Movie Review—God’s Not Dead: In God We Trust

Rev. David Hill (played by David A.R. White), along with other familiar characters and the Newsboys concert cameo, once again appears in the latest installment of the God’s Not Dead movie series. This time, David Hill must grapple with this crucial question: Does God still have a place in politics?1 In a nutshell, the movie revolves around some of the hotly debated political questions in America today regarding the relevance of Christianity in the public square and the government’s duty to stand on biblical values and preserve our fundamental God-given rights (a repeated theme throughout the series). And this movie boldly takes these topics head-on!

My (Not-So-Professional) Brief Review

No, I am not a professional film critic by any means (not even close!). But overall, I thought the movie was entertaining to watch, with plenty of quotable one-liners and references to biblical principles that I think will resonate with many conservative Christians. It was also a clean, family-friendly movie with no crudeness or vulgarity, which was refreshing (especially given the filthiness of most movies that are produced today).2

It’s a movie that I personally enjoyed and one that I would generally recommend for others to watch.

Of course, not every Christian will agree with some of the hard-hitting political themes in the movie. In fact, I’m sure that some will be fervently opposed to the core messages promoted throughout the story. And yes, some scenes were a bit overly dramatic (as I expected). Nonetheless, it’s a movie that I personally enjoyed and one that I would generally recommend for others to watch.

I also appreciated that the film presented a high view of God and his Word—the Bible (although I wish there would’ve been more Bible references in the movie!). The story also dramatically portrayed the price for serving Christ and suffering as his disciple—a guarantee for every follower according to Scripture (e.g., Matthew 5:10–12; John 15:18–20; 2 Timothy 3:10–13; 1 Peter 4:12–14).

Similar to the previous movies, the plot was engaging and progressed along at a decent pace; the characters were relatable and dynamic; and the cinematography was well done. Plus, I thought the directors did a fantastic job capturing the intense drama during the debate scenes—where it felt like I was right there in the room with them! There were also some carryovers from the prior films that I was pleased to see. (People who haven’t kept up with this series will miss those details, but it’s not required to follow the plot in this movie.)

As you probably noticed, assuming you’ve at least seen the trailer, the movie’s central plot largely centers around the debate over preserving religious freedom and the controversial “separation of church and state” in America today—which is a phrase I’m sure just about every American has heard in various contexts. There were several major scenes that put an emphasis on this “separation” topic, especially in the opening minutes, with quite a few powerful scenes in the movie that were clearly intended to draw on the audience’s emotions regarding these issues. And for me, these scenes were the most interesting parts of the movie.

The Setup

Right from the start, it was clear that one of the main threads in the story was lined up around the idea that many Americans (including Christians) have bought into the popular notion that there are two separate/distinct “realms”—the “realm of religion” and the “realm of state”—which cannot be mixed, no matter what. But is that actually true? And what does this supposed “separation” actually mean? (We’ll circle back to this later, stay tuned.)

The movie starts off by showing political news coverage of the Arkansas congressional incumbent, Rick West, unexpectedly dying of a heart attack just six weeks prior to election day. After hearing the tragic news, his opponent, Senator Kane (played by Ray Wise, the main antagonist), has a press conference where he’s asked various questions regarding the restriction of religious freedoms (which he simply ignores). Then, in the following scene, the movie firmly establishes the foundation and setup for this main plotline: Kane celebrates with others on his team, believing he’s essentially won the race, and says: “The passing of Rick West may allow us to catch up with the rest of the modern world, religious superstition has no place in influencing our laws and government, so here’s [raising his glass] to enlightenment, reason, and reshaping our nation’s core.”

The movie then further sets up the plotline by showing old clips of previous presidents Ronald Reagan and John F. Kennedy giving speeches on fighting for our freedoms and the importance of keeping America as one nation under God, followed by footage of churches closing their doors because of the Covid pandemic, showing protests of secularists holding “Keep American Science Great” signs and “EVOLUTION” being written on a chalkboard, and a kid checking the “Atheist” box on a piece of paper as his professed religion (yes, atheism is a religion!).

Enter, David Hill

Next, the plot takes us to Rick West’s political team, who are now scrambling to find a replacement, and there’s a brief moment showing Kane on the TV screen in the background saying: “We must not let religious superstition determine our laws and culture, it must be by science and reason”—again, further establishing this dichotomy. And after some frantic discussions by West’s team, the scene shows Senator Smith (played by Isaiah Washington) watching a video of David Hill giving a fiery speech in front of a congressional committee (this was the climactic scene from the last movie, God’s Not Dead: We the People). As Smith is watching the video clip, a few other members of the team watch over his shoulder, and they collectively decide to make David their replacement.

The movie transitions to an emotional scene where David is confronted with bad news concerning a women’s center that he had been actively supporting and discovers that the center was going to have to close. The reason? Because some women at the center were caught having a Bible study! And while he’s sitting in one of the pews of his church, trying to figure out what to do next, Martin Yip (played by Paul Kwo, a regular in the series) tells him about how the Chinese government blamed all the country’s problems on religion. As a result, churches were destroyed, and Christians were severely persecuted in China, implying that the same thing could soon be a reality in America—the erosion of our religious freedom and fundamental rights.3

“People are afraid to speak the truth these days because truth either loses or gets them canceled.”

At first, David resists the invitation to run for office (as expected), saying he’s just a small-town pastor. But after a series of events, he eventually feels compelled to step out of his comfort zone and enter the political race. One of the crucial scenes that led to the decision is when Smith is encouraging David to join the race and makes this weighty statement: “People are afraid to speak the truth these days because truth either loses or gets them canceled.” (This, of course, accurately sums up our “cancel” culture today!) And the turning point for David is when he learns that Kane hides behind the “separation of church and state” slogan to try to remove God from politics, classrooms, public square, policymaking, etc.—and that if Kane wins, religious groups will not be able to have the women’s center.

From there on, the story generally centers around David’s spiritual struggles not to compromise his faith as he steps into this political arena and in his campaign efforts to beat Kane, who’s utterly determined to push Christianity out of the public square. But over time, David’s campaign eventually becomes a “beacon of hope” for people and further motivates him in his efforts to try to win the election.

The Battle Heats Up

The story really starts to ramp up and shift gears when David gets invited onto the Huckabee show. During the interview, Huckabee quickly points out that there are more ordained ministers in Congress than ever before, and David responds, “Maybe people are looking for more spiritual leadership in Washington.” But then, as expected, Huckabee brings up “separation of church and state,” and David responds by saying that it has been reduced to merely a “catchphrase” and that this line can be “pretty blurry sometimes.” Huckabee says that he’s going to get into some trouble talking like that. After the show, Lottie (played by Samaire Armstrong), who’s just been tasked by Senator Smith to manage David’s campaign,4 gets angry with David for not “sticking to the script” and wants him to “keep his religious beliefs out of it.”

Later, during a podcast debate, Kane unsurprisingly focuses on the “separation of church and state” and points out that even Christians agree with that notion. David’s response (which I resonated with) was that the founding fathers clearly defined this “separation” not to keep religion out of government—but rather to keep government out of religion. Kane responds, “That’s just your interpretation.” David admits he’s guided by biblical principles and not his political party’s interests and that his beliefs would influence his decision-making (as they rightly should!). Kane then attacks by saying, “This country should be run by scholars and academics, not by people who are afraid of a boogeyman! . . . I find your sense of morality offensive. Who died and left you the arbiter of right and wrong?” David then tries to present the gospel (but realizes his mic has been turned off). As a result, Lottie and David’s team begin panicking over the outcome of the podcast episode, and this aftermath gets played out over the next several scenes.

The Final Hurrah

Later on, Kane’s team set up a more formal debate to “finish it” by really leaning into the “separation of church and state” mantra to quickly end the matter. During the debate, Kane’s main point is that there’s “no place for God in government . . . keep your morality in the church and stay out of Washington,” and David briefly points out that Kane believes not whether government needs God but that government is “god” (an accurate assessment!). Kane also brings up the so-called “Christian Nationalism” issue, and David brilliantly responds by saying that whenever Christians bring up an unpopular policy, they’re hastily labeled as “Christian Nationalists” with a broad stroke. Kane also claims that “America was never a Christian nation” (which is utterly false), and David immediately corrects him on that. David ends the debate with this mic-drop statement: “While our money says, ‘In God we trust,’ it’s clear where your trust lies: in the pursuit of power and not in the principles that shape this nation” (which surprisingly silences Kane). After the debate, Kane tells David that he won’t stop until his moral high ground crumbles beneath his feet and that his beliefs are on the “wrong side of history.”

Finally, Kane and David have one final debate before the election. Again, Kane plays the “separation of church and state” card while also trying to twist Scripture against David. Kane initially feels like he’s got David “on the ropes,” but suddenly, the debate takes a big turn when Kane begins to quote the Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident . . .” And after a brief dramatic pause, David tells him to “finish the sentence” (which Kane refuses to do). So then David finishes it for him: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights.” He then takes over the debate from that point on and loudly proclaims that our rights don’t come from a piece of paper—they come from God—and the biblical idea that all men are created in his image (which I call the “BOOM” moment!). And he ends the debate with a fiery motivational speech for Christians to get out there and vote! (Does David win the election? Go watch the movie to find out!)

So Get Out There and Vote!

Speaking of voting, this was another major theme of the movie: motivating Christians to VOTE. For instance, there was a brief post-debate scene when David’s taxi driver told him that he was impressed with his debate performance. David responds, “I hope I earned your vote,” to which the driver responds: “I don’t vote, voting doesn’t really change anything . . . but I will join your church!” Sadly, I’ve noticed that this kind of attitude seems to be rampant in many churches today, where Christians have bought into the lie that their vote “doesn’t matter.” Why? I believe much of the reason is due to Christians buying into the myth of neutrality (more on that in a moment).

This message was also reinforced during a climactic scene where Smith shows up to David’s house to talk about his latest struggles in the race. And at one point in the conversation, Smith points out that a lot of folks have lost hope in the future of the country and says that 40 million Christians don’t vote and another 15 million aren’t even registered. David responds, “Politics is a dirty business,” but Smith tells him, “So is taking out the garbage, but if you turn your back to it, things start to stink” and says that David’s “campaign sets the example for Christian involvement in the civic square.” In other words, if we’re not speaking up for our rights, they will be taken away!

In other words, if we’re not speaking up for our rights, they will be taken away!

Is “Separation of Church and State” for Real?

There was an obvious emphasis on “separation of church and state” (as I’m sure you noticed!) that served as the plumb line throughout the story. In general, I thought the movie did a decent job of exposing this contentious issue in our American culture today (in a dramatic way, of course). That is, the movie exposed the issue that this “catchphrase” (as David put it) has essentially been used by secularists (rebels against God) to eliminate any trace of Christianity from all public spaces and every branch of government. Or more specifically, what this movie really highlighted is the false dichotomy being promoted today between the “realm of religion/faith” and the “realm of science/reason” (i.e., the supposed “religion vs. science” debate).

By the way, do you know where this “separation” phrase comes from? Many Americans that I’ve met (sadly, including Christians) falsely believe that it originally came from the Constitution—but it doesn’t! It’s not found anywhere in the text or in any of the amendments! This idea actually came from a private letter written in 1802 by President Thomas Jefferson in response to the Danbury Baptist Association in Connecticut—assuring them that the federal government would not interfere with the church.5 In other words, this “separation” was intended to protect the church from the state, not the state from the church, meaning no national religion is allowed to be established by the government.

Yet, over time, secularists have yanked the Danbury letter out of its context and completely flipped it around 180^o to now mean the exact opposite: to try to protect the state from the church. That means, in reality, this “separation” has become a “separation of God and state”—which would have been a totally foreign concept to the founding fathers (as David Hill rightly points out during the podcast debate with Kane in the movie).

Fast forward to today and this phrase has become so twisted that it’s now being used as a “weapon” to beat down Christians anytime God, church, Bible, Christianity, prayer, creation, or morality are even mentioned along with state/government or anything secular. In other words, secularists have weaponized this “separation” phrase to eradicate Christianity from the public square—and replace it with the religion of secular humanism (an anti-God religion).

The Battle of Two Religions

Consequently, the religion of naturalism (a subset of humanism) has been imposed on the state school system—and the culture at large. And so now we live in a culture with science textbooks, TV programs, and all sorts of media that teach naturalistic beliefs (such as big bang, evolution, “millions of years”) as supposed “fact”—based on unproven and unscientific natural processes! That means they didn’t kick out religion—they kicked out Christianity and replaced it with an anti-Christian religion! So it’s not “science vs. religion”—it’s ultimately a battle between two religions: one that is grounded on God’s infallible Word (Christianity) and the other that tries to elevate man’s fallible opinions to supersede God’s ultimate authority (humanism).

Sadly, many Christians have bought into this lie, believing that “separation of church and state” means putting aside their Bible and that we should take a “neutral” approach to the public square and the culture at large. Yet, biblically speaking, look at what Jesus said: “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters” (Matthew 12:30). So this means that not only is neutrality a myth, but more importantly, it’s sinful for Christians to try to take this supposed stance of neutrality.

And as a result of Christians buying into this myth of neutrality—one of the fruits of being duped into believing the so-called “separation of church and state”—they fail to boldly and unashamedly stand on the authoritative Word of God as they confront issues plaguing our culture such as abortion, racism, CRT, transgenderism, gay “marriage”—and, of course, the erosion of our religious freedoms. By shrinking back from the public square, Christians have effectively allowed secularists to impose their anti-God religion on not just America but the whole Western culture (US, UK, Canada, Australia).

The “Sleeping Giant” Needs to Wake Up

Let me summarize it this way: it’s time for the “sleeping giant” to wake up! Who’s the sleeping giant? It’s the church! Think about it: secular activists who vocally oppose God’s standards constitute only a small minority in society. And yet they seem to be successful in controlling much of the education institutions, court systems, government, and so on—in trying to normalize what God calls an abomination.

So, if the millions of Christians in the West were to “wake up” and become more assertive in standing up for biblical truth—which includes registering to vote (as Smith pointed out to David in the movie)—we could see a huge positive effect on the culture.6 It’s time for Christians to start standing firm and without compromise on the truth of God’s Word against a world that falls for lies—including the so-called “separation of church and state” catchphrase. Let’s pray that the “sleeping giant” wakes up and gets actively involved in the battle raging around us—not trusting in our own wearying strength but in the One who never grows weary.

Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:28–31)

But of course, before the church can effectively make an impact on today’s world, we first need a new reformation across Christendom today! Just as Martin Luther brought reformation in the sixteenth century, calling the church back to the authority of Scripture, we must raise up the next generation of young people to boldly stand on the absolute authority of the Word of God—and thus be salt and light to this dark decaying world—no matter the cost. Let’s pray that God blesses our efforts!