God's Not Dead: Evidence for God in an Age of Uncertainty. Paperback – March 3, 2015.
The film's script was inspired by lawsuits involving the place of the Christian faith in universities and by the book God's Not Dead: Evidence for God in an Age of Uncertainty published by Pastor Rice Broocks. Click here to read the book , in bilingual version English – Chinese.
God's Not Dead — College freshman and devout Christian, Josh Wheaton (actor Shane Harper), finds his faith challenged on his first day of Philosophy class by the dogmatic and argumentative Professor Radisson (actor Kevin Sorbo). Radisson begins class by informing students that they will need to disavow, in writing, the existence of God on that first day, or face a failing grade. As other students in the class begin scribbling the words “God Is Dead” on pieces of paper as instructed, Josh finds himself at a crossroads. Josh offers a nervous refusal, provoking an irate reaction from his smug professor. Radisson assigns him a daunting task: if Josh will not admit that “God Is Dead,” he must prove God’s existence by presenting well-researched, intellectual arguments and evidence over the course of the semester, and engage Radisson in a head-to-head debate in front of the class. If Josh fails to convince his classmates of God’s existence, he will fail the course and hinder his lofty academic goals. With almost no one in his corner, Josh wonders if he can really fight for what he believes. GOD’S NOT DEAD weaves together multiple stories of faith, doubt and disbelief, culminating in a dramatic call to action. The film will educate, entertain, and inspire moviegoers to explore what they really believe about God, igniting important conversations and life-changing decisions. Read the movie script here, scroll down ⬇.
1. God's Not Dead is a 2014 American Christian drama film. Film Release date
March 21, 2014. Full movie click here
2. A first sequel, God's Not Dead 2, was released on date of April 1, 2016. Watch full movie here
3. A second sequel, God's Not Dead: A Light in Darkness, was released on March 30, 2018. Watch full movie ,click here
4. A third sequel, God's Not Dead: We the People, was released on October 4, 2021.
5. Gods Not Dead 4 - Life is no accident
6. God's Not Dead (2014) Movie Script
Transcript :
[Shane Harper singing
"Hold You Up"] ( Click here to listen or learn the song)
When it's coming apart,
you had it all
It wasn't enough
No, it's not enough
They tell you
it's not worth the price
So just let it go
But you know you can't
You know you won't
It's not easy, no,
finding the words to say
When you're feeling lost,
you'll find your way
The world is so broken and
sometimes it leaves you cold
At nighttimes you can't feel
the fire to guide you home
The demons will harm you and
try to steal what you know
But the angels,
they brought you
And they're
gonna hold you up
They're gonna hold you up
They see
the fear in your eyes
Heart sinks like a stone
'Cause when you're afraid,
it weighs on your soul
When the timing is right,
somehow you'll know
When nobody stands,
stand on your own
It's not easy, no,
finding the words to say
When you're feeling lost,
you'll find your way
The world is so broken and
sometimes it leaves you cold
At nighttimes you can't feel
the fire to guide you home
The demons will harm you and
try to steal what you know
But the angels,
they brought you
And they're
gonna hold you up
They're gonna hold you up
They're gonna hold you up
They're gonna hold you up
They're gonna
hold you up
[ At campus compound, outdoor]
(registrar): Name?
(Josh): Wheaton. Josh Wheaton.
(registrar): You got your pre-registration sheet?
(Josh): Yeah.
(registrar): All core requirements are here. What is your humanities elective?.
(Josh): Philosophy 1. 50 . Radisson,
11:00 on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
[ registrar saw Josh wearing a necklace with a crucifix ]
(registrar): You might want to think about
a different instructor.
(Josh): Because?
(registrar): Let's just say you're wandering into the snake pit. I'd recommend Patel or maybe Mueller.
(Josh): Come on, man. It can't be that bad.
(registrar): Think Roman Colosseum, lions, people cheering for your death.
(Josh): Yeah, but I'd have to rearrange my whole schedule. I don't think I can really--
(registrar): It's your funeral.
[ registrar passes a piece of paper to Josh ]
(registrar): Last drop date is the 22nd.
You might want to keep that in mind.
You're done.
(Josh): Thanks.
(registrar): Yeah, have a good semester.
(female registrar): Hi.
(Martin): Martin Yip.
[Martin Yip hands his papers over to her. She looks closer at it ]
(female registrar): What does P.R.C. stand for?.
(Martin): People's Republic of China.
(female registrar): Oh. Seriously?.
(Martin): Oh yes, always serious.
(registrar): Okay.
[Woman hurrying outside her house heading to a car, cell phone ringing, she deleted the call, walks towards the car with smashed side window]
(Amy): You've gotta be kidding me!.
(receptionist): White & Wolfe, how can I help you? Yes, please hold. White & Wolfe. Mm-hmm, I will let 'em know you called. Thank you, bye-bye.
(Mark): [talking on his handphone]: Buy as much Tochigi Heavy lndustries as you can on-margin. We've gotten wind of a merger and the Japanese could care less about insider trading. You're gonna thank me for this one, I guarantee it. He, he.
[He ended the call. Answering incoming call]
(Mark): You're on with Mark.
(Amy): Hey, I need you to give me directions.
(Mark): You're kidding, right?.
(Amy): No, somebody stole my GPS and my phone has decided that it is spinning propeller time.
(Mark): Can't do it. The Nikkei just opened and there's a massive sell-off going on.
(Mark): Oh, and by the way, I made reservations for us Friday at La Rive Gauche.
(Amy): Wait, you'll take me to La Rive Gauche but you won't take the time to give me directions?.
(Mark): What's in it for me?.
(Amy)[chuckles]: You're kidding, right?.
[Silence moment]
(Amy): You're serious. Okay, well, I'm on my way to an ambush interview of Duck Commander Willie Robertson, and I am going to crash that party and hold his feet to the fire.
And yesterday's discrete web hits were over 32,000, which means I am on pace for over a million views this monthand my --
[together]
(Mark and Amy): own advertisers.
(Mark): That's my girl! Not just another
pretty face. [Amy smiling while shaking her head , on the other side of the line]
[ Inside a house living room]
(helper): Miss Shelley, I've got something special for you today. Think you're gonna like it.
(elderly Shelley): Oh my, chicken! I don't know when was the last time I had chicken.
[Daughter standing behind, the helper moves closer to the daughter]
(helper): That would be yesterday, for lunch and dinner.
(Daughter): you serious? I don't think that she should have the same thing every--
[ helper touches daughter's arm, interrupts ]
(helper): You think of anything else gonna make her that happy?
[Helper leaves the room, elderly Shelley eats the chicken bit by bit, Daughter walks towards her]
(Daughter): Is it okay if I help?.
(elderly Shelley): Oh, alright, alright.
You're new here, aren't you?.
(Daughter): It's me, Mom. Mina, your daughter.
[chuckling]
(elderly Shelley): I'm sorry, I don't--
(Mina): It's okay, it's okay.
(elderly Shelley): I don't see a ring.
(Mina): It's complicated.
#[Inside lecture hall]#
(Radisson): I am Professor Radisson and this is Philosophy 150, Introduction to Philosophical Thought. If either of those facts is news to you, then now would be your turn to leave.
[ one student leaves the class ]
I understand some of you are here to satisfy your Liberal Arts elective requirements. If you're looking for an easy grade without much work, well, then now would be your turn to leave.
See, you've now enrolled at a university. You'll be expected to produce university-level work.
(male student): Pfft, I'm out.
[he leaves the class]
(Radisson): There's always one.
[ those students staying in the class laugh , professor Radisson reads from a white board in front the class]
(Radisson): Michel Foucault, Bertrand Russel, Ludwig Feuerbach, Bertolt Brecht, Friedrich Nietzsche, Ayn Rand, George Santayana, Democritus, Denis Diderot, David Hume, John Stuart Mill, Albert Camus, Richard Dawkins, Sigmund Freud, Noam Chomsky. The list goes on. Philosophers, poets, scientists, authors, towering intellects, all of them. But what do they all have in common?
[professor Radisson looks at the class]
Yes?
(male student raises his hand): They're all dead.
[ some students laugh ]
(Professor Radisson): Well, that would be
incorrect. Mr. Dawkins and Mr. Chomsky are still very much alive, Mister--
[Radisson looking at the male student who replied]
(male student): G-dog Gerard Trigga.
[ class students laugh]
(Professor Radisson): G-dog. Anyone else? No one?.
Well, they are, [ while turning a white board] or were...atheists.
Based on the 16th-century French "athe'isme," from the Greek "theos," meaning "God," and from the prefix "a," meaning, as it always does in Greek, "without."
In short, each of the thinkers I named took the strong position that there is no God, as opposed to the weak position of agnosticism.
"Gnostic," from the Greek "gnosos," to know, and again, with the prefix "a" meaning to not know, or more accurately, to doubt the existence of a supreme being.
[while reaching out to a pile of white papers, the professor takes them and distributes them to the students]
(Professor Radisson): This semester, I propose that we refuse to waste our limited time together debating the existence of the 'big man' in the sky, the myth of a benevolent, all-powerful, supernatural being.
[ jetliner approach landing on airport ]
[ at the airport pick-up point]
[Reverend Jude lifts his right hand ✋️ and waves]
(Reverend Jude): Hey!.
(Reverend Dave): How was your flight?.
(Reverend Jude): Wonderful.Wonderful
(Dave): Wonderful? It's like a 30-hour flight.
(Jude): Thirty-six.
[Jude giggles, both men hugs 🫂]
(Dave): Great to see you.
[ patting each other's back ]
(Jude): Nice to see you.
[Dave carries Jude luggage, Jude follows Dave to the car]
(Jude): Dakar to Zurich, Zurich to Frankfurt, an 8-hour layover, and direct to Carter lnternational.
(Dave): Ugh, how does that translate as wonderful? [ Dave puts the luggage inside the trunk / boot of the car ]
(Jude): I'm happy, I'm safe, and now I'm here because God is good.
(Dave): All the time.
(Jude): And all the time?.
(Dave): God is good.
[ both men gets into the car ]
[ back inside the college lecture hall]
(Professor Radisson): God is dead. This is, of course, a metaphor, but an illustrative one meaning not that God has somehow died, but rather that he never existed in the first place, other than in the depths of our forebears' imaginations. He was a useful fairy tale in ages gone by, when his fiery anger was used to explain away plagues and crop failures, diseases and disasters, which we now ascribe to bacteria and viruses, chromosomal disorders, and plate tectonics. In short, science and reason have supplanted superstition, and we are all the better for it. And with your permission, I would like to bypass this senseless debate all together and jump to the conclusion of which every sophomore is already aware of: there is no God. All that I require from each of you is that you fill in the papers I've just given you with three little words: "God is dead," along with your signature. The sooner we reach a unanimous consensus, which I expect we will, I will be spared the tedious duty of slogging through dry and dusty arguments, and you will bypass the section of the course in which students have traditionally received their lowest grades of the semester.
[ Students starting write, while Josh is looking around his classmates ]
(Professor Radisson): And when you finish, please pass your papers to the right. Thank you.
[ students finished writing and passing the papers to the right, professor collecting those papers]
(Professor Radisson): Thank you.(Professor Radisson): Oh, a lower case "g." Maybe this one ought to get extra credit.
[students giggle]
(Professor Radisson): Thank you.
[professor standing next to Josh]
(Professor Radisson): Excuse me, Mister--
(Josh): Wheaton. Josh Wheaton.
(Professor Radisson): Mr. Wheaton, is something wrong?.
(Josh): Yeah, I can't.
(Josh): I can't do what you want. I'm a Christian.
(Professor Radisson): Oh, don't worry. You can still go back to your dorm room and sink to your knees and pray to your bedside if you'd like. What you do in your personal life is your business, but what you do in this class is mine.
(Josh): I can't.
(Professor Radisson): Alright, Mr. Wheaton. Allow me to explain the alternative. If you cannot bring yourself to admit that God is dead for the purposes of this class, then you will need to defend the antithesis that God is not dead. And you'll need to do it in front of this class from the podium. And if you fail, as you shall, you will fail this section and lose 30% of your final grade right off the bat. Are you ready to accept that?.
(Josh): Well, who would decide whether I won or lost the argument?.
(Professor Radisson): Well, I would. It's my class, my rules. Grading's my prerogative.
(Josh):No disrespect, but I'm not sure you can be objective.
(Professor Radisson): What would you propose?
[ Josh turns his head and scanning others students in the class]
(Josh): Well, what about them?.
(Professor Radisson): Well, that's interesting, but why would I want to empower them?.
(Josh): Well, you've already won them over. I mean, I'd have to unconvince them, get them to admit they were wrong.
[professor chuckles and walks downstairs towards the podium]
(Professor Radisson): Alright, Mr. Wheaton. You'll get 3 sessions, the last 20 minutes of each of the next 3 classes, to make your case.
I promise to keep my interruptions to a minimum. You may take whatever questions you'd like from the class, but I will not increase your allotted time.
Of course, you'll be responsible for all the other class assignments. But, you know, you could change your mind and bring in your signed statement at our next class, and we'll go forward as though none of this ever happened. The rest of us, having dispensed with primitive superstition, will turn our focus to the issue of being in reality.
[ professor turns the white board ]
(Professor Radisson): For our next class, please have read David Hume's "The Problems of lnduction" and Renee Descartes' "Discourse on Method," to which you may add Bertrand Russell's "Why I Am Not a Christian" in preparation for Mr. Wheaton's lecture [students turn their head looking at Josh] and in thanks for his failure to help us reach a unanimous consensus.
[Inside the campus cafeteria, queueing for food]
(Josh's girlfriend, Kara): You don't want to deny your faith, I get it. So, the answer's simple: drop the class.
(Josh): Yeah, but I'm not sure I can do that. I feel like God wants someone to defend him.
(Kara): Don't be ridiculous.
[Mina working behind the food counter overhears their conversation and keep looking at Josh]
(Josh): I don't know, I just keep thinking of that C.S. Lewis line, "Only a real risk can test the reality of a belief."
(Kara): So, you're gonna risk our future over your yearbook quote? Josh, why am I here?
[Kara seems to lost Josh's attention ]
(Kara): Hello, earth to Josh. Why am l, Salutatorian of our graduating class, here at my third-choice school?. I'm sorry for having the next 50 years of our life planned out. That's just who I am.
(Josh): I don't know, Kara, it's just--
(Kara): Josh, I love you, but I absolutely forbid you to go up against this professor in his own classroom. We have too much at stake. The whole thing's rigged to make you look like an idiot, and if you want to get into law school, you can't afford to flunk this class. Even a "C" could be disastrous.
[ Kara walks away with her tray of meal, Josh look up and sees Mina's face, grins a little and walk away with his tray of food ]
[Walking from a parking lot towards the worship center ]
(Willie Robertson): I don't know why you wear those heels.
(Korie Robertson): What's wrong with 'em?
(Willie Robertson): You're too tall. You're taller than me.
(Korie Robertson): You're man enough to handle it.
(Willie Robertson): I'm just saying, I don't want to be the short guy at the prom.
[Amy waiting at the corner, rushing out to them]
(Amy): Mr. Robertson! Hi, or should l
call you Willie?
(Willie Robertson): You can call me Willie.
(Amy): Amy Ryan, I blog "The New Left." Can I ask you a few questions?
(Willie Robertson): Yeah, sure, fire away. This is my wife--
[Korie extends her hand for a handshake 🤝]
(Korie): Hi .
(Amy): Korie, I know. I'm actually surprised to see you here. I thought you'd be home, barefoot and pregnant.
[Both Willie and Korie give a small chuckle]
(Korie Robertson): I haven't been barefoot and pregnant in a really long time. I do kinda miss those days, huh? [ looking at her husband]
(Willie): Yeah, you want to start again? We can try.
(Korie Robertson): No.
(Amy): You've made a fortune selling devices that are designed to lure water fowl to their deaths. [Amy's left hand holding out a mini recorder recording the conversation]
(Willie Robertson): Oh, I guess when you say "you," you're referring to the whole group of my family, which would be "y'all." You can just change it to "y'all." That'd be an easier expression, that way it'll get everybody in there.
(Amy): So, y'all have made a fortune, isn't that right?
(Willie Robertson): We're doing alright. We can certainly buy bigger tires on our trucks and four-wheelers to get out in the mud with, so life is good.
(Amy): What makes you think you have the moral right to go around maiming and killing innocent animals?
(Willie Robertson): Hey, [serious tone] look, let's just get one thing straight. I ain't maiming nothing. Whatever I see and I aim at, I shoot. When I shoot it, I kill it and then I eat it.
(Amy): So, you do kill those ducks?.
(Willie): Of course I do.What am I gonna do, cook 'em while they're still moving around?. That would be cruel.
(Korie): That'd be bad.
(Amy): So, this isn't an act?. You're actually proud of what you do?.
(Willie): Of course I am. Why would l do it if I'm not proud of it?.
[Korie gives a small laugh]
(Amy): And you go along with everything he says?.
(Korie): We've been married for 20 years. I don't go along with everything he says, but on the things that matter, yeah, I agree wholeheartedly.
(Amy): So, what do you say to people who are offended by your show, not just because of the hunting, but because you openly pray to Jesus in every episode?.
(Willie): Hey, we're not trying to offend anybody, alright? If they don't want to watch the show, they can turn the channel. As far as my praying to Jesus, my life and my whole eternity belongs to God. All this stuff is temporary: the money, fame, success. Temporary. Even life is temporary. Jesus, that's eternal. Jesus said this: "Whoever acknowledges me before men," he will acknowledge before the Father in heaven. "Whoever disowns me, I'll disown him to the Father." Now, those words are written in red so they're important.
(Amy): And that's it?
(Willie): That's it. That's what we're going with. Pretty simple, isn't it?
(Amy): Thanks for your time.
[Willie turns and looks at his wife]
(Willie): Come on, let's go do some acknowledging.
[Willie looks at Amy]
(Willie): You're welcome to join us.
(Amy): No thanks, I'm good.
(Willie): You're good?
Alright.
[Amy leaves, Willie walks behind his wife into the worship center]
(Willie): Who was that lady?
[Ayisha's classmate saw her wearing the headscarf]
(Classmate): You're beautiful. I wish you didn't have to do that.
(Ayisha): It's for my father. He's very traditional.
[horn honking] [Misrab, Ayisha's estranged father hand signals her to get into the car , Ayisha gets inside his car]
[speaking foreign language]
(Misrab): Assalam mukta [ "Peace be upon you temporarily"" in Arabic] [Ayisha nods]
(Misrab): Who were you talking to?.
(Ayisha): No one.
(Misrab): Ayisha, I know it's hard living in their world and being apart from it, a world you can see but can't touch. I know they seem happy, but know that when you look around at all those people, there is no one who worships God [Allah], not the way he deserves and demands to be worshipped. We must never forget who and what we are. That is the most important thing.
(Ayisha): Yes, Baba.
(Misrab): I only insist on this because I love you. You know that, don't you? That I love you?.
(Ayisha): Of course, Baba.
[Misrab leans towards Ayisha and plants a kiss on the top of her head]
[Josh walks into the church and sits on the pew]
(Dave): Can I help you? You waiting for someone?.
(Josh): Yeah, you could say that. It looks like he's out at the moment.
(Dave): Well, maybe that's why he sent me.
[ Amy typing on her laptop ]
[ background music , Stellar Kart singing
"Ones and Zeros"]:
We are the ones
and zeros
The beautiful incomplete
[cell phone ringing] [ incoming call from Dr.Stevens, Amy deletes the call , continues her typing]
We are the future heroes
A colorful symphony
We are the ones
[ back to the church ]
(Josh): I could drop the class, run away, pretend like it never happened, which is what my girlfriend wants. I could sign the paper saying something I don't believe. Or I commit academic suicide in front of a live audience by trying to prove that God exists.
(Dave): How many people in that class?.
(Josh): Eighty maybe.
(Dave): And how many of them do you think would ever step foot in here, or any other church for that matter?.
(Josh): Well, none probably.
(Dave): So, your acceptance of this challenge, if you decide to accept it, may be the only meaningful exposure to God and Jesus they'll ever have.
(Josh): Yeah. Yeah, I suppose so.
(Dave): Check out Matthew 10:32-33.
(Josh): What, that's it?. That's all?
(Dave): Yeah.
[Dave gets up and walks away from Josh]
(Josh): Just a Scriptural citation?.
(Dave): If you're still undecided after that one, Iook at Luke 12:48.
[Josh chuckles]
(Josh): It can't be that simple.
(Dave): Sure it can. You're here because that still small voice inside you isn't happy with the choices everyone else wants you to make. Personally, I think it's the Holy Spirit talking to you. That's how he interacts with us if we allow him to.
All you have to do is decide whether or not you're willing to listen. It's not easy, but it's simple.
[Josh in his room turning his Bible to the said verses, he reads]
"So everyone who acknowledges me before men,
"l also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven,
"but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven."
[Josh turns the pages and reads]
"Everyone to whom much was given,
"of him much will be required,
"and from him to whom
they entrusted much,
they will demand the more."
[ Josh texts on his handphone to Dave]
[Amy in the doctor office]
[text message alert tone]
(Amy): Sorry I'm late. I had to move a ton of stuff around just to get here.
(Doctor): That's alright. Please, go and have a seat Ms. Ryan.
[text message alert tone]
(Amy): Oh, excuse me a second.
(Doctor): We've gotten your results back from your test the last week.
[text message alert tone]
(Doctor): Okay, as I was saying--
[cell phone ringing]
(Amy): I'm so sorry. I have got to take this call.
[Doctor interrupts Amy]
(Doctor): Amy. Your results came back positive. You have cancer.
(Amy): I don't have time for cancer. I'm too busy.
(Doctor): Listen, it's already grown into the surrounding tissue. Your lymph nodes are involved and your blood markers indicate evidence of distant metastasis. Now, I've already scheduled you for an MRl.We need to determine the extent of it. I know you're very important and the world can't get along without you, but it's my job to let you know that it may be preparing to do exactly that, and it certainly will unless you begin immediate treatment. Do you understand?.
[Amy stunning staring at the doctor]
[ Campus outdoor, Josh laying on a stone bench reading, Kara walks towards him]
(Kara) : Hey babe.
[She leans on Josh's bent knees and pushes Josh's book over]
(Kara): Babe, where've you been? Did you turn your phone off?.
(Josh) : More like I forgot to turn my phone on.
(Kara): Do you know what day it is?.
(Josh): Thursday?.
(Kara): Anything else?.
(Josh): The 13th? Happy anniversary.
[Josh sitting up from his laid position]
(Josh): Six years ago, your youth group collided with mine.
(Amy): You remembered.
(Josh): Mm-hmm, and we're gonna celebrate.
(Josh): You remember how we met?.
(Kara): The Newsboys.
[Josh flips out two concert tickets , Kara smiles]
(Josh): They're gonna be in town next Friday.
[Kara walks behind Josh's back and hugs him]
(Kara): You are amazing, which is why I love you. Look, I know I came off probably way too strong yesterday.
You know, I just-- I get concerned when outside things start coming between us. You get that, can't you?.
(Josh): Sure.
(Kara): Forgive me?.
(Josh): Always.
(Kara): Come on.
[ Kara pulling Josh's hand ,dragging Josh off his seat ]
(Josh): I just need--
[Josh just pulls his bag , but he accidentally spilled some books on the floor] [Kara sees those books]
(Kara): Whoa!
(Kara): Well, that can't all be Statistics. Josh, please tell me you haven't been spending all your time on that philosophy thing.
(Josh): Not all of it.
(Josh): Okay, most of it.
(Kara): Josh, that's not funny. Okay, it's really not.
(Josh): Look, this is something I want to do, okay?. I don't understand how it comes between us.
(Kara): Josh, everything you do is about us. Okay, we're a team.
(Kara): I mean, we're what, 6 years going on forever, right?
(Kara): That means your grades, your whole future, I'm a part of that. I don't see how this is contributing to our future.
(Josh): Yeah, well, neither do my parents or anyone else in my life.
(Kara): What should that tell you if every single person that loves you is saying the exact same thing?.
(Kara): Josh, I'm letting you know now for your own good, this experiment is over. You need to prioritize and decide who's the most important person in your life, me or Professor Radisson?.
(Josh): What if it's God?.
(Kara): God wants you with me, so it's the same answer.
(Kara): Return the books to the library, sign the stupid paper, and move on. A year from now, we'll look back on this and laugh.
[Kara steps closer to Josh, and both embracing each other]
(Kara): We're not in high school anymore. The decisions you make now can have real consequences.
[ Both look at each other, then Josh turns his head to one side and looks away]
(Kara): Josh! Josh, this is serious.
(Josh): I know.
(Kara): You know. [Kara seems unhappy, she walks away from Josh]
[ Dave walking with Jude outside the church compound]
(Reverend Dave): I can't believe I'm making a 1 2-hour drive to Florida to do things that seemed corny when I was 12.
(Pastor Jude): David, I promised my mother a picture of me in mouse ears standing in front of the fairy tale castle. The mouse ears are for me, picture is for her. To you, it's old-hat, but to me, it's a lifelong dream come true. Can you not understand that?
[Both of them loading their luggages 🧳 into the car]
(Pastor Jude): Then we'll go for the undersea submarine ride.
(Reverend Dave): Actually, I think they closed that ride like 20 years ago.
(Pastor Jude): And then we'll ride the world's biggest roller coaster.
(Reverend Dave): Sixteenth biggest.
(Pastor Jude): In my mind, when I'm screaming as we descend, it will be the world's biggest and I'll be glad that it's not taller than it is.
[ Both of them got inside the car. Dave turns the ignition key]
[car engine sputtering]
(Reverend Dave): That doesn't sound good.
[engine sputtering]
(Reverend Dave): Maybe the battery--
[engine sputtering]
(Reverend Dave): Or the starter. Either way, we're not going anywhere right now.
[Dave reaches for his handphone]
(Dave): I'll call and arrange for a rental car.
(Jude): But how will we get to the rental car?
(Dave): They'll deliver it to us.
(Jude): Are you serious?.
(Dave): Yeah, absolutely.
(Jude): They'll deliver us the car we are to drive?.
(Dave): Yeah.
[Dave gets off his car talking on his handphone]
(Dave): Hello?
[Jude shaking his head with a smile]
(Jude): Amazing.
[ Inside college lecture hall, class lesson going on]
(Professor Radisson): But there are some flat-earthers out there who still consider the existence of a supreme deity to be either necessary, or self-evident, or both. And with that, as previously announced, I will be turning the podium over to Mr. Wheaton, who will be presenting his case in favor of a supreme celestial dictator, otherwise known as God. Mr. Wheaton, are you ready?
[Josh nods his head, professor walks away from podium]
(Professor Radisson): Podium is yours.
[ Josh gets up, making his way down to the podium. He and professor cross path exchanging gaze, professor walks up and take Josh's seat, Josh flips his laptop getting ready for presentation]
(Josh): Atheists say that no one can prove the existence of God, and well, they're right. But I say no one can disprove that God exists. But the only way to debate this issue is to look at the available evidence, and that's what we're going to do.
(Josh): We're going to put God on trial, with Professor Radisson as the prosecutor, and me as the defense attorney, and you as the jury.
[Josh plays a video on the big screen and narrates]
(Josh): Most cosmologists now agree that the universe began some 13.7 billion years ago in an event known as the Big Bang . So, let's look at theoretical physicist and Nobel Prize winner Steven Weinberg's description of what the Big Bang would have looked like. And since he's an atheist, we can be sure there isn't any believer-bias in his description. In the beginning, there was an explosion, and in 3 minutes, 98% of the matter there is or ever will be, was produced. We had a universe. For twenty five hundreds (2,500) years, most scientists agreed with Aristotle on the idea of a steady-state universe, that the universe has always existed with no beginning and no end, but the Bible disagreed.
(Josh): In the nineteen twenties (1920s), Belgian astronomer Georges Lematre, a theist, who was actually also--
(female student): What's a theist?.
(Josh): A theist is someone who believes in the existence of God. He said that the entire universe jumping into existence in a trillionth of a trillionth of a second, out of nothingness, in an unimaginably intense flash of light is how he would expect the universe to respond if God were to actually utter the command in Genesis 1:3, "Let there be light."
In other words, the origin of the universe unfolded exactly how one would expect after reading Genesis, and for twenty-five hundreds (2,500) years, the Bible had it right and science had it wrong.
[ inside Dave's office, talking on the phone]
(Reverend Dave) : So, the earliest you can get here is 5? Okay, we'll be waiting. Wait, it has air conditioning, right?. Okay, thanks.
[ Looking at pastor Jude, sitting across the table]
(Reverend Dave) : Well, looks like we won't get there 'til late tonight. Sorry, I think you're gonna miss an entire day at the park.
(Pastor Jude): It's okay, David. I'm sure we can make good use of our time here today.
(Reverend Dave) : Sure. We can meet the choir director, talk about song choices for the upcoming concert. Or we could meet the women's club about the details for the next craft bazaar. Lots of important stuff.
(secretary) : And since you're not leaving , you'll have time to meet Mina for lunch.
(Reverend Dave) : Right, I can meet Mina for lunch.
(Pastor Jude): Sounds like you need this vacation more than I do.
(Reverend Dave): No, I just need to do some meaningful work so that I can have something to take a vacation from.
(Pastor Jude): You know, some of the most important work that we do may seem meaningless to us.
(Reverend Dave): This coming from the missionary who literally is in the trenches , winning hearts for the Lord on a daily basis.
(Pastor Jude): David, God has you exactly where he wants you. He who is faithful in a very little thing is also faithful in much. God knows you're doing the work. It's all part of His grand design.
[ Back to the campus lecture hall]
(Josh): All of which points to a God that created it. You see, in the real world, we never see things jumping into existence out of nothingness, but atheists want to make one small exception to this rule, namely, the universe and everything in it.
(female student 2): But in his book, "The God Delusion," Richard Dawkins says that, "lf you tell me God created the universe, then I have the right to ask you who created God."
(Josh): Dawkins' question only makes sense in terms of a God who has been created. It doesn't make sense in terms of an uncreated God, which is the kind of God that Christians believe in. And even leaving God out of the equation, I then have a right to turn Mr. Dawkins's own question back around on him and ask, "lf the universe created you, then who created the universe?. " You see, both the theist and the atheist are both burdened with answering this same question of how did things start. What I'm hoping you'll pick up from all this is that you don't have to commit intellectual suicide to believe in a Creator behind the creation. And to the extent that you don't allow for God, you'd be pretty hard-pressed to find an incredible alternative explanation for how things came to be.
[Josh ends his presentation, closes his laptop]
(Professor Radisson): Well, I imagine you're quite pleased with yourself. I see you've carefully avoided the fact that Stephen Hawking, the world's most famous scientist, and who is not a theist , has recently come out in favor of a self-designing universe.
(Josh) : I haven't avoided it, I just didn't--
(Professor Radisson): You just didn't know about it.
[ professor draws out his spectacles from his coat inner pocket, and start reading from a paper ]
(Professor Radisson): Alright, well let's see what Professor Hawking, Lucasian Professor of physics at Cambridge, who occupies a teaching chair once held by Sir lsaac Newton, has to say about the origin of the universe. And I quote, "Because there's a law such as gravity, "the universe can and will create itself from nothing. "Spontaneous creation is the reason "there is something instead of nothing. "It's why the universe exists, why we exist. "lt is not necessary to invoke God to set the universe in motion." End of quote. So, you may have never come across his comment, but his point remains.
(Professor Radisson): How do you answer?.
(Josh): I don't know.
(Professor Radisson): You don't know? I prick the balloon of your entire argument with a single pin, and you don't know?Huh.
(Josh): Well, I mean, I'd like to tell you I have the perfect answer, but it doesn't shake my underlying faith.
(Professor Radisson): Okay, so the greatest scientific mind in all of history says that God is not necessary, but a first-semester freshman says, "Oh, yes he is." Wow, you know, that's gonna be a really tough choice. Well, I look forward to next week's lecture. Class is dismissed.
[Josh is walking along the campus corridor, professor comes from behind and taps hard on Josh's shoulder]
(Professor Radisson): Do you think you're smarter than me, Wheaton? Do you think there's any argument you can make that I won't have an answer for?.
(Josh): I never said I was smarter.
(Professor Radisson): That's the first intelligent thing you've said. Now, I want to make this clear. In that classroom, there is a god, and yep, I'm him. I'm also a jealous god, so do not try to humiliate me in front of my students. You know, I also checked up on your declared major.
(Professor Radisson): Pre-law? What exactly is pre-law? We don't award degrees in that. Don't bother answering, but know this, if you truly feel a need to continue with the charade, I will make it my personal mission to destroy any hope of a law degree in your future.
[ professor taps on Josh and grins walking away]
(Professor Radisson): Have a nice day.
[Josh walking under a tree, Kara comes from opposite direction and both meet]
(Kara): You did it, didn't you?.
(Josh): What?.
(Kara): You know what I'm talking about. You went and did your argument, didn't you?.
(Josh): Yeah, yeah I did.
(Kara): What were you trying to prove? I'm not even sure there are words to describe what I'm feeling right now.
(Kara): I'm sorry Josh, but it's over between us.
(Josh): That's it? It's just--it's over?.
(Kara): It's over, Josh. If you're going to do something this stupid and selfish after I already told you what would happen--
(Josh): Yeah, but that's sort of the point, isn't it?
(Josh): This is something that's important to me, right, but since it's not important to you, you made it a make-it-or-break-it-thing for us. You didn't ask me, you told me.
(Josh): It wasn't a decision that we made, it was a decision that you made for the both of us.
(Kara): Well, somebody had to.
(Josh): Okay.
(Kara): That's it?. "Okay"?.
(Josh): It's not what I want. Honestly, I'm still hoping you'll change your mind, right , but I have to do this thing. I feel like it's something that God wants me to do. I can't just turn away from it, especially not now, now that I've started.
(Kara): My mother was so right about you. I just wish I'd had the sense to listen.
[ Kara walks ahead and leaves Josh]
[Ayisha reaches home, removes her headscarf, her younger brother playing video ga.e in the living room, she listening to song using a headset walking to her room]
# [Manic Drive singing
"Save a Life"]
Oh picture it, a little girl,
just a beautiful 8-year-old
Trying to live through
this life in a crazy world
(Ayisha) : Hey, Fahid.
[ no response from younger brother]
(Song): She finds herself as a teen
and her life in ruins--
[video game beeping]
Showed that girl she had
meaning and a purpose to life
Maybe avoid
that downward slide
Would you tell her the truth
or let her live in a lie?.
It all just seems to change
When you see it
as a life to save--
[Ayisha closed her room door, lying on her bed, change the channel on her handphone to Franklin Graham : 1 Corinthians 15]
(preaching): 1st Corinthians says you're saved, and Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures. If you believe this in your heart, if you accept this by faith, you see, God will forgive you, he'll cleanse you, and he'll set you free.
[Fahid's video game beeping][Ayisha dozes off]
[Fahid's video game powers off] [younger brother sneaking into her bedroom and snatches her handphone]
(Ayisha): Give me that!
[Fahid stares at the handphone Franklin Graham : 1 Corinthians 15]
[Ayisha graps her younger brother]
(Ayisha): Give me that! You must never tell Baba. Swear to me you will never say anything.
[With loud voice]
(Ayisha): Swear it!
[Fahid's head nods gently]
[Inside a downtown restaurant]
(Mark) : Bottle of Cristal, my table.
(waiter): Yes, Mr. Shelley.
[Mark walks to a table, Amy is sitting ]
(Mark) : I ... have some news.
(Amy) : Me too.
(Mark) : Okay, but me first. I've just been named partner. [Mark giggling]
(Amy) : I think ... I have cancer.
[ silent ]
(Amy): Did you hear me?
(Amy): Did you hear what I just said?
(Amy): I have cancer.
(Mark) : This couldn't wait until tomorrow?.
(Amy): Huh. What? How can you say that to me? I thought you loved me.
(Mark) : I do, but you're changing our agreement, you're breaking our deal.
(Amy): You make it sound like a contract negotiation.
(Mark) : Well, what did you think this was?
(Amy): I thought it was love.
(Mark) : Grow up, Amy. Love is the most overused word in the English language. It's what we say when we want something, when we need something, and you're as guilty of it as anybody.
[Long pause in silence]
(Mark) : We had fun.
[Amy gives a short laugh]
(Mark) : You were my hot, young girlfriend with the chic job. I was your upwardly mobile, charming, successful boyfriend. And we were together because we each got something out of the relationship that we wanted, and it was good.
(Mark) : It was-- actually, it was great. But now it's over.
[Amy shakes her head]
(Amy): How did I not see this in you?.
(Mark) : Because you saw what you wanted.
(Amy): You understand that I might die?
[Mark stands up]
(Mark) : And I'm sorry about that.
[Mark walks away from the table and leave Amy]
[ Josh walks in the library and sees Martin sitting ]
(Josh): Hey, you're in my philosophy class. Martin, right?.
(Martin): Correct, and you're Mr. Josh.
(Josh): Yeah. Yeah, that's me, Mr. Josh.
[Josh looks at book which is in front of Martin]
(Josh): Hey, is that on our reading list?
(Martin): No.
[ Josh is about to walk away]
(Martin): Can I ask you a question?.
(Josh): Yeah, sure.
(Martin): Ahh, why are you doing what you are doing?
[Josh puts his sling bag on the floor and sits opposite of Martin]
(Josh): Everyone else thinks I'm crazy. My girlfriend--ex-girlfriend left me over it. My parents don't want me to risk it.
(Josh): At the end of it all, I'm gonna have to work like a dog for the rest of the semester just to catch upon my other classes.
(Martin): You have described your difficulties, but you haven't answered my question of why.
(Josh): I don't know. I just--I think of Jesus as my friend.
(Martin): So, you think Jesus is God?.
(Josh): Yeah, and the Son of God. I don't want to disappoint him, even if everyone thinks I should.
(Josh): See, to me, he's not dead. He's alive. I don't want anyone to get talked out of believing in him just because some professor thinks they should.
[Josh stands up and walks away]
(Josh): See you around, Martin.
[ Martin waves at Josh)
(Martin): Bye.
[ At the car parking lot, a red car approaches]
[Driver steps out of the car]
(salesman) Hiya, Tom Blanchard, Metro City Auto. Here's your keys.
(Dave): Thank you.
(Tom Blanchard) : Satisfaction is guaranteed.
(Dave): Do I need to sign something?.
(Tom Blanchard) : Absolutely. I'm giving you a car. Sign here, and then one more right there, and one more there. And if you could just initial there, there, and there. Thank you. Call us when you're back. You have it for the weekend. We'll come pick you up.
(Dave) : Thanks.
[Dave gets into the car and tries to start up the car]
[engine sputtering]
(Dave) : You're kidding.
[engine sputtering]
(Tom Blanchard) : What did you do? Did you break it?.
(Dave) :What?
(Tom Blanchard) : Check and see if it's still in gear.
(Dave) : No, it's in park.
(Tom Blanchard) : I don't understand. It worked 5 minutes ago.
(Dave) : Alright, well, now it's not. How soon can you get us another car?.
(Tom): Well, not tonight. It's already after 5:30. Everyone's gone home and I'm already kind of late for an audition.
(Dave) : An audition?
(Tom): Yeah, the gang and l are doing "Death of a Salesman" and it's kind of a dinner theatre thing.
(Dave) : What happened to satisfaction guaranteed?.
(Pastor Jude) : It's alright, David. We can leave tomorrow.
(Dave) : You want to make this drive and miss half the day?
(Pastor Jude) : Perhaps it's gonna rain anyway.
(Dave) : Forecast for tomorrow is 82 and sunny at 9 a.m. Sometimes you don't make any sense.
(Pastor Jude) :Sometimes you make too much. Just remember, God is good.
(Dave) : All the time.
(Pastor Jude) : And all the time?
(Dave) : God is good.
(Tom): Will you sign this saying you reject the car?
[In the kitchen, Mina making a call on her handphone]
[phone ringing]
(Mark): You're on with Mark.
(Mina): It's me, dork, your sister.
(Mark): Oh, and this is about?.
(Mina): You really should go see Mom. She's not doing well.
(Mark): She hasn't been doing well for years. That's why they call it dementia.
(Mina) : Still, you should go see her. Claire said you haven't been there in awhile.
(Mark) : Like it matters?. Besides, I just bought her a new TV. Look, I'll make you a deal. You go and you ask her what 3 + 3 equals. If she gives you the right answer, I'll visit.
(Mina) :That's not fair.
(Mark): Life's not fair. I gotta go. Say hi to Amy.
(Mark) : No, that's over.
(Mina) : What'd you do?.
(Mark) : Unresolved personal issues. She's got some stuff she's gotta work through.
(Mina) : I'm sorry to hear that.
(Mark) : Well, that's the way it goes.
[Mark in his office meeting]
(Mark) : Okay, ready to get this started?.
[Mina scoffing, washing in the kitchen]
[Josh carrying four thick books to the librarian to loan out]
(Miss Librarian) : Seriously, you have got to get a life.
(Josh) : Yeah, tell me about it.
[Miss Librarian stamps due date on the loan list page]
[In a house]
(Professor Radisson): Hey honey.
[Professor Radisson walks right into the kitchen and startled Mina][Mina turns to him with a smile ]
(Professor Radisson): Oh, sorry, the door was open. I just let myself in.
(Mina) : Hi.
[ Both lip 💋 kiss each other]
(Professor Radisson): Hmm. Oh hey, did you pick up the bottle of wine I wanted?
(Mina) : I did. I left it in the car.
(Professor Radisson): It's in the car. Don't worry about it. You have a lot on your plate.
(Professor Radisson): So, you know, just-- thank you for helping set up our dinner party.
(Mina) : Well, unless I'm wrong, all the guests are from the philosophy department?.
(Professor Radisson): That's not true. Vivian's a sociologist.
(Mina) : You're proving my point.
(Professor Radisson): Look, I can't help it. See, my intellectual rigor falls to pieces the instant I get around you.
(Mina) : Really? You could have fooled me. The first time I walked into your classroom, you were all blood and thunder.
(Professor Radisson): That was a performance, staged largely for your benefit. In the mean time, I kept trying to keep my eyes off you and hoping that there was a brain inside that pretty head.
(Mina) : Why?
(Professor Radisson): Well, because if there wasn't, then, you know, there's no way I could have made myself go out with you.
(Professor Radisson): Look, as it was, I waited until you aced the midterm.
(Mina) : It was an A-minus.
(Professor Radisson): Close enough.(Professor Radisson): Come on, where is she?
(Professor Radisson) : Huh?
(Mina) : Who?
(Professor Radisson): That carefree, free-spirited girl who forced me to almost risk my career by dating her. You know, the one who quoted Emily Dickinson, and Shelley, and Spongebob Squarepants with equal self-confidence. I mean, what ever happened to the old Mina? 'Cause I miss her.
(Mina) : She has got a mom who's failing , she's sensing time is passing by, and she's starting to wonder if she's unequally yoked.
(Professor Radisson): Alright, you've been reading again, haven't you?
(Mina) : Reading, listening, thinking.
(Professor Radisson): You can hardly call this thinking. As a matter of fact, it's the opposite of thinking.
(Mina) : You know I'm a Christian.
[Professor lets out a long sigh]
(Mina) : You knew that when you first started seeing me.
(Professor Radisson):Yes, and you know that I'm not.
(Mina) : Yeah, I know, and I know there's a lot of things you don't want to talk about, so we don't talk about them.
(Professor Radisson): Yeah, except the not talking is starting to get louder and louder, and soon it will be deafening, and I don't know if I can put up with that.
(Mina) : I know.
(Professor Radisson): Do you?.
(Mina) : Yeah.
(Professor Radisson) : Because we need to be clear on this. There's only room in this relationship for two, which means I don't get a mistress and you don't get to drag a 2,000-year-old dead carpenter turned itinerant rabbi into our lives.
Look, I'm gonna
go freshen up.
[At car parking lot]
(Dave) : Is this the same car?
(Tom) : Oh, no sir. No, sir. Same model, different color. The other one was a cabernet. This is more of a merlot.
(Reverend Dave) : You know, lying's not good. Lying to an ordained minister is flat-out bad. You know that, right?.
(Tom) : Sir, I assure you this is a different automobile. Here, try it out.
(Reverend Dave) : How'd your audition go?.
(Tom) : Oh, pretty good. I'm up for the role of Biff, so--thanks for asking.
[engine sputtering]
You guys going somewhere?.
How's it look for you with
the department chair position?.
I'm up for review
mid-semester.
Dean Powell assures me it's a slam dunk.
(female colleague): Well, congratulations Jeffrey.
Anything else on your plate?.
Not really.
(female colleague2): Feel like sharing?
(Professor Radisson) : I've got this student in my introductory class this semester who's--well, he's taken a challengeto prove the existence of God.
(Mina) : In your classroom?.
(Professor Radisson) : Yes.
- Silly boy.
- Freshman?
- Oh yeah.
(Mina) : Doesn't seem quite fair to me.
(Professor Radisson) : Well, how's that?.
(Mina) : He's inexperienced in front of a room, and you're expecting him to compete with you in your own field of expertise.
(Professor Radisson) : Come on, Mina. This is fun for me. I can't help it if a boy wants to make a fool of himself and commit academic suicide.
Look, I tried to stop him. I gave him an out, but no, no, no, he wants to prove that God isn't dead.
[colleagues chuckling]
(Mina) : Look, I know I am in the minority here, but I actually believe in God.
(Professor Radisson) : Yes, yes, well, she is-- she's a work in progress.
[colleagues laughing]
(Professor Radisson) : So, darling, I think it's best we just change the subject.
(Mina) : But I'm just saying--
(Professor Radisson) : Mina, I've asked politely, okay?.
(Mina) : Okay. The coq au vin is almost done.
(Professor Radisson): Excellent. To the dining room.
(Professor Radisson): Nothing like a nice merlot to take the edge off.
(Professor Radisson): Cheers, everyone. Mina, this wine is awful. It's been cooked . It tastes like it was sunning in a moldy basement. Talk about your "Grapes of Wrath."
[colleagues laughing]
(Mina) : I bought it before I went shopping the other day. I locked it in the trunk and when I got home I forgot about it.
Well, I think this dinner
serves as a valuable lesson.
As Socrates put it
over 2,000 years ago,
"Gnothi seauton."
Looks like
it's Greek to her.
(Professor Radisson): Oh, it's "Know thyself," darling, know thyself. Which I suggest means knowing your own limitations.
(Mina) : You know, if you'll all excuse me,
it's time for the help to depart.
(Professor Radisson): Sweetheart--
##
##
(female lab technician): No pacemaker?. No other piercings, right?.
(Amy): No.
(female lab technician): I know it sounds crazy, but I have to ask. If there's any ferrous metal anywhere inside your body, the magnetic field will put it out, and forcibly.
#
(Josh): In our last class, I was asked a question that I couldn't answer. As Professor Radisson pointed out, Stephen Hawking is an atheist. He also wrote a book called "The Grand Design" in which he says the following: "Because there is a law such as gravity, the universe can and will create itself from nothing."
And to be honest, I didn't know how to refute that. I mean, after all, Hawking is clearly a genius.
But, Professor John Lennox, who teaches mathematics and philosophy has demonstrated that there are not one, even two, but three errors of logic contained in that one simple sentence, and it all boils down to circular reasoning.
Hawking is basically saying that the universe exists because the universe needed to exist, and because the universe needed to exist, it therefore created itself.
It's like this. If I say to you that I can prove that Spam is the best-tasting food that's ever existed because in all of history, no food has ever tasted better, you'd probably look at me strange and say I haven't proven anything. And you'd be right, all I've done is restate my original claim. But when Hawking claims that the universe created itself because it needed to create itself, and then offers that as an explanation as to how and why it was created, we don't immediately recognize that he's doing the same thing . But he is, prompting Lennox to further comment, "Nonsense remains nonsense ," even when spoken by famous scientists "even though the general public assumes they are statements of science."
(Professor Radisson) : This is the height of hubris. Are you telling me that you, a freshman, are saying that Stephen Hawking is wrong?
(Josh): No, what I'm saying is that John Lennox, a professor of mathematics and philosophy, has found Professor Hawking's reasoning to be faulty, and I agree with his logic. But if you can't bear to disagree with Hawking's thinking, then I suggest that you turn to page five of his book, where he insists philosophy is dead. And if you're so sure of Professor Hawking's infallibility, and philosophy really is dead, then well, there's really no need for this class.
(Mina): It's like I'm a convenience to him, except for when my faith comes up, then he becomes verbally abusive.
I'm guessing he's bright.
Brilliant.
Handsome.
Yes.
And his attention makes you feel special, gives you a sense of completeness.
Have you been reading my diary?.
Psychologists call it the Cinderella complex. It's not my name for it, so don't get upset with me.
Guys are capable of the same thing. It's just they don't have a name for it.
But in essence, you're looking for his approval to give you a sense of self-worth instead ofgenerating it internally.
Don't most people do that?.
Yeah, a lot of people do, sure.
But, using romance to shore up self-image is an unstable foundation.
Do you believe God's capable of error, bias, or bad judgment?
No.
(Dave) :So, if he's incapable of mistakes, and he made you in his likeness and image, then it follows that hecares about you, right?
Right.
To the point where God's only Son would willingly be crucified again for you, just you, if that's what was necessary.
Well, if he loves you that much, who cares what your boyfriend thinks?.
To the wrong person, you'll never have any worth. But to the right person, you'll mean everything.
[At the campus lecture hall podium]
(Josh) : Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, for the last 150 years, Darwinists have been saying that God is unnecessary to explain man's existence and that evolution replaces God, but evolution only tells you what happens once you have life. So, where did that something that's alive come from? Well, Darwin never really addressed it. He assumed maybe some lightning hit a stagnant pool full of the right kind of chemicals and bingo, a living something. But it's just not that simple. You see, Darwin claimed that the ancestry of all living things came from that one single, simple organism which reproduced and was slowly modified over time into the complex life forms we view today. Which is why, after contemplating his own theory, Darwin uttered his famous statement, "Natura non facit saltum," meaning, "Nature does not jump." Well, as noted author Lee Strobel pointed out, that if you can picture the entire 3.8 billion years that scientists say life has been around as one 24-hour day, in the space of just about 90 seconds, most major animal groups suddenly appear in the forms in which they currently hold.
Not slowly and steadily as Darwin predicted, but in evolutionary terms, almost instantly. So, "nature does not jump" becomes "nature makes a giant leap." So, how do theists explain this sudden outburst of new biological information?
"And God said, 'Let the water teem with living creatures " 'and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky.'
"So God created the great creatures of the sea "and every living and moving thing "with which the water teems, "according to its kind. And God saw that it was good," Genesis 1 :20. In other words, creation happened because God said it should happen. And even what looks, to our eyes, to be a blind, unguided process could really be divinely controlled from start to finish. Isn't there anyone you'd like to have here with you for this? No, there's nobody.
#
#
#
[slow clapping]
(Professor Radisson) : Lies, lies, and more lies. It's easy to dismiss what you don't understand or what you don't want to understand.
(Professor Radisson) : There it is, the default setting of the Bible-thumper. "lf only you would open the Scripture and read, then you would understand." So says the brave young freshman. "For thou art wise, and with thou, all wisdom shall die,"Job 1:2, verse 2. What else does Job tell us? "For man who is born of woman is few of days, "and full of trouble. "He comes forth like a shadow and does not continue. "So man lies down, and does not rise 'til the heavens are no more." Well, at least he got that part right.
(Josh): What happened to you?
(Professor Radisson) : When a 12-year-old watches his mother dying of cancer, it's only natural to beg God for her life. He'll promise anything to his make-believe grandfather in the sky, including to love and worship him forever, if only he will spare her. Sometimes the answer is no. Tell that to me the day you lose someone you love. She died believing a lie. She died believing that someone out there loved her even while he was strangling her to death. A God who would allow that is not worth believing in. That is why, Wheaton, you will find the most committed atheists were once Christians, but we took the blinders off. We saw the world for what it truly is. You see, Shakespeare had it right. Life is really a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, and signifying nothing.
##
Ayisha!
##
"He's the one god who has not begotten." Say it! I command you to say it!
(Ayisha) : No, Baba. Jesus is my Lord and Savior and he died to save me from my sins.
No!
[Tricia Brock singing
"What I Know"]
Carry on, carry on
What I know is you,
my God, are real
No matter how I feel,
you've never let me go
And what I know
is there will never be a day
You aren't
just a breath away
And through it all
I've gotta hold to what I know
Gonna hold
to what I know
What I know
What I know
(Amy)
Sorry for the delay
in posting my interview.
It's been a rough week.
When I finally caught up to--
[crying]
New post.
I have cancer.
Amy is going to die.
[sobbing]
No!
[sobbing]
Jeffrey, I need
to talk to you.
You know how
I feel about that.
On campus, I'm
Professor Radisson, okay?.
So, then he claims that Dawkins
is the one who was in error,
as if Dawkins thought--
Jeffrey, I'm leaving you.
Excuse me.
What?.
What are you saying?.
I'm leaving you.
You can't do that.
I won't accept it.
I'm sorry.
(Professor Radisson)
I said I don't
accept that.
I won't allow it.
I know, I heard you,
but it's not your choice.
Good bye, Jeffrey.
How long has she
been hiding her faith?.
About a year.
I can't even imagine
what she must be feeling.
You asked to be
in the trenches, David.
What have I done,
Pastor Dave?.
I've lost everything.
What if I made
a mistake?.
Ayisha, you've displayed
an amazing amount of courage
by standing up
for your faith.
God knows the risks you've taken
and he will honor that.
I don't think
I can do this.
We're here for you,
Ayisha.
(Reverend Dave)
Are you--have you read
of the Apostle Paul?.
He said, "l know
what it is to have little,
"and I know what it is
to have plenty.
"ln any and all
circumstances,
"l have learned the secret
of being well-fed
"and of being hungry,
"of having plenty
and of being in need.
I can do all things--"
"Through Christ
who strengthens me."
Right.
You're not alone, Ayisha.
You're gonna be okay.
##
##
##
I made a mistake with you,
Ietting you speak
in front of my classroom
and spew
your propaganda.
But today, we're gonna
change things up a bit.
(Josh)
Evil.
Now, it's been said that evil
is atheism's most potent weapon
against the Christian faith,
and it is.
After all, the very existence
of evil begs the question,
"lf God is all-good
and God is all-powerful,
why does he allow
evil to exist?. "
The answer at its core is
remarkably simple: free will.
God allows evil to exist
because of free will.
From the Christian standpoint,
God tolerates evil in this world
on a temporary basis
so that one day,
those who choose
to love him freely
will dwell with him in heaven,
free from the influence of evil,
but with their
free will in tact.
In other words,
God's intention concerning evil
is to one day destroy it.
(Professor Radisson)
Well, how convenient.
"One day, I will get rid
of all the evil in the world.
"But until then, you just have
to deal with all the wars,
"and Holocausts, tsunamis, poverty, starvation, and AlDS. Have a nice life."
Next, he'll be lecturing us on moral absolutes.
But why not?
Professor Radisson, who's clearly an atheist, doesn't believe in moral absolutes, but his core syllabus says he plans to give us an exam during finals week. Now, I'm betting that if I manage to get an "A" on the exam by cheating, he'll suddenly start sounding like a Christian, insisting it's wrong to cheat, that I should have known that. And yet, what basis does he have?.
If my actions are calculated
to help me succeed,
then why shouldn't I perform them? For Christians, the fixed point of morality, what constitutes right and wrong, is a straight line that leads directly back to God.
(Professor Radisson) : Oh, so you're saying that we need a God to be moral, that a moral atheist is an impossibility.
(Josh): No, but with no God, there's no real reason to be moral. I mean, there's not even a standard of what moral behavior is. For Christians, lying, cheating, stealing-- a grade I didn't earn-- are forbidden. It's a form of theft.
But if God does not exist,
as Dostoyevsky
famously pointed out,
"lf God does not exist,
then everything is permissible."
And not only permissible,
but pointless.
If Professor Radisson is right,
then all of this,
all of our struggle,
our debate,
whatever we decide here
is meaningless.
I mean, our lives
and ultimately our deaths
have no more consequence
than that of a goldfish.
This is ridiculous.
So, after all your talk,
you're saying that it all
comes down to choice:
believe or don't believe.
That's right,
that's all there is.
That's all
there's ever been.
The only difference between
your position and my position
is that you take away
their choice.
You demand that they choose the
box marked, "l don't believe."
(Professor Radisson)
Y es, because
I want to free them.
Because religion
is like a--
it's like a mind virus
that parents have passed on
down to their children,
and Christianity
is the worst virus of all.
It slowly creeps
into our lives
when we're weak
or sick or helpless.
So, religion
is like a disease?.
(Professor Radisson)
Yes. Yes, it infects
everything.
It's the enemy of reason.
Reason?.
Professor, you left reason
a long time ago.
What you're teaching here
isn't philosophy.
It's not even
atheism anymore.
What you're teaching
is antitheism.
It's not enough
that you don't believe.
You need all of us
to not believe with you.
(Professor Radisson): Why don't you admit the truth? You just want to ensnare them in your primitive superstition.
(Josh): What I want is for them to make their own choice. That's what God wants.
(Professor Radisson): You have no idea how much I'm gonna enjoy failing you.
(Josh): Yeah, but who are you really looking to fail, Professor? Me or God?.
Do you hate God? That's not even a question. Okay, why do you hate God?
(Professor Radisson): This is ridiculous.
(Josh): Why do you hate God? Answer the question. You've seen the science and the arguments. Science supports his existence.
You know the truth. So, why do you hate him? Why? ! It's a very simple question, Professor. Why do you hate God?.
(Professor Radisson): Because he took everything away from me. Yes, I hate God. All I have for him is hate.
(Josh): How can you hate someone if they don't exist?
(Professor Radisson): You've proven nothing.
(Josh): Maybe not.They get to choose.
Is God dead?
[Martin stands up]
(Martin): God is not dead.
[ Another student stands up, and more students stand up ]
(student): God's not dead.
(student): God's not dead.
(student): God's not dead.
(student): God's not dead.
(student): God's not dead.
(student): God's not dead.
(student): God's not dead.
(student): God's not dead.
(student): God's not dead.
[students agreeing in unison]
##
##
[Josh walking down the stairs]
(Martin): Josh! Josh. Josh! Your decision to prove God is not dead has affected me greatly.
(Josh): I'm glad.
(Martin): Yes, and it has changed everything. I've decided to follow Jesus.
(Josh): That's great, Martin. Hey, you know what? You've gotta check this out.
(Martin): Okay.
(Josh): Come on.
[At the car park]
(Reverend Dave): Why did I have to bring my suitcase?.
(Reverend Jude): Not bringing it would show a lack of faith. Oh merciful Father, please allow this car to start. Amen.
(Reverend Dave): That's it?
(Reverend Jude): Why, do you have a better "Lord, please make my car run" blessing that you know?.
(Reverend Dave): No.
(Reverend Jude): So then, let's give it a try.
(Reverend Dave): Okay.
[ Reverend Dave walking to the car leaving his luggage behind him ]
(Reverend Jude): No, no, no, no. Put our bags in the trunk first. David, we spend our entire lives talking about faith. Now I'm asking you to show faith.
(Reverend Dave): Okay.
[engine starting]
(Reverend Dave): Unbelievable.
(Reverend Jude): No. Faith.
(Reverend Jude):God is good.
(Reverend Dave): All the time.
(Reverend Jude): And all the time?.
(Reverend Dave): God is good.
[ In the living room ]
(son Mark): I don't even know what I'm doing here. I mean, it's not like you even know who I am.
You prayed and believed your whole life, never done anything wrong, and here you are.
You're the nicest person I know, I am the meanest. You have dementia, my life is perfect. Explain that to me.
( Mother, elderly Shelly ): Sometimes the devil allows people to live a life free of trouble 'cause he doesn't want them turning to God. Your sin is like a jail cell, except it's all nice and comfy, and there doesn't seem to be any need to leave.
The door's wide open 'til one day, time runs out, and the cell door slams shut and suddenly... it's too late. Who did you say you were?
[ Inside a car ]
(Reverend Dave): I can't believe this. The car actually starts and now we're being done-in by believers.
(Reverend Jude): I think it's beautiful.
(Reverend Dave): Please, no more words of wisdom. But I'm just happy to see all these people going to sing about Jesus.
[horn blaring]
Move!.
(Amy): Hello, gentlemen.
(Michael Tait): Can I help you?.
(Amy): I'm Amy Ryan. I write "The New Left."
(Michael Tait): Michael Tait. How are you? Did we schedule this?.
(Amy): No, I actually find that the best interviews are unscripted. So, in a few minutes, you guys are gonna go out there and you're gonna sing about God and Jesus as if they're as real as you and me. How can you do that?.
(Michael Tait): Well, to us, they are as real. As a matter of fact, even more so. I mean, we exist in the here and now. They've existed forever.
Think about that.
Yeah, you know,
in the beginning was the Word.
The Word was with God
and the Word was God.
[Amy chuckling]
So, I see.
So when you're pressed,
you quote a bunch of
ancient scribblings and say,
"Don't worry,
it's all in there."
Well, they may be ancient,
but they're not scribblings.
I mean, we believe God
gave us an instruction manual,
and it's where
we draw our strength
and it's where
we find our hope.
So, where do you
find your hope?.
I'm dying.
(Duncan Phillips)
Hey Amy, you're not here
to trash us, are you?.
I think that's what
you might have done,
but I think you're here
kinda wondering,
kinda hoping that this stuff
is for real, aren't you?.
How do you know that?.
(Duncan Phillips)
I just felt that that's
what God was saying,
and he just wanted
you to know it.
That's--I can't--
(Jody Davis)
Y eah, and he's
just the drummer.
[Safe Haven singing
"Chasing the Sun"]
And we never really did
what we're told
And we'll say we were dumb
and all alone
But we're still
chasing the sun
We'll say we were young
and full of hope
And we never really did
what we're told
And we'll say we were dumb
and all alone
But we're still
chasing the sun
One day, we'll fade
but we'll never forget--
##
(female voiceover)
"My dearest son,
"words cannot express
the love I have for you
"or the sorrow in my heart
"knowing that I will never
be able to see you grow up
"and fulfill God's plan
for your life.
"My heart is broken
at the thought of leaving you.
"l know God is in control.
"His ways are
higher than our ways
"and his thoughts
are higher than our thoughts.
"Live life to the fullest and
remain in the joy of the Lord.
"You will forever
be in my heart.
I love you.
Mom."
[phone dialing]
(Mina) :
Hey, it's Mina.
Sorry I missed your call.
Leave a message.
Mina, it's Jeffrey.
Please call me.
(male) : Hey guys, we're a-go for the show.
Hey Steve, give us a minute, buddy.
This is kinda important.
- Thanks guys.
- Thanks.
Can we pray for you real quick?
Do you mind?
Cool.
Dear God, we don't know your plan for Amy, Lord, but we're asking you would save her tonight, Lord.
Change her, cleanse her, give her a fresh start, Lord. Let her know that she's loved, and more importantly, that she is loved by you, the Master of the universe.
Give her strength for the journey ahead, Lord, and let her know in her heart,
God, speak to her, that you're gonna be with her every step of the way. We pray this, Jesus, in your holy name.
Amen.
Yeah.
(Duncan Phillips) : Hey guys, we gotta roll.
Cool, you gonna be
okay, Amy?
You good?
##
Make a way for
Make a way for
Make a way for the King
The King is coming
##
Empty hearts
are filling up
Wicked ways
are coming undone
Every eye
is looking out for you
City lights
are burning out
Freedom's song
is ringing loud
Dead men waking up
to the sound of you
And all our hearts
can sing
All our hearts can sing
Make a way for
Make a way for
Make a way for the King
The King is coming
So, make a way for
Make a way for
Make a way for the King
[thunder rumbling]
Oh, that's perfect.
So much for sunny
and clear skies.
[tires screeching]
(Reverend Dave) : Call an ambulance! Call an ambulance!
Don't move.
His ribs are crushed. His lungs are filling with blood. He doesn't have long.
(Pastor Jude) : Are you sure?
(Reverend Dave) : Yeah.
(Reverend Dave) : Don't move.
(Professor ): I can't die. I'm not ready.
(Reverend Dave) : Do you know Jesus?
(Professor ): I'm an atheist.
(Reverend Dave) : I believe it's God's mercy that brought me here right now.
(Professor ): I'm dying.
(Professor ): How can you call that mercy?
(Reverend Dave) : Because that car could have killed you instantly. And I'm sure right now you probably wish that it did, but I'm here to tell you that it's a gift 'cause the God that you don't believe in has given you another chance, another chance to change your final answer.
(Professor ): I don't want to die, but I'm so scared.
(Reverend Dave) : If it's any consolation, so was Jesus. He was so scared, he sweat blood. He asked the Father if it could be removed from him, but theĤ answer was no. He says no a lot.
(Reverend Dave) : He gives us the answers we'd ask for if we knew what he knows.
(Professor )"'For as the heavens are higher than the earth, "so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts are higher than your thoughts,' says the Lord."
(Reverend Dave) : Exactly. So, the question is-- stay with me. Stay with me. Are you willing to put your faith in Jesus Christ?
(Reverend Dave) : Are you willing to take that chance?
(Professor ) : Yes.
(Reverend Dave) : God is willing to forgive you of your sins, all of them, if you accept his Son and ask him into your life. That's all you have to do is just accept his Son. Accept his love and receive his forgiveness right now.
(Reverend Dave) : Do you accept him as Lord and Savior?.
(Professor ) : Yes, I accept.
(Reverend Dave) : It's alright. In a few minutes, you're gonna know more about God than I do, or anybody else here does. It's okay, it's okay.
#
#
(Michael Tait) : If you check out the screens behind me, we have a very special message from a very good friend.
(Willie): Hey, I'm Willie Robertson, speaking on behalf of the Robertson family. Me and the gang wanted to let you know we've heard in the news that there's been a bit of a squabble down there on campus. One of your professors insisted that God is dead. Well, I'm happy to announce that the reports of God's death were greatly exaggerated. Now, let me ask you a question. Have you got your cell phones on you?
Good. Alright, now while this next song is playing, I want everyone to go to their contacts and click on everybody you know and text them three simple words: "God's not dead."
And there's 10,000 of you out there, and everyone knows about 1 00 people. That's a million messages right there.
A million times we're gonna tell Jesus that we love him in the next 3 minutes. And for the young man who took up the gauntlet to defend God's honor, and you know who you are, I can only imagine the smile you put on God's face. This one goes out to you.
(Mina) : It was you, wasn't it? The one who defended God?.
(Josh) : Yeah. How did you know?.
(Mina) : I heard you talking in the cafeteria. Only a real risk tests the quality of a belief, right?
(Michael Tait singing):
Let love explode
and bring the dead to life
A love so bold to see
a revolution somehow
Let love explode
and bring the dead to life
A love so bold to see
a revolution somehow
Now I'm lost
in your freedom
And this world
I'll overcome
My God's not dead,
he's surely alive
He's living on the inside,
roaring like a lion
My God's not dead,
he's surely alive
He's living on the inside,
roaring like a lion
Roaring, he's roaring,
roaring like a lion
Let hope arise and
make the darkness hide
My faith is dead
I need a resurrection
somehow
Now I'm lost
in your freedom
And this world
I'll overcome
My God's not dead,
he's surely alive
He's living on the inside,
roaring like a lion
My God's not dead,
he's surely alive
He's living on the inside,
roaring like a lion
Roaring, he's roaring,
roaring like a lion
He's roaring,
he's roaring
Let heaven roar
and fire fall
Come shake the ground
with the sound of revival
Let Heaven roar
and fire fall
Come shake the ground
with the sound of revival
What happened here tonight
is a cause for celebration.
Pain, yes, for just
a few moments, but now,
think about
the joy in heaven.
My God's not dead,
he's surely alive
He's living on the inside,
roaring like a lion
My God's not dead,
he's surely alive
He's living on the inside,
roaring like a lion
God's not dead,
he's surely alive
He's living on the inside,
roaring like a lion
God's not dead,
he's surely alive
He's living on the inside,
roaring like a lion
Roaring, he's roaring,
roaring like a lion
He's roaring, he's roaring,
roaring like a lion
Roaring like a lion
Our God is alive
##
[Superchick singing
"This is the Time"]
This is a story of your life,
a movie starring you
What's the next scene
have for you to do?.
Leave the dishes in the sink,
leave your fear there too
Live the story you
would write for you
Say, hey, hey,
wake your heart
And break, break,
break apart
The walls that keep you
from being you
And walk, walk
towards the light
And don't stop
'til you live your life
Like someone died for you
This is the time to try
Just step out,
your life is waiting
And as you fall,
you'll find that you can fly
This is the time to try
Just step out,
your life is waiting
And as you fall,
you'll find that you can fly
You can find a million words
to build a wall of fear
Safe behind that wall,
imprisoned here
Take that someday step today
to who you're meant to be
And turn your dreams
to plans so you can breathe
Say, hey, hey,
wake your heart
And break, break,
break apart
The walls that keep you from being you
And walk, walk
towards the light
And don't stop
'til you live your life
Like someone died for you
This is the time to try
Just step out,
your life is waiting
And as you fall,
you'll find that you can fly
Ask anyone
whose time is up
What they'd give
for what you've got
And how they'd
live your life
Live like your life's
worth dying for
You just walked out
that prison door
And you'll know how
to live your life
This is the time to try
Just step out,
your life is waiting
And as you fall,
you'll find that you can fly
This is the time to try
Just step out,
your life is waiting
And as you fall,
you'll find that you can fly
This is the time to try
Just step out,
your life is waiting
And as you fall,
you'll find that you can fly
