God’s Not Dead – A Light in Darkness

A church destroyed. A congregation silenced. A relationship shattered. Yet even in life’s darkest valleys, a small flame can light the way toward healing and hope.

A deadly fire rips through St. James Church, devastating the congregation and Pastor Dave. Adjoining Hadleigh University uses the tragedy to kick the congregation off campus. The escalating controversy creates a dilemma for the small church—can Christians fight for their rights and be the light for Christ at the same time?

Facing a court case and his own struggle to see Christ’s light in heartbreak, Dave asks for help from Pearce, his estranged brother—a big-city lawyer and an atheist—to fight for the church’s right to exist. The family reunion opens old wounds, as the brothers wrestle with the questions that pulled them apart years ago: Is God really good all the time? Where is God when bad things happen? Can Christ really heal the brokenhearted?

Pure Flix presents GOD’S NOT DEAD: A LIGHT IN DARKNESS — featuring a star-studded cast, including David A.R. White, John Corbett, Ted McGinley, Shane Harper, Jennifer Taylor, Benjamin Onyango, with special appearances by Dr. Cissy Houston and Tatum O’Neal.

GOD’S NOT DEAD: A LIGHT IN DARKNESS is a powerful reminder that in all circumstances, we are called to be a light for Jesus to a world in desperate need of hope.

Disclosure: I have been compensated to share this post. The opinions on this blog are my own.

Produced and distributed by Pure Flix Entertainment, God’s Not Dead: A Light in Darkness is the conclusion to the film trilogy. Written and directed by Michael Mason, this film is ultimately about hope and peace, although there is some violence (vandalism leading to a fire and a dramatic death, and a pastor being punched/and punching back).

While I haven’t seen God’s Not Dead 1 or 2 however 3 is slightly controversial and there are debates … it’s unclear as to why the Pastor’s sermons are so controversial. It would’ve been nice to have known that detail but it didn’t take away from the story which, in the end, I did enjoy.

There were moments throughout the movie that you are “jolted” with the swing from deep faith to the outright testing of it. This kept you on the fence, possibly questioning your own faith!

One of my favourite scenes is when Dave complains to an African-American Pastor about how he feels that he’s being persecuted. His fellow Pastor Clearly puts things into perspective with his reply, “Brother, who do you think you’re talking to? I am a black man in the Deep South; don’t talk to me about your persecution.”

It’s extremely difficult to speak about a movie without ruining it for others. I did my very best not to however, what little I did speak of has already been shared either in the synopsis or by others.

I thought this film did drag on a bit but then had many moments that it picked up as well. In my opinion it’s geared to an Evangelical audience but that doesn’t mean that others won’t enjoy it. I’m unsure if they will feel challenged.

My Star Rating: 3 out of 5 stars.

Note: DVD has been provided courtesy of Pure Flix and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.