43. Professors & Propaganda: Debunking the Drama in God’s Not Dead

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If you've had any exposure at all to evangelical cinema over the past decade, it's almost certain that you're familiar with the film God's Not Dead and maybe even the sequels it has spawned.  Recently we (Naomi and Rebecca) watched it for the first time. Unsurprisingly, we have thoughts which we share in this episode.

First of all, we are very curious about the fever dream that must have inspired the antagonistic atheist professor's character; in all our years on college campuses, we've seen--and heard of--nothing remotely like the events that transpire in his classroom. From implausible story lines and cartoonish villains to racist depictions of non-white characters, it's a pastiche of what some conservative Christian filmmaker imagined is the social martyrdom any "true Christian" faces in higher education.

Unlike the fantastical two-dimensional characters in this film, we discuss the range of personalities and beliefs we've found in both college campuses and church communities. Ultimately, we conclude that the film reflects precious little about the realities of American college classrooms while unintentionally telling us much more about the dogmatism of the filmmakers.

Links to Sources and Resources

God's Not Dead (2014) - IMDb

God’s Not Dead: A Brief Review and Analysis

Did an Atheist Professor Test God by Dropping a Breakable Object? | Snopes.com

The Artist's Way: 30th Anniversary Edition by Julia Cameron

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