“God’s Not Dead 2” Inspired by Actual Court Cases

“God’s Not Dead 2,” which debuts this Friday, is the worthy sequel to 2014’s “God’s Not Dead,” one of the largest-grossing faith-based films in history.

Here’s the premise (You can read a more in-depth review of the movie on PluggedIn.com.):

High school history teacher Grace Wesley is asked a question about Jesus and His teachings by a student during class. Ms. Wesley, a devoted Christian, responds accordingly.

The fallout from Grace Wesley’s biblically-based answer is significant. She gets into hot water with the principal and school board. Making matters worse, parents soon complain that Wesley is guilty of proselytizing. She’s pressured to apologize.

Ms. Wesley, played by Melissa Joan Hart, reluctantly heads off to settle the matter in court, where she will go head-to-head with the American Civil Liberties Union.

Sound far-fetched?

Not at all.

The script for “God’s Not Dead 2” is informed by actual cases currently being litigated across the United States. It’s no secret that religious liberties are being encroached upon in the U.S., and many of those infringements occur in our schools.

As just one example, a few years ago Colorado Springs high school student Chase Windebank was singled out because he led a student Bible study during free time. A vice principal talked to Chase, telling him he couldn’t pray during that time  “because of separation of Church and State.”

That vice principal may not have been aware that the First Amendment recognizes a student’s right to pray during the school day’s free times, so the Christian legal group Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) sent the school a letter detailing the rights Chase and his friends had.

The result?

Chase’s group was allowed to meet during the school day at lunchtime – and his story is only one of about a dozen that are mentioned in the “God’s Not Dead 2” closing credits. As an aside, Chase’s father, Ken, is a colleague of mine here at Focus, so I’m very familiar with this case.

If you’re a believer, chances are that, sooner or later, you’ll have your own tale to tell of your faith butting up against a code, organizational culture or law that’s hostile to Christianity. This movie inspires Christians to have courage on that day and take a grace and truth-filled stand.

Here’s the trailer to the movie:

And if you know of a young person who wants to publicly live their faith during school hours, I want to suggest they look into Bring Your Bible to School Day, taking place this year on Oct. 6.

Let me know what you think about the current state of religious liberties, and also if you’re planning on watching “God’s Not Dead 2,” in the comments section.

 

 

Topics: Current Events Tags: entertainment, pop culture, religious liberty March 29, 2016 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura