God's Not Dead Preaches To the Choir That May Not Be Listening

Harlem - I’m not big on going to the theater to see a movie. Something about movie theaters that just creeps me out these days; sticky floor and seats with tiny crumbs, and arm rest that may have been touched by dirty hands…but since my mum invited me to see a movie with her I decided I would make the voyage to see the newest member of the God’s Not Dead family series. 

I’m glad to see that that Christian movies are starting to take the industry and their opportunity serious. Christians should not be expected to support D class movies just because they are labeled “Christian". While they may not always be award winning productions, they are become more worthy of the being seen by movie goers and the dollars spent. 

Since I had not seen any ads for God’s Not Dead: A Light in Darkness I wasn’t quite sure what to expect or what it was even about. I really enjoyed the first GND release several years back, though I didn’t see it at the movies, and thought it was a good movie for both Christians and non-Christians. 

However, I think this third production is not a movie geared to the “unchurched” or non-believer, as much as is it a message to the Church of Jesus Christ - the witness and testimony we are supposed to be. Yet I wonder if those watching it will see it as a rebuke, correction, and an opportunity to see how modern Christians, more specifically Evangelicals, have lost our way in delivering on our purpose. 

In a very quiet messages GND reminds and caution us Christians of the dangers of become so full off ourselves in self-righteousness that we loose focus of being the light of Christ in the midst of a dark and desperate world. It’s easy for us to become so hardline in our fight against the world that we fail to reach them with the message of Christ.

Unfortunately, as the American political climate continues to change - becoming more divisive with battles of ethnic strive, cultural relations, social ills, and sexual issues, Christians are often on the wrong side of the battle, not of righteousness, but in our approach to how we stand for righteousness. We have become “Black Robe Wearers” behaving more often like the Pharisees did towards sinners during Jesus time, but often over looking each others indiscretions.

One of the most important lines in the movies is when on of the characters tells the pastor one of the main reasons young people are leaving the church and sinners are not coming is because the Church has become great at telling everyone what we are against but we have failed to share with the lost what we are for. 

In this third GND it isn’t the sinners who struggle takes center stage, but rather the Christian leader. The real struggle is there because the purpose of the Church has been forgotten. Church is what we do and who we are, not where we go. 

As long as Christians continue down the road of double standards like the Pharisees we will continue to find it hard to fulfill our purpose and commission. To many unbelievers God is dead because the Church has killed Him. We have made God and everything about God a sour taste on the mouths of a hungry world. No the message of righteousness can never change, but how we deliver that message must. 

Why are other religions and believe systems growing at such increased rates? Because people are looking for hope in the midst of blinding, scary darkness. And too often we as Christians are tormenting those who are screaming out for help. We lack love, compassion, understanding, patience, and mercy. 

Has the church reached a place where we have done more damage than we have done healing? Has our RIGHTeous politics become an overwhelming hinderance to the gospel? Have we become so focused on building mega-ministries that we are no longer ministering righteousness in love and mercy to a lost world? It’s very easy for the Christian community to swing to the extreme - allowing anything in the name of love or being so judgmental and hateful that God seems more like the Greek god Zeus.

However, Jesus showed us through His life on the earth how to draw men to Him with love and compassion and disciple souls to live a life of victory and righteousness. This third installment of God’s to Dead reminds us that our purpose is not to save people, but instead to be the light that leads people to God…the God who loves, heals, restores, and gives hope in despair . This time the message is aiming strait for the choir, and I hope we take the time to listen, hear, and correct our ways.