But, despite its weaknesses, I enjoyed it. I had to sit for a moment and think about why.
See, a close friend of mine (please pray for him if you think of it) hated "God's Not Dead." So I went in to the movie with a critical eye, looking to find whatever he missed to hopefully prove the movie good.
Partway through watching it I re-read his complaints. Some were valid (albeit complaints that could be levied against nearly any movie).
He was not a fan of the inaccurate representation of scientific argument. Valid but only because there was not enough time given to present both sides. However, having watched a number of debates on the existence of God with far more time allotted to arguing the finer points on both sides, I felt the movie did both sides justice in presentation even if not in time slots.
He felt there were racist and sexist stereotypes and underlying currents in the entire movie that cast anyone non-white in a negative light. Frankly, sexist? I missed that entirely. And I will definitely agree that the distinctions between societies and cultures was on full display, even if the nuances did not have time to shine through in the screenplay. But before we jump on the attack because of how the Islamic and Asian families were portrayed, let's not forget that whites were cast in both positive and negative lights, and the pastor needed the black missionary to help him realize that everything going wrong was in God's hands.
But perhaps the complaint I was prepared to agree with the most was the ending. For a movie that concerned itself with its ties to reality (see the court cases mentioned in the credits) the ending felt far too neat and tidy to actually be in the real world. It's a fault that so many movies from a Christian perspective share: everything always ends wonderfully, there's never any blemish to mar the face of their perfect ending. Granted, this movie ended with a death, and with a hardened heart so it didn't fall into the 'absolutely no blemish' trap. But if we're honest, the plot lines by and large ended in a typical 'Christian-ized' manner.
Two months ago, I would have chalked the happy ending up to the 'Christian film' label and moved on, disappointed that so few Christian movies portray life as it "really" is. But then I went to Costa Rica for a week.
I've been out of the USA exactly once. I've been in a foreign country exactly once. All my life it's been a given that I can understand nearly everyone around me because we all speak English....but not in Costa Rica. I was outside of my comfort zone.
Yet in my discomfort (which God gracious minimized through the love of the church we worked with in Costa Rica) I saw God at work. God used mistimed plans and unexpected delays to allow our team and the local church to reach two local schools and the soccer community there with the good news of the gospel. Over 600 hands went up while we were there of souls saying that they accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Over 600.
I got to see those 600+ people reached because the school schedule wasn't what we expected. Because the supplies came a day late. Because they needed an actor for a drama presentation and I was available. Because half of our team were children (and teenagers). Because the pastor there was taking classes to learn more about what scripture teaches. Because God kept us dry for four nights in the middle of the rainy season. Because last September God told me to seek grace. Because last October God showed me a miracle. Because a vet student was allergic to animals. Because a my church hands out Thanksgiving turkeys. Because two mothers brought their families with them. Because four families opened their homes to strangers. Because five women cooked without water pressure. Because a young man worked night shifts and volunteered during the day for a week. Because three years ago someone lost their voice for a day.
Because God is sovereign. Because God is good all the time and all the time God is good.
And sometimes, not always, but sometimes, God gives us a glimpse of His goodness. So is the ending to "God's Not Dead" unlikely? Sure. I can agree to that. But is it impossible? Absolutely not.