Parents' Guide to

God's Not Dead

By S. Jhoanna Robledo, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 10+

Earnest faith-based drama is heavy on dogma.

Movie PG 2014 113 minutes
God's Not Dead Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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age 9+

Based on 24 parent reviews

zumba S.
zumba S. Parent
May 5, 2017
age 9+

gods not dead

Great movie wonderful loved it so much its the only movie I'm aloud to watch here. it is always on repeat as sit in this chair forever in the basement
2 people found this helpful.
Y1bambe
Y1bambe Adult
July 27, 2021
age 8+

Awesome movie

Though many of the ppl here are hating on the movie, it is awesome!!! It speaks the truth about the Bible and God. The acting is pretty good. And the story line is fantastic. A+ rating

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
1 person found this helpful.
See all 24 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In GOD'S NOT DEAD, a freshman at Louisiana's Hadleigh University, Josh Wheaton (Shane Harper) attends his first philosophy class, only to discover that Professor Radisson (Kevin Sorbo), an atheist, has a requirement that Josh can't fulfill: He demands that students admit that "God is dead" on paper. Josh, an avowed Christian, won't do it, and takes up the professor's menacing offer to defend his beliefs in front of the class -- and risk failing if he can't convince the professor that God is alive and well. Radisson refuses to be convinced, and Josh and many other Christians in the film are tested by their families, loved ones, and classmates as they figure out how to remain grounded in their beliefs.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (24):
Kids say (60):

As Josh, Harper has an easy likability about him, making him an appealing main character to watch. As the stubborn professor who's testing him, Sorbo is also strong. Bravo to them both. Their committed performances are the best part of the film; its overbearing dogma isn't. While God's Not Dead appears to consider other viewpoints about evolution, religion, and philosophy, it fails to give any other ideas much hearing. Which would be fine if the film weren't presenting itself as a thorough intellectual exploration of the age-long debate about the existence of God. But there isn't much room for dissent here.

God's Not Dead has some powerful messages about faith, devotion, and standing up for your beliefs. Still, it does so by villainizing the opposition to oblivion, marinating the movie in self-righteousness. In this world, intellectuals are the enemy, snobby and dismissive. One particularly discomfiting storyline about a Muslim who secretly wants to convert to Christianity is heavy-handed in its portrayal and trades on stereotypes. (The way an Asian character is depicted also suffers from tropes.) But a cameo by the band the Newsboys is fun and joyful.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how God's Not Dead relays its specific point of view. What is that perspective? Who is the audience for this movie? How can you tell?

  • Are all movies designed to convince you of something? What's it like to watch a movie that's promoting beliefs different than yours? How does it feel when you identify with a movie's perspective?

  • Did you notice the product placement in the movie?

  • Do you think Josh is a role model? Which aspects of his behavior make him admirable?

Movie Details

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