God's Not Dead: We the People | |
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Directed by | Vance Null |
Screenplay by | Tommy Blaze |
Story by |
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Produced by | Brent Ryan Green |
Starring | |
Cinematography | Brian Shanley |
Edited by | Vance Null |
Music by | Pancho Burgos-Goizueta |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Fathom Events |
Release date |
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Running time | 91 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Box office | $1.1 million [1] |
God's Not Dead: We the People is a 2021 American Christian drama film directed by Vance Null, with a script written by Tommy Blaze, from an original story co-authored by Cary Solomon and Chuck Konzelman. [2] The sequel to God's Not Dead: A Light in Darkness and the fourth installment in the God's Not Dead series, the plot centers around Rev. David "Dave" Hill's role in defending religious homeschooling before Congress. The film stars David A. R. White, Antonio Sabato Jr., Francesca Battistelli, Judge Jeanne Pirro, Isaiah Washington, and William Forsythe.
The film was released on October 4, 2021, in a three-night theatrical engagement, [3] and grossed over $1.1 million in the domestic box office.
A sequel titled, God's Not Dead: In God We Trust was released on September 12, 2024. [4] [5]
A group of parents led by a local pastor, Dave Hill, are home-schooling their children when a representative from social services makes an unannounced visit and determines the parents' teaching is not sufficient in meeting federal education standards. The parents are summoned to court after their curriculum is deemed non-compliant with state educational standards. The families argue that they should have the right to educate their children in alignment with their religious beliefs. When the judge rules in favor of the state, the families, along with Reverend Dave, decide to appeal the decision.
They travel to Washington, D.C., where they seek to make their case in front of a congressional subcommittee. With assistance from fictional Congressman Daryl Smith, they argue that government oversight of their curriculum infringes upon parental rights and religious freedoms. The film culminates in a hearing where Reverend Dave and the families present their views on individual liberties and the role of the state in education. Following the conclusion of the hearing, a judge rules in favor of Dave Hill and the families' appeal.
The film's production was announced on David A. R. White's Instagram in late 2020. [9] It was filmed in Oklahoma during the COVID-19 pandemic. [10]
The film, like its predecessors, was largely panned by critics. Steve Pulaski of Influx Magazine gave the film a rare "F" letter-grade, criticizing the plot and message saying, "God's Not Dead: We the People is not merely the worst in an already-misbegotten series, but so utterly deplorable that its status as a three-night-only event in theaters at least assures that significantly fewer people will see it." [11]
Conservative Christian film critic Christian Toto praised the film, stating that while it "shares the franchise’s flaws...its bold mission statement has never been more necessary." [12]
Homeschooling or home schooling, also known as home education or elective home education (EHE), is the education of school-aged children at home or a variety of places other than a school. Usually conducted by a parent, tutor, or online teacher, many homeschool families use less formal, more personalized and individualized methods of learning that are not always found in schools. The actual practice of homeschooling varies considerably. The spectrum ranges from highly structured forms based on traditional school lessons to more open, free forms such as unschooling, which is a lesson- and curriculum-free implementation of homeschooling. Some families who initially attended a school go through a deschool phase to break away from school habits and prepare for homeschooling. While "homeschooling" is the term commonly used in North America, "home education" is primarily used in Europe and many Commonwealth countries. Homeschooling should not be confused with distance education, which generally refers to the arrangement where the student is educated by and conforms to the requirements of an online school, rather than being educated independently and unrestrictedly by their parents or by themselves.
David Andrew Roy White is an American actor, film director, screenwriter, film producer and businessman. He is a co-founder of Pinnacle Peak Pictures, a distribution and production company specializing in Christian faith- and family-themed films. He is best known for his role as Reverend Dave in the God's Not Dead film series.
The Chalcedon Foundation is an American Christian Reconstructionist organization founded by Rousas John Rushdoony in 1965. Named for the Council of Chalcedon, it has also included theologians such as Gary North, who later founded his own organization, the Institute for Christian Economics.
Homeschooling constitutes the education of about 3.4% of U.S. students as of 2012. The number of homeschoolers in the United States has increased significantly over the past few decades since the end of the 20th century. In the United States, the Supreme Court has ruled that parents have a fundamental right to direct the education of their children. The right to homeschool is not frequently questioned in court, but the amount of state regulation and help that can or should be expected continues to be subject to legal debate.
Generation Joshua, often called "GenJ" by its members, is an American Christian fundamentalist youth organization founded in 2003 that aims to encourage youth participation in government, civics, and politics toward conservative Christian values. GenJ is a division of the Home School Legal Defense Association, which is a non-profit 501(c)4 organization, based in Purcellville, Virginia. The organization was founded by Michael Farris and Mike Smith and is located on the campus of Patrick Henry College.
Mary Pride is an American author and magazine producer on homeschooling and topics from a theologically conservative stance within Christian fundamentalism. She is best known for her women’s roles and homeschooling publications, while she has also written on parental rights and the need to shelter children from what she has deemed "corrupting influences" from modern culture. For her role in authoring guides for the homeschooling movement, Pride has been described as "the queen of the home school movement" and as a "homeschooling guru". Stemming from her first book, The Way Home, she is also considered a primary source in the philosophy of the hyper-fundamentalist Christian Quiverfull movement.
Francesca Battistelli is an American Christian singer and songwriter. She was originally an independent artist and had released an independent album, Just a Breath, in 2004. Her first studio album on Fervent Records, My Paper Heart, was released on July 22, 2008. Her first single, "I'm Letting Go", was released to on june bugs radio stations on July 15, 2008, and charted on national Christian CHR charts. The song was the 16th most played song of 2008 on Christian radio stations according to R&R magazine. Battistelli received her first Grammy Award nomination in 2009, for Best Gospel Performance with her single, "Free to Be Me". She later received her first Grammy Award in 2016 at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards for Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song with her single "Holy Spirit" written by the worship band Jesus Culture from her album If We're Honest.
Nudist Colony of the Dead is a 1991 horror comedy musical film written and directed by Mark Pirro. The film was shot on Super-8 film and produced on a budget of $35,000.
The Christian film industry is an aspect of Christian media for films containing a Christian-themed message or moral. They are often interdenominational films, but can also be films targeting a specific denomination of Christianity.
The 42nd Annual GMA Dove Awards presentation was held on April 20, 2011, at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia. The show was broadcast on GMC on April 24, 2011, hosted by Sherri Shepherd from The Newlywed Game.
Ian Eskelin, is a record producer, songwriter, solo artist, and founding member and lead singer of the Grammy-nominated Christian rock band All Star United, and president of recording and publishing company Radiate Music. He won the Dove Award for "Producer of the Year" in 2011 and 2008, and was nominated for the same award in 2007, 2009, 2010, and 2012. Eskelin also has received multiple Dove and Grammy nominations for his songwriting and production work working with artists such as Francesca Battistelli "Holy Spirit", 7eventh Time Down "God Is on the Move", Sidewalk Prophets, Chris August, and Hawk Nelson to name a few. As an artist and writer Eskelin has had more than fifty Top 10 singles in the United States, including 25 No. 1 charting songs. He has additionally had international No. 1 songs in various countries including Japan, Singapore, and Australia. Ian's songs have been licensed for use on major networks including ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, ESPN and feature films.
Christmas is the first Christmas album by American contemporary Christian music artist Francesca Battistelli. The album is her third release with Fervent Records, and her fourth album overall including her first independent release. The album was produced by Ian Eskelin, and was released on October 16, 2012. The album charted in the Top Five on the Billboard Holiday Albums chart and has received critical acclaim.
God's Not Dead is a 2014 American Christian drama film directed by Harold Cronk and starring Kevin Sorbo, Shane Harper, David A. R. White, and Dean Cain. Written by Cary Solomon and Chuck Konzelman from a story they co-wrote with Hunter Dennis, and inspired by Rice Broocks' book God's Not Dead: Evidence for God in an Age of Uncertainty, the film follows a Christian college student (Harper) whose faith is challenged by an Atheist philosophy professor (Sorbo), who declares God a pre-scientific fiction. The film was produced by Pure Flix Entertainment in association with Check the Gate Productions, Red Entertainment Group, and Faith Family Films, and released theatrically on March 21, 2014, by Freestyle Releasing.
If We're Honest is the third studio album by American Christian singer and songwriter Francesca Battistelli that was released on April 22, 2014 by Word Entertainment and Fervent Records. The lead single from the album was "Write Your Story", which was released before the album on January 3, 2014 to radio and on January 14, 2014 as a commercially available single for download.
God's Not Dead 2 is a 2016 American Christian drama film, directed by Harold Cronk, and starring Melissa Joan Hart, Jesse Metcalfe, David A. R. White, Hayley Orrantia and Sadie Robertson. It is a sequel to God's Not Dead (2014), and the second installment in the titular film series. Aside from David A.R. White reprising his role as Reverend David Hill, Paul Kwo, Benjamin Onyango, and Tricha LaFache also reprise their roles as Martin Yip, Reverend Jude, and Amy Ryan respectively. It follows a high school teacher facing a court case that could end her career, after having answered a student's seemingly innocuous question about Jesus. The film presents an evangelical perspective on the separation of church and state.
The 46th Annual GMA Dove Awards presentation ceremony was held on Tuesday, October 13, 2015, at the Allen Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. The ceremony recognized the accomplishments of musicians and other figures within the Christian music industry for the year 2014. The ceremony was produced by the Trinity Broadcasting Network and was hosted by musician Erica Campbell and television star Sadie Robertson. The awards show was broadcast on the Trinity Broadcasting Network on October 18, 2015.
Barry Weeks, is a record producer, songwriter and mixer. As a producer and songwriter he has garnered multiple Grammy and Dove award nominations and multiple BMI awards as well as several #1s and multiple top 10 songs. Barry's songs have been licensed for use on ESPN, NBC, CBS and many other networks. Barry has worked with many well known artists such as Kelly Clarkson, Backstreet Boys, Francesca Battistelli, and Dave Barnes.
Pinnacle Peak Pictures is an American evangelical Christian film production and distribution studio founded by David A. R. White and Russell Wolfe. Pinnacle Peak produces Christian films, including God's Not Dead (2014), Do You Believe? (2015), Woodlawn (2015), The Case for Christ (2017), and Unplanned (2019). Since 2014, films produced and distributed by Pure Flix have collectively grossed over $195 million at the worldwide box office. The company has headquarters in Scottsdale, Arizona.
God's Not Dead: A Light in Darkness is a 2018 American Christian drama film written and directed by Michael Mason. It is a sequel to God's Not Dead 2: He's Surely Alive, and the third installment overall in the God's Not Dead film series. It stars David A. R. White, John Corbett, Shane Harper, Benjamin Onyango, Ted McGinley, Jennifer Taylor, Tatum O'Neal, Shwayze and Cissy Houston.
The God's Not Dead film series consists of American Christian-drama films, based on the book of same name authored by Rice Broocks. The overall plot centers on a Christian pastor named Rev. David "Dave" Hill, who argues for the reality of God through a number of occurrences, in a modern-day society. The main characters of the series are often forced to present proof of their beliefs.