A.R. White explained that this less antagonistic mood was because the filmmakers thought God was winning after the election of [[Donald Trump]].<ref name=religionunplugged2021/> Hosannah!

However, the general elements from the first two films are still prominently featured: a [[persecution complex]], divisiveness, and the hostility of [[secular]] society.<ref>[https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/gods_not_dead_a_light_in_darkness God's Not Dead: A Light in Darkness] at Rotten Tomatoes.</ref> There are speeches where voice-of-the-author characters pontificate: "All of these universities go on and on and on about tolerance and inclusivity..."<ref name=omalley/> The cameos from right-wing campaigners and pundits Dana Loesch and Judge Jeanine Pirro likewise stack the deck.<ref name=rizov>[https://film.avclub.com/gods-still-not-dead-and-dana-loesch-is-a-light-in-dark-1824178917 God's Not Dead: A Light in Darkness], Vadim Rizov, AV Club</ref> The film also differs from its predecessors in that it has abandoned efforts to prove [[God]]'s existence using [[fact]]s and [[logic]].<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6652708/reviews?ref_=tt_urv God's Not Dead: A Light in Darkness.] User reviews at imdb.com.</ref>

The film's awfulness is tempered a bit by the presence of {{wpl|John Corbett||,}} known for his roles on the American television series ''{{wpl|Sex and the City}}'' and ''{{wpl|Northern Exposure||,}}'' and the film ''{{wpl|My Big Fat Greek Wedding||.}}'' Most reviewers note that despite having the blatant propaganda from the first films toned down, the film still suffers from poor scripting, weak acting, and a flimsy premise.

==''God's Not Dead: We the People (2021)''==
{{cquote|''God’s Not Dead: We the People'' is not merely the worst in an already-misbegotten series, but so utterly deplorable that its status as a three-night-only Fathom Event in theaters at least assures that significantly fewer people will see it... Where is the entertainment value in a film like this? ''God’s Not Dead: We the People'' is made for those who waste their precious hours of the day on cable news ([[Fox News]]) intake.|||Steve Pulaski, Influx Magazine<ref>Steve Pulaski, [https://influxmagazine.com/gods-not-dead-we-the-people-2021-review/ “God’s Not Dead: We the People” (2021) Review]. ''Influx Magazine'', 2021.</ref>}}

Released on 4 October 2021,<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14578032/ God's Not Dead: We the People]. ''IMDB,'' 2021.</ref> the fourth installment involves the McKinnons, Mike and Rebecca (Antonio Sabato Jr. and Francesca Battistelli, respectively), wanting to [[Homeschooling|homeschool]] their children, while standing up to the government with the help of Reverend Dave, and [[House of Representatives|Representative]] Daryl Smith (Isaiah Washington). Rather than continuing the more intimate nature of ''A Light in Darkness'', ''We the People'' goes back to the franchise's roots, and takes the story all the way to [[Washington, D.C.]].

===Plot===
The homeschooling couple is facing issues as a social worker inspects the home teaching about [[creationism]] and [[Noah's Ark]]. The [[Muslim]] daughter from the first film, Ayisha, returns and is involved in a car accident, while her father, Misrab, is starting to have regrets about disowning her. There's a big generic speech in the end where Dave stands up triumphantly, and all is abruptly concluded in the end credits.

===Critical reception===
''We The People'' was generally ignored by most people and critics. Its domestic box office gross was only $1.17 million,<ref name="GND4-TN">[https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Gods-Not-Dead-We-the-People-(2021)#tab=summary God’s Not Dead: We the People (2021)], The Numbers, accessed October 4, 2022</ref> mainly because it was released as a three-night limited engagement in October 2021. In fairness, the movie industry in general suffered from 2020 to 2021, as the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] led to movie theatres closing for an extended length of time. Further, when theatres could finally reopen, many of them faced various restrictions, with some theatres mandating a [[COVID-19 vaccine|proof of vaccination]] for guests. The DVD version of ''We The People'' was released on December 7, 2021, and made $1.01 million in gross sales, bringing the movie's total gross to $2.18 million.<ref name="GND4-TN"/> In contrast to the first three films, ''We The People'' was not released on Blu-Ray.

Did we say critics ignored it? Well, only two reviews on Rotten Tomatoes were placed, with one positive and one negative,<ref>[https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/gods_not_dead_we_the_people God's Not Dead We the People] ''Rotten Tomatoes''</ref> so technically, it's the highest rated movie in the franchise by default (although you need more than 2 reviews to get a Rotten Tomatoes critics' score, so its rating is still blank).

Educational charity Common Sense Media gave it 2/5 stars, calling it "heavy-handed propaganda" and "divisive fare".<ref>[https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/gods-not-dead-we-the-people God's Not Dead: We the People], Common Sense Media</ref> Even Christian website Religion Unplugged (RU) hated it, seeing it as backsliding after the improved third film in the franchise had tried to avoid simplistic us-vs-them arguments: "You can't misrepresent what people believe and expect them to listen to you or engage with you in conversation." RU criticised acting and production values and noted that the writers made no attempt to give the antagonists realistic motivation or any kind of sensible reason for their actions beyond being mustache-twirling villains, complaining that terrible movies like the GNDs left half of America unrepresented by anyone competent.<ref name=religionunplugged2021>[https://religionunplugged.com/news/2021/10/28/the-real-reason-we-have-another-terrible-gods-not-dead-movie The Real Reason We Have Another (Terrible) God’s Not Dead Movie], Religion Unplugged, October 28, 2021</ref>

==''God's Not Dead: In God We Trust (2024)''==
{{update section}}
Had a limited run in September 2024. The redundantly-titled fifth installment in the saga involves Reverend Dave having to run for [[Congress]] against more secularists, and trying to answer the question "Is God dead in American politics?" Dean Cain, Isaiah Washington, Ray Wise, Cory Oliver, and Brad Heller are billed to co-star.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20220915081108/https://onlysky.media/hemant-mehta/gods-not-dead-5-rise-up-will-come-out-in-2023/ Atheists didn’t finish the job (yet), so God’s Not Dead 5 will come out in 2023] by Hemant Mehta, September 14, 2022, ''OnlySky''</ref><ref>[https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/pure-flix-announces-new-gods-not-dead-rise-up-301623816.html Pureflix announces new God's Not Dead: Rise Up], PR News Wire press release, Sept. 13, 2022</ref> Harold Cronk, who directed the first two films in the franchise, was slated to return to the director's chair but this is no longer the case. At least we'll get a new banger from the Newsboys!<ref>[https://www.thechristianbeat.org/newsboys-announce-new-gods-not-dead-movie-song-coming-this-year/ Newsboys Announce New ‘God’s Not Dead’ Movie & Song Coming This Year] by Herb Longs, May 31, 2024, ''TheChristianBeat.org''</ref>

Like ''We The People'', ''In God We Trust'' was also largely ignored by critics.

==Recurring themes in the franchise==
While presenting themselves "wholesome" courtroom dramas for religiously minded audiences, movies in the ''God's Not Dead'' series have several concerning themes and ideas that implies a much more extreme agenda than the filmmakers let on:

===Christian persecution complex===
Like with most conservative media geared towards the conservative evangelical demographic, the films seemingly takes place in a surreal alternate universe where Christianity is a oppressed minority whose followers are looked down upon by mainstream "liberal" society.

===Erasure of anti-queer bigotry and discrimination===
Strangely for a film series obsessed with hot button culture war topics, [[LGBTQ|LGBTQIA+]] issues (or even people for that matter) never play a significant role within any of the plots nor make any appearance during scenes or just mentioned in passing in conversations with the characters. The closest we get to the franchise handling the topic is the opening scene in ''God's Not Dead 5'' where Dave Hill asks during a press conference debate whether a Christian school board member who opposes "inappropriate books for kids" (an obvious refence to public school book bannings heavily targeting LGBTQ+ books<ref>Chris Sweda, [https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/banned-books-lgbtq-transgender-black-people-of-color-pen-america-rcna193879 More than half of books banned last year featured LGBTQ characters or people of color, report finds]. ''NBC News'', 27 February 2025.</ref>) should be considered a "nationalist...Or just a concerned parent", but fails to elaborate further on what specific books he's talking about and the reasons why this hypothetical parent thinks they're "inappropriate."

This is particularly glaringly when one considers that the films' claims of "religious freedoms" have been used as a justification for actual persecution of queer people, such as the infamous "gay wedding cake" controversy. With this in mind, this omission can be seen as the filmmakers whitewashing Christian anti-LGBTQ bigotry by deliberately evading any mention of the topic within the narrative, so as to make their conservative religious protagonists (who would undoubtedly hold such repulsive views in real-life) seem more sympathetic and reasonable to secular audiences than if they were depicted as weird fanatical assholes harassing strangers for their sexual orientation or gender identity.
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===Demonization of secularism and human rights===
===Christian nationalism===
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==See also==
*''[[Unplanned]]'', a 2019 anti-[[abortion]] screed by the same writers
*''[[Saving Christmas]]'', an even crappier film in the Christploitation genre, produced by [[Kirk Cameron]] in 2014

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20160520121219/https://www.springfieldspringfield.co.uk/movie_script.php?movie=gods-not-dead ''God's Not Dead'' (2014) movie script]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20190729064259/https://www.springfieldspringfield.co.uk/movie_script.php?movie=gods-not-dead-2 ''God's Not Dead 2'' (2016) movie script]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20190729064721/https://www.springfieldspringfield.co.uk/movie_script.php?movie=gods-not-dead-a-light-in-darkness ''God's Not Dead: A Light in Darkness'' (2018) movie script]
*[https://www.vox.com/2015/2/15/8038283/christian-movies-bad-old-fashioned-fifty-shades Why are Christian movies so painfully bad?]
*Videos by the YouTuber Big Joel analyzing the films: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSMJiWmLQyw ''God's Not Dead''], [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HC1ZQ7WGAto ''God's Not Dead 2''], [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3m0w22K5T60 ''God's Not Dead 3: A Light in the Darkness''], and [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vd5BbkuCud0 both ''God's Not Dead: We the People'' and ''God's Not Dead: In God We Trust'']
*[https://archive.org/details/GodsNotDeadSNL SNL God's Not Dead Parody (God Is A Boob Man)]

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note|2}}

==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}

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[[Category:Propaganda]]
[[Category:Christianity]]
[[Category:Atheophobia]]

Categories: Films, Propaganda, Christianity, Atheophobia