Trading spiritual power for political power

MOVIE REVIEW

COLLIN GARBARINO: In seven books, thriller writer Tom Clancy took his Jack Ryan character from being a lowly CIA analyst to sitting in the Oval Office. It seems Rev. Dave from the God’s Not Dead franchise might be on a similar trajectory. In God’s Not Dead: In God We Trust, the scraggly-haired pastor of St. James Church decides he’s got to run for Congress to save Christianity in America.

NEWS ANCHOR: A shocking turn of events. Six weeks prior to election day, congressional incumbent Rick West has died of an apparent heart attack. His opponent state senator Peter Kane now runs unopposed, canceling tonight’s highly anticipated debate.

The drama begins with some election turmoil. The incumbent was a conservative. His challenger Peter Kane isn’t the kind of guy that God-fearing people want in Washington.

PETER KANE: I have always said that religious superstition has no place in influencing our laws and government. So, here’s to enlightenment, reason, and reshaping our nation’s core!

Kane opposes religion in the public sphere, and if he wins the election, the balance of power in Congress will tip, sending the country irrevocably in a new direction. His political opponents panic, and start casting about for a fresh candidate to challenge him.

The person they find? Rev. Dave, once again played by David A.R. White. He’s a humble pastor with a knack for confronting atheists.

Dave is reluctant to jump into a congressional campaign, but his church’s women’s shelter recently lost its federal funding.

REV. DAVE: I am so sorry.

MONICA: We have no place to go. How could this happen?

They lost their funding because someone hosted a Bible study. Dave starts to realize that something needs to be done to protect Christians from governmental prejudice. But will he be able to mount a successful campaign, especially with his advisers imploring him to tone down the God talk?

This is the fifth installment in the God’s Not Dead franchise. Yup, that’s right. I know it’s hard to believe we’re on number five. And this film doesn’t deviate from the formula that’s worked in the past. As in other God’s Not Dead movies, this movie presents the secular powers-that-be as being out to get Christians. And the central message is that if believers stand up and push back against the darkness, God will be faithful to them.

REV. DAVE: We cannot remove God from the fabric of our country without risk of its collapse.

I found God’s Not Dead: In God We Trust mildly entertaining. If you’ve seen any of the others, you know what to expect. It’s a comfortable story that assures me that all my conservative political prejudices are justified. The production values are on par with the average Hallmark Channel film But the movie possesses a certain self-awareness that keeps the mood from slipping into melodrama. And it’s sort of amusing to see Rev. Dave drop into prayer in the middle of conversation.

LOTTIE JAY: Well, Hucakbee is an ally, but we’re not really sure how this is going to go, so—

REV. DAVE: Lord, thank you so much for this day. Give me the words you want me to say. We love you Father. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

But despite finding the movie mildly amusing, I also found its theological and political inconsistencies infuriating. Dave’s struggles hardly count as persecution when compared with the trials of Christians around the world, and the film muddles Christian priorities by claiming that if only America would turn back to God, then our country would be strong again—as if the gospel promised political success. Don’t the martyrs attest to God’s faithfulness, despite losing their lives?

The central conflict in which an atheist politician belittles Christianity will no doubt resonate with some viewers, but is it believable that a politician in Arkansas, where the story is set, would call Christianity a superstition during an election cycle? Also, why would the party machine run a pastor known for making long speeches about God, if they didn’t want him to make long speeches about God?

LOTTIE JAY: Spiritual leadership in Washington? Christian morality? This interview was supposed to pull you out of the fire. You threw yourself back in.

Even more contradictory, Dave got into the race because his women’s shelter lost its federal funding, but then later in the movie he preaches about the need for limited government and less spending. It’s an unwitting commentary on current Republican policies that demand fiscal responsibility, unless it’s for pet projects dear to the political right.

The explicit goal of this film is to get Christians to vote in November. We’re told that if believers cared enough to vote, then we could turn our country around. But this emphasis on exercising political power comes at the expense of spiritual power. Listen to this argument used to get Dave to run.

LOTTIE JAY: It’s public service, same as you’re doing now. Except, there’s nothing you can do as a pastor that can’t be undone by a politician. If you want to make a real difference, this is how it’s done.

Dave should have quoted some Scripture at her. Maybe “my kingdom is not of this world” or “the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh.” Or maybe just “get behind me Satan.” But Dave doesn’t correct her, leaving us with the impression that the church’s gospel ministry is too weak to accomplish its miraculous work without a little help from the government.

I’m Collin Garbarino.

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