This movie presents a conflict of worldviews on a college campus as

a group of students sit as judge and jury over the omnipotent

Creator God of the universe.

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[Spoiler Alert: This short review reveals certain elements of the
plot but only to the extent necessary to convey the concerns with
the film.]

“WE’RE GOING TO PUT GOD ON TRIAL!”

A film set for release in late March 2014 has been receiving a lot
of attention in Christian media. God’s Not Dead weaves the
stories of several students on a college campus, an outspoken
professor, a local pastor, and several other characters together
into a very interesting film.1 The storyline is one of conflict on a
college campus where worldviews collide from multiple angles.
The trailer for the film features Professor Radisson challenging his
philosophy students to acknowledge that God is dead by writing
those three little words on a piece of paper. Josh Wheaton refuses
to deny God in front of his peers and finds himself challenged to
defend his belief in God in a series of debates with Professor
Radisson in front of the class. The class gets to serve as judge
and jury. As Wheaton considers his strategy, he comes to the
conclusion that he must battle on an academic level with his
professor in order to win the argument in his classmates’ eyes.
Josh believes God wants to be defended before this group of
college freshmen.

In the first debate, Wheaton boldly declares to his classmates,

“We’re going to put God on trial!”

Think about that for a moment. A college freshman is going to

place a group of teenagers who are willing to sign away their
souls to please a philosophy professor they don’t even know as
judge and jury over the omnipotent Creator God of the universe.
While Wheaton sought counsel from a pastor on his decision, he
might have done well to consult his Lord who plainly said when
He was tempted in the wilderness, “You shall not put the Lord
your God to the test” (Luke 4:12, ESV). Only a fool thinks he can
sit as judge over the Judge of the universe.
In approaching the issue in this manner, Wheaton ignores the
truth of Romans 1:18–32. The people sitting in those seats and
even the professor know God exists. The existence of God is not
the question—whether they are willing to bow to Him as King is.
Wheaton could have agreed to the debate and used the Word of
God as his foundation, as Jesus did in the wilderness temptation,
but he chose to appeal to reason—the reason of fallen men and
women whose minds are blinded by the god of this age (2
Corinthians 4:1–6). What’s more, as the debates play out,
Wheaton uses a quote from Lee Strobel about the evolution of
living things through the ages and a quote from the Roman
Catholic astronomer Georges Lemaitre describing how the big
bang corresponds to “let there be light” in Genesis 1:3 as his
evidence for God’s existence. Rather than looking to God’s Word
and character, the ideas of men developed a relatively short time
ago form the basis for the case for God’s existence. Man’s words
were elevated above God’s Word.2
In the climax, an emotional appeal draws out Radisson’s failure to
accept God allowing evil in the world to reveal what Paul already
told us—Radisson knew God existed, he just hated God and
refused to acknowledge Him as Creator. He didn’t have an
intellectual blindness; he had a spiritual and moral blindness.
While many Christians are excited to promote a movie that is
well-made, tells a compelling story, and has the potential to spark
conversations about God in our post-modern culture, some do so
undiscerningly. In some instances, they may be unaware of the
fact that this movie uses the big bang and the alleged evidence
for the evolution of life on earth as major “proofs” of God’s
existence. In other instances, the Christians endorsing the movie
are happy to accept the big bang and biological evolution as
proof of God’s work in the universe. In fact, the number of
Christians insisting on that explanation is growing rapidly, and
this film may serve to cause an inflation in those numbers.
Regardless, this movie may cause people to think about God, but
it will lead them away from the foundational truths of Genesis
because of its unbiblical foundation. If this movie tells its viewers
that they can’t trust Genesis as straightforward and foundational
history, why then would they trust the rest of the Bible—including
their need for a Savior—built on that shaky foundation?
Spread throughout the film were examples of very unbiblical
counsel from Christian characters, sprinklings of secular
psychology, and a failure to ever acknowledge sin as rebellion
against God. Additionally, a cameo by Willie Robertson from the
television show Duck Dynasty elevates the “red letters” in the
Bible over the rest of Scripture as he talks to a reporter.
Clichés die hard, and that was the case with a scene dealing with
the demise of one of the key characters. Rather than using
biblical language to proclaim the gospel that saves rebel souls
from hell, an emotional appeal is made to this person that does
not resemble the call to saving faith described in Scripture. The
constant refrain of Jesus and the apostles was to repent and
believe (Mark 1:15; Acts 20:21). You won’t find those elements
together in this movie.
There were several positive elements of the film. For example, I
can’t remember the last time I heard Philippians 4:13 used in its
true context in popular Christian media, as it was here. Further, it
was a very engaging storyline with interesting twists and crossing
plotlines. Several characters gave up important things to profess
their faith in Christ. However, all of these positive elements are
overshadowed by the failure to acknowledge God’s Word and
character as the foundation of the Christian worldview. While the
film approached the topic of evil in the world, it abandoned the
ability to answer that question by demanding that God brought
life into the world through the process of death through
evolutionary processes. It presented an origin for the universe
that requires a rewriting of the events of Genesis 1 to accept.
As with lots of movies, an astute and mature Christian can use
this film as a teaching opportunity by opening up the pages of
Scripture with those who have seen it to explain the real origin of
suffering in the world as well as the real hope of salvation by
repenting of sin and trusting fully in the Creator God—Jesus
Christ. Jesus Christ is not dead: He is risen and seated at the right
hand of the Father. Let us boldly proclaim that He is the Judge of
the living and the dead rather than putting ourselves in His
rightful place.
 The primary plot (see trailer here) is centered on a college
freshman named Josh Wheaton. Josh is a committed Christian who
finds himself in a philosophy class taught by Professor Radisson, an
outspoken atheist who requires his students to either sign a piece of
paper declaring that God is dead or else defend the antithesis in front
of the class. Josh refuses to sign the paper and decides to argue for
God’s existence despite the fact that it could cost him his grade and his
future. Several other subplots dealing with different challenges to faith
or providing comic relief are interwoven into this main plot.

1. God’s Not Dead

Well, let’s start with the obvious. The title gives away the entire
message of the movie, and it’s a very important one. Within the
philosophy world, people will recognize the statement and there are
still adherents to the view that God is dead and no longer a concern
in this world. In the Christian community, believe it or not, a similar
view can be adopted—believing that God is no longer active in this
world. God’s Not Dead teaches us all to remember that God is
certainly alive and still active within our world today.
2. Boldness takes courage
Josh Wheaton needed boldness to stand up in front of his class and
publicly say that his teacher was wrong. But, it wasn’t just boldness
that he had—it was courage. He knew he had to fight for what he
believed in, so he did it with all his might.
3. Commitment is extremely important
The movie clearly portrays how committed Josh Wheaton was in his
assignment to prove that God is not dead. He’s constantly pouring
over countless numbers of books in order to study and come up with
valid arguments to disprove that God is not dead. When his girlfriend
tries to sway him away from all the studying, Josh stays strong and
committed to what he agreed to do. He didn’t do it halfheartedly and
did not waver at all.
4. Make sure friends are pulling you up, not
down
We’re known by the friends we keep; Proverbs teaches us that much!
The company we keep can do one of two things: pull us up, or pull us
down. And, it’s much easier to be pulled down by someone than it is
to be pulled up (if you don’t believe me, stand on a chair and get
someone to try and pick you up. Then, when they fail, pull them
down.). When Josh Wheaton’s girlfriend continually discouraged him
from what he believed God was telling him to do, he made the tough
decision to part ways with her. It was certainly difficult for him, but he
made a wise choice.
5. Reaching out to people is a necessity
Josh wasn’t just trying to get a good grade in his class and show up
his professor. In fact, he was interested in showing his peers the
truths of the Bible. When asked questions outside of class, he
answered them and took the time to talk to his peers. By the end of
the movie, one of his classmates even accepted the Lord and Josh
immediately included him as a friend and brother, than took him to a
Christian concert. Ultimately, Josh had the heart of an evangelist and
an apologist, which all of us should have today.