God's Not Dead 2

God’s Not Dead 2

a review by John Haynes

The film God’s Not Dead 2 is a Christian movie from the get go. This is the story of a high school history teacher who get in trouble for something she said in class. Actually, all she did was answer a question. The teacher, Grace Wesley (Melissa Joan Hart), was teaching about Martin Luther King Jr. (at Martin Luther King Jr. High School, of all places). A student, Brooke Thawley (Hayley Orrantia), asks if what Jesus taught was the same as what Martin Luther King Jr. taught. Yes, that’s right, Grace responds. She further elucidates by quoting a verse of Scripture. The school authorities are not happy about this at all. They pull Grace in for a disciplinary hearing. She has a union representative there (who, it later turns out is not at all on her side). Later, she has an attorney. The attorney for the school board is also there, and he proposes a solution. He says that Grace should apologize and admit that such things will never happen again. Her attorney agrees with this, but Grace is livid. She will not agree to such a measure because she believes she did nothing wrong. Her attorney is not pleased, but he hears her out. And he agrees to fight for her because he doesn’t like losing.

The movie actually begins by showing several different people, all of whom come together in the overall plot. One man is a pastor. He is called to jury duty, which he’s not pleased about, but he comforts himself by saying that he’s more likely to be struck by lightning than actually having to serve on the jury. He is wrong. And the jury he is chosen to serve on is Grace’s trial. Yes, the ACLU gets involved, and they want to try her to make an example of her. Unfortunately, the pastor (Rev. Dave, David A.R. White) gets sick during the trial, and is unable to finish his jury duty.

The trial is really good. The screenwriters did a good job of doing their research.  Since I work in the field of law, I know what trials are like. Most of what takes place is very accurate, although there were a couple things I didn’t agree with. More on that later.

Grace’s attorney, Tom Endler (Jesse Metcalfe), is actually very good. He knows how to question witnesses, and he also knows how to push the envelope in court. Once or twice, the judge gets on his case about it. But that’s what a good trial attorney does.

In a subplot of the film, Rev. Dave meets a young man who is from Japan. Martin Yip (Paul Kwo) comes to the pastor with many questions about the Bible. I believe he had 147 questions to be exact. Rev. Dave is pleased to answer his questions, but Martin says that for every question he answers, three or four more come up. But in the end, Martin trusts Christ. His father later comes to visit him, and he’s very upset. He has found out that Martin has embraced the gospel. He says that he has disgraced their family. You are no longer my son! he tells Martin. Martin is heartbroken, but his loyalty is to Christ. He later tells Rev. Dave that he believes God wants him to be a pastor in his home country.

There were several people in the film that surprised me. Pat Boone plays Grace’s grandfather, who lives with her. Sadie Robertson (Duck Dynasty) plays Marlene, a friend of Brooke’s. Fred Thompson, who recently passed away, plays a senior pastor. Ray Wise, a seasoned actor, plays Peter Kane, an ACLU attorney. I’ve always liked him, but I really hated him in this film! Lee Strobel, who has written many good books about Christianity, makes an appearance as a witness for the defense. And Mike Huckabee also played himself. The Newsboys not only sang in the movie, they also did a little acting. Mostly it was Michael Tait, the lead singer, who acted. I love the Newsboys. They are one of my favorite Christian music groups to listen to. They sing their song God’s Not Dead, which became quite famous after the first movie God’s Not Dead aired. They also sing one of their new songs “Guilty,” from the album Love Riot. I love the lyrics to this song: “When did it become breaking a rule / To say Your name out loud in school.” Grace can certainly identify with this.

As far as some of the legal issues I took issue with. At one point the high school principal (Robin Givens) tells Brooke that she cannot have any contact with Grace, not even outside of class. She would not be allowed to do this. Brooke is a minor, but she still has freedom of speech and the freedom of association. Her parents could forbid her from talking to Grace, but the principal can’t. This also comes up in court. It is brought up that Brooke went to speak with Grace one day outside of class, and Jesus was mentioned. That is allowed to stand as evidence in the case, but it is not true. What Brooke does outside of class is none of anyone’s business. Same with Grace. She can say whatever she wants to whomever she wants without fear of repercussion. It’s called the First Amendment, and it’s still the law of the land.

I won’t tell you how the film ends or what the result of the case is. You’ll have to see it. But when you do see it, make sure you stay through the credits. After the credits run, there is a scene you won’t want to miss. Will there be another movie? I hope so!

No, God’s Not Dead. He’s surely alive! And God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good!

The Young Messiah

The Young Messiah

a review by John Haynes

I went to see the film The Young Messiah. Honestly, it was quite a disappointing movie. The movie opens with the words that it is based on Scripture and history. Unfortunately, nothing could be further from the truth.

The film is beautifully filmed, and the acting is quite good. Many will recognize Sean Bean (The Lord of the Rings) as Severus, the Roman centurion who is hunting the boy Jesus.

The movie is about when Jesus was seven years old. Joseph and Mary and Jesus are in Alexandria, Egypt when the film opens. It is true that they did spend some time in Egypt (Matt. 2:13-15). But we do not know where in Egypt they were. We also know that they were not there until Jesus was seven. They were there until Herod the Great died. It is a known fact that Herod the Great died in 4 b.c. That is not in dispute. Jesus was probably born around 5 or 4 b.c. So they were there at most for two years. But that is not the biggest problem with the film. I found it also odd that Joseph and Mary had no other children. The Bible makes clear that Jesus had several brothers and sisters (Matt. 13:55-56; Mark 6:3; John 7:3; Acts 1:14; 1 Cor. 9:5), and by age seven, he probably had at least three or four. Maybe five. More on why there were no other children later.

At the outset of the film, Jesus is playing with a little girl. A bully comes up and teases him for playing with a girl. A man nearby is eating an apple, and throws down the core. That man later appears to be Satan, and only Jesus can see him. As the bully is leaving, he trips over the apple core and falls down. Somehow, he dies. The girl tries to convince Jesus to do something to help. Like what you did with the bird, she reminds him. They then show a flashback where Jesus is on the seashore and picks up a dead bird. He holds it, and suddenly the bird flies away. This did not happen. Jesus did no miracles on animals. He performed his miracles on humanity.

So Jesus goes to the home of the boy who died. He is lying on a bed. Why I don’t know. The Jews always buried people right away. He holds the boy’s face. The father of the boy comes into the room, and he is upset with Jesus for being there. Then the bully wakes up. Then Joseph and Mary are there too to take Jesus home. Jesus did not raise this or any other boy from the dead before he was 30.

Jesus performs four miracles before the movie is halfway done. The problem is that none of this is true. John 2:11 makes clear that “Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee” (NLT). Scripture is clear that Jesus first miracle was changing the water into wine. That is inarguable. If the Bible says so, it is true.

Later, Joseph decided to take his family back to Israel because of a dream he had. This too is true (Matt. 2:19:21). They finally make it to Nazareth, but not before Jesus does a third miracle. His uncle Cleopas has been very sick, and it was thought he would die soon. He is in a river, and Jesus goes in with him. They both go under water, and when they come up, Cleopas is healed. Didn’t happen.

Jesus has many questions, but his father Joseph will not answer them (yes, I know Joseph was not his actual father, but he raised him as a father). Finally, he talks to his mother, and she answers some of his questions. She tells him about the time he was born. She mentions that the three wise men came to worship him. This is mostly true, but we don’t know if there were three. There were three gifts, but there might have been only two or as many as ten. As she is recounting this, it is clear from what the movie shows that the wise men came to the manger in Bethlehem. Also not true. The Bible says that when the wise men came, Joseph and Mary were living in a house (Matt. 2:11). They were not in the stable.

The last “miracle” that Jesus did was at the Temple. There is a blind rabbi there. As Jesus talks with him, it is clear that he is a very sharp boy and knows the Scripture. That is true, but what follows is not true. Jesus touches the rabbi’s face and then leaves. The rabbi then tells everyone around that he can now see! Didn’t happen.

The screenplay was based on a novel written by Anne Rice, Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt. She became famous for her novels about vampires. She lost her faith at one point in her career, but she came back to the Roman Catholic Church in the last few years. Since she is a Roman Catholic, I believe that is why Mary and Joseph had no other children in the film. The Roman Church teaches that Mary was a virgin all her life. That is simply not true as has been evidenced by what the Scripture teaches (Matt. 13:55-56, et al.). Does Scripture mean what it says? I believe it does.

I think it would be interesting to see what Jesus was like at age seven. Did he know he was the Messiah and that he would one day suffer and die for sins? Perhaps. We know that at some point before he began his ministry at age 30 he became self-aware of this. Jesus was and is God. He did die on that cross to pay for my sins and for the sins of all who believe. Hallelujah!

Miracles from Heaven

Miracles from Heaven

a review by John Haynes

I went to see the movie Miracles from Heaven. It was a good movie overall. I enjoyed it. The acting is good. The most well-known actor in the film is Jennifer Garner, who plays the mother of the little girl, Anna Beam.

The film opens with the Beam family getting ready to go to church. The father, Kevin Beam, is a veterinary doctor. He is outside most of the time, and his wife, Christy, gets on his case about getting ready to go.

The church service shows the band playing the song “Soul on Fire” by Third Day. This is a great song, and I’m glad they showed it. The pastor preaches and talks about making sure you have your faith. That will prove very important later, especially to Christy.

When the family gets home, their middle daughter, Anna, gets sick. She is throwing up. They take her to the doctor, who tells them that he thinks she is lactose intolerant. But this isn’t her problem. She continues to be sick, and they take her to the hospital. The doctor, who could learn a few bedside manners, tells the parents that she’s okay. But Christy knows she’s not okay. She refuses to leave until they get another doctor to investigate. They get their wish.

The second doctor (Dr. Burgi) finds that she has a rare digestive disorder, but this illness is way out of his league. He recommends that they seek the help of a doctor in Boston, Dr. Nurko. He is a specialist, but the only way to get an appointment is if someone dies. Christy and Anna fly to Boston without an appointment and hope against hope that they can see him. They arrive only to be told that they will not be able to see him because they don’t have an appointment. Disheartened, they go for a bite to eat. At the restaurant, they meet a very nice waitress, Angela (Queen Latifa). She offers to give them a tour the next day of Boston. They take her up on it. They become fast friends.

One Sunday at church back in Texas, a couple ladies come up to talk to Christy about what is happening to Anna and why. They tell her that maybe she and Kevin should be asking the tough questions, like whose sin caused this: Christy’s, Kevin’s, or maybe even Anna’s. Christy is beside herself and decides that she will not go back to that church if that’s how they’re going to treat her. What, have they never read the book of Job? It is sad that some people, even Christians, don’t know when to shut their mouths and just be kind.

Anna’s condition continues to get worse, but the good news is that an appointment to see Dr. Nurko has opened up. As he treats her, he really doesn’t hold out much hope. Christy and Anna continue to make regular trips from Texas to Boston for the girl. At one point, Kevin decides to come for visit to Boston with their other two daughters, Abbie and Adelynn. But every card that Kevin gives to the clerk to pay for the tickets is rejected. He gives him his last card. All of a sudden, the clerk’s computer screen goes blank. He says that he will have to write the tickets for them. What we find out later is that the clerk actually turned the monitor off. No doubt God will honor him for his kindness.

Kevin and the other girls surprise Christy and Anna, and they are ecstatic to see them. But the happiness is short-lived. At one point, Anna is so distraught that she just wants to die. She knows she will go to Heaven, and that’s all she wants. Who can blame her?

At one point when Anna is in a hospital bed, there is another girl in the room (this is in Boston). Her name is Haley. She too is very sick, but she doesn’t have what Anna does. Anna wants to give her the cross that she always wears around her neck. Haley appreciates it, but her father isn’t pleased. He is an unbeliever, and he talks to Christy to tell her that he would appreciate if they would not give false hope to Haley.

Later, when all the family is back at their farm in Texas, Abbie wants Anna to come outside and play. Anna doesn’t want to at first, but she relents. Abbie wants to climb a tree, so both of them climb the tree. They get high up in the branches, when all of a sudden the branch they are on begins to crack. Abbie tells Anna to climb higher to get off the branch. There is an opening in the tree. Anna falls into the hole. Abbie cries out for her, and gets down from the tree to get her parents. They come and the fire and rescue are called. They send a man down the hole and are able to get Anna out. As time goes by, Anna is having no pain. Christy is wondering what is going on. It appears that she is now completely well. They take her to Boston one last time, and Dr. Nurko says he can find nothing wrong. But he cannot pronounce that she is cured. Understandable, given his position.

Anna tells her parents what happened when she was in that tree. She says she woke up and saw her body, but she wasn’t in it. Then she says she went to Heaven and talked to God. He told her she had to go back. So she did. And to this day, more than three years later, she is completely well.

Near the end of the film, the pastor has Christy come up and share her family’s story about what God did. During this service, the band plays “Your Words” also by Third Day. Great song. At the end of Christy’s talk, one of the reporter’s asks if maybe Anna wasn’t really all that sick. Then a man stands up to say that he believes her. That man is Ben, the father of the girl Haley. Haley died shortly before this. But because of the testimony of the Beam family, especially Anna, he has come to faith in Christ.

At the very end of the movie, we get to meet the actual Beam family, and they are as lovely as those who portrayed them in the film. I’m sure I wasn’t the only one whose eyes weren’t dry in the theater.

Now a big question remains: Did Anna actually go to Heaven, and did she actually talk to God? The answer is I don’t know. Could that have happened? Sure. God often interrupts our lives and does amazing things. Certainly the woman whom Jesus healed in Mark 5:25-34 would testify to this. I will not judge her. All I know is that God did see fit to heal her. And why did he do that? It’s simple. God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good!

Risen

Risen

a review by John Haynes

I went to see the movie Risen recently. It was a very good film. Not much in the film actually happened, but more on that later. It was a good story. I like stories, and I know Jesus does too. He may have told more stories than anyone who's ever lived.

First the good. This was a beautifully made film It was filmed mostly in Spain and Malta. Really nice photography. The acting was also superb. Joseph Fiennes is a very experienced actor. You may remember him in Luther. In this role as the tribune Clavius, he does another fine performance. He is very believable. You know from the get go that he's a skeptic.

The movie begins showing the Judean wilderness, where Jesus was tempted by Satan (although they don't say this). It says the year is A.D. 33 (The screen shot says 33 A.D., but this is not grammatically correct. A.D. goes before the date. B.C. goes after). I don't think Jesus was crucified in 33. I think it was more like 29 or 30, but I won't quibble about it. The year 33 has traditionally been thought to be the year he died.

Jesus is on the cross when the movie starts, and he's actually dead. But this is not yet known. The tribune Clavius is told by Pontius Pilate to make sure he's dead. "Break his legs," he says. So Clavius sets out to do that.

He speaks to the centurion (who is traditionally known as Longinus, but he's not named in the film). Clavius stops the soldier who is breaking the legs of the other criminals. That soldier thrusts a spear into Jesus' side. Tradition says that the centurion did this, but the Bible doesn't say who did. That is pretty much all we hear about the centurion. You can read a lot about the legends surrounding him if you look on Google. Many believe the centurion became a believer.

On the Saturday after the crucifixion, the movie shows the tomb being opened and the high priest Caiphas is allowed to go in to make sure Jesus body is still there. I don't think this happened. Scripture doesn't say it did. Could it have happened? Sure, but I really doubt it did. I think the tomb was sealed on that Friday evening after Jesus was entombed.

There were only two guards at the tomb. This is very inaccurate, but I think I know why they did it. The Bible does not say how many were guarding the tomb, but it does say that "As the women were on their way into the city, some of the men who had been guarding the tomb went to the leading priests and told them what had happened" (Matt. 28:11). "Some" means more than two. We don't know exactly how many they were, but it seems clear that four is the absolute minimum (see http://sntjohnny.com/front/how-many-guards-at-the-tomb-of-jesus/485.html). I think they used two because Clavius interviews both, though at different times. He catches both in lies, but there's nothing he can do about it. The high priest Caiphas has made a deal with Pilate to say that they were asleep when Jesus' disciples came and stole his body.

Clavius was given the task of finding Jesus' body. He interviews many people. At one point he talks to Mary Magdalene. He tells her that he will give her her freedom if she will tell who Jesus' followers are. "I'm already free," she replies. Good answer!

After Clavius finds the disciples in the Upper Room, he sees Jesus among them. Did this happen? I doubt it, but that's okay. As I said, it's a good story. He is overwhelmed by seeing him. And he recognizes him because he was there at the crucifixion. He saw Jesus. Then Jesus is gone. The disciples are talking and decide to leave Jerusalem and go to Galilee. So they leave. Clavius follows them from a distance. Finally, they invite him to travel with them, and he does. At one point, they see some Roman soldiers who are trying to find them. Clavius knows how they think, so he has them follow him to escape. But suddenly the centurion who had been assigned to Clavius is there with a sword at Clavius's throat. Clavius is able to take it away. "No one dies here today," he tells the soldier. He tells him to go back and say nothing. He lets him go, and he goes. He appears before Pilate and shakes his head that he couldn't find them.

In the last scenes of the movie, Clavius talks to Jesus. Jesus comforts him. He know he was at the crucifixion. We don't really know when Clavius became a believer, but it is clear that he did. What happened to him? We don't know, but it's clear that he became a "fisher of men" as he spoke with Peter about.

Some people have found fault with the fact that Jesus is not called Jesus in the film. He is called Yeshua. This is probably more accurate. The Hebrews (and Greeks, for that matter) do not have a J sound. It's a Y in the case of Hebrew, and an I in the case of Greek. So I certainly don't find fault with this.

As I said, this is a story. And it's a good story. Not everything in a story actually happened, and that's okay. Even when it comes to the Bible. The only thing I wish they had changed is having some good Christian music at the end, as they did in God's Not Dead. The Newsboys are an awesome group, but there are many Christian artists whose songs would have fit very well.

So go see Risen if you haven't already. I know you'll enjoy it! Yes, "He is not here: for he is risen, as he said!" (Matt. 28:6).

90 Minutes in Heaven

90 Minutes in Heaven

a review by John Haynes

I went to see the movie 90 Minutes in Heaven recently. This is the story of a man named Don Piper, who had a tragic accident one day driving his car. He was said to have died, but this was not confirmed. It was not confirmed because in the state of Texas where the accident happened, a coroner has to confirm the death for it to be official. At least in the movie, Don recovered before the coroner got there.

This movie had a lot of good things in it. There is much focus on the gospel. That is a good thing for a movie on the big screen to have. Any time we can get the gospel out to people, I’m all for that. Even if the conclusions it draws are not accurate (cf. Phil. 1:15-18).

The acting was very good. The scenery was also very good. Even the way things are handled with Don’s injuries was done in good taste.

I don’t doubt that Don died. Or that he suddenly woke up again. These things happen all the time. What I do doubt is that he went to Heaven. I doubt this because the Scripture is clear that no one has been to Heaven. Scripture tells us that “No one has ascended into heaven, but He who descended from heaven: the Son of Man” (John 3:13, NASB).

There was another movie that came our recently called Heaven Is for Real, in which a young boy claims that he went to Heaven. Many of the same arguments against that movie come into play in this movie, so if I sound like I’m repeating myself, I am.

We also need to consider these other verses: Proverbs 30:4 says, “Who has ascended into heaven and descended? Who has gathered the wind in His fists? Who has wrapped the waters in His garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name or His son’s name? Surely you know!” (NASB).

Also, the Bible says clearly that “No one has ever seen God” (John 1:18, NLT; cf. 1 John 4:12; Exod. 33:20). John wrote these verses after A.D. 90, probably when no one but he had seen Jesus (all the others who had probably been with him had already died). It’s clear that he is excepting himself. He did see Jesus. Jesus is God, and John clearly spent a lot of time with Jesus.

In 2 Cor. 12:1-4, Paul talks about a man (ostensibly himself) who had a vision of Heaven. Paul says that this man “was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which a man is not permitted to speak” (NASB). It seems clear that Paul did not actually go to Heaven but had a vision. It is also clear that the apostle John did not actually go to Heaven in the book of Revelation. Rev. 4:2 says, “Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne was standing in heaven, and One sitting on the throne” (NASB). John wasn’t actually there. He was there in the Spirit (or a spirit).

But perhaps the most telling fact in this movie is something Piper himself says. He says toward the end of the movie that when he went to Heaven, he didn’t actually see Jesus but felt his presence there. I’ve got news for you, pal. If you didn’t see Jesus, you didn’t go to Heaven because Heaven is where Jesus is. If Jesus were in Cleveland, Ohio, it would be Heaven. Heaven is where Jesus is. Period.

I’m not about to say that this man went through some demonic exercise. I don’t think Satan would trick someone into thinking they went to Heaven. Besides, Piper still gives glory to God, so I don’t think the Devil is involved.

At the end of the movie, it says he has spoken in more than 3,000 churches. I was very sad to see this. Are there that many people who are so deluded that they believe this nonsense?

You are free to disagree with me, and many have. I’ve actually been surprised at how many Christians say that this man could have gone to Heaven. Again, no he couldn’t have. Look at the biblical evidence. This isn’t me saying he couldn’t and didn’t go; it’s God saying he couldn’t and didn’t go. So if you disagree, I would like to hear your biblical arguments for why you believe that.

Yes, Heaven is real. And I know I will go there one day. I know that because I have faith in God and his Word, not because somebody tells me s/he’s been there.

“God has reserved a priceless inheritance for his children. It is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay” (1 Pet. 1:4, NLT).