God's Not Dead (2014)

1. When it's coming apart, you had it all

2. It wasn't enough

3. No, it's not enough

4. They tell you it's not worth the price

5. So just let it go

6. But you know you can't

7. You know you won't

8. It's not easy, no, finding the words to say

9. When you're feeling lost, you'll find your way

10. The world is so broken and sometimes it leaves you cold

11. At nighttimes you can't feel the fire to guide you home

12. The demons will harm you and try to steal what you know

13. But the angels, they brought you

14. And they're gonna hold you up

15. They're gonna hold you up

16. They see the fear in your eyes

17. Heart sinks like a stone

18. 'Cause when you're afraid, it weighs on your soul

19. When the timing is right, somehow you'll know

20. When nobody stands, stand on your own

21. It's not easy, no, finding the words to say

22. When you're feeling lost, you'll find your way

23. The world is so broken and sometimes it leaves you cold

24. At nighttimes you can't feel the fire to guide you home

25. The demons will harm you and try to steal what you know

26. But the angels, they brought you

27. And they're gonna hold you up

28. They're gonna hold you up

29. They're gonna hold you up

30. They're gonna hold you up

31. They're gonna hold you up

32. - Name? - Wheaton. Josh Wheaton.

33. You got your pre-registration sheet?

34. Yeah.

35. All core requirements are here.

36. What is your humanities elective?

37. Philosophy 150.

38. Radisson, 11:00 on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

39. You might want to think about a different instructor.

40. Because?

41. Let's just say you're wandering into the snake pit.

42. I'd recommend Patel or maybe Mueller.

43. Come on, man. It can't be that bad.

44. Think Roman Colosseum, lions, people cheering for your death.

45. Yeah, but I'd have to rearrange my whole schedule.

46. I don't think I can really—

47. It's your funeral.

48. Last drop date is the 22nd.

49. You might want to keep that in mind.

50. You're done.

51. - Thanks. - Yeah, have a good semester.

52. - Hi. - Martin Yip.

53. What does P.R.C. stand for?

54. People's Republic of China.

55. Oh. Seriously?

56. Oh yes, always serious.

57. Okay.

58. You've gotta be kidding me!

59. White & Wolfe, how can I help you?

60. Yes, please hold.

61. White & Wolfe.

62. Mm-hmm, I will let 'em know you called.

63. Thank you, bye-bye.

64. Buy as much Tochigi Heavy Industries

65. as you can on-margin.

66. We've gotten wind of a merger

67. and the Japanese could care less about insider trading.

68. You're gonna thank me for this one, I guarantee it.

69. You're on with Marc.

70. Hey, I need you to give me directions.

71. You're kidding, right?

72. No, somebody stole my GPS

73. and my phone has decided that it is spinning propeller time.

74. Can't do it. The Nikkei just opened

75. and there's a massive sell-off going on.

76. Oh, and by the way, I made reservations for us Friday

77. at La Rive Gauche.

78. Wait, you'll take me to La Rive Gauche

79. but you won't take the time to give me directions?

80. What's in it for me?

81. You're kidding, right?

82. You're serious.

83. Okay, well, I'm on my way to an ambush interview

84. of Duck Commander Willie Robertson,

85. and I am going to crash that party

86. and hold his feet to the fire.

87. And yesterday's discrete web hits were over 32,000,

88. which means I am on pace for over a million views this month

89. and my—

90. —own advertisers.

91. That's my girl!

92. Not just another pretty face.

93. Miss Shelley, I've got something special for you today.

94. Think you're gonna like it.

95. Oh my, chicken!

96. I don't know when was the last time I had chicken.

97. That would be yesterday, for lunch and dinner.

98. Are you serious?

99. I don't think that she should have the same thing every—

100. You think of anything else gonna make her that happy?

101. Is it okay if I help?

102. Oh, alright, alright.

103. You're new here, aren't you?

104. It's me, Mom.

105. Mina, your daughter.

106. I'm sorry, I don't—

107. It's okay, it's okay.

108. I don't see a ring.

109. It's complicated.

110. I am Professor Radisson and this is Philosophy 150,

111. Introduction to Philosophical Thought.

112. If either of those facts is news to you,

113. then now would be your turn to leave.

114. I understand some of you are here

115. to satisfy your Liberal Arts elective requirements.

116. If you're looking for an easy grade without much work,

117. well, then now would be your turn to leave.

118. See, you've now enrolled at a university.

119. You'll be expected to produce university-level work.

120. Pfft, I'm out.

121. There's always one.

122. Michel Foucault, Bertrand Russel,

123. Ludwig Feuerbach, Bertolt Brecht,

124. Friedrich Nietzsche, Ayn Rand, George Santayana,

125. Democritus, Denis Diderot, David Hume,

126. John Stuart Mill, Albert Camus, Richard Dawkins,

127. Sigmund Freud, Noam Chomsky.

128. The list goes on.

129. Philosophers, poets, scientists, authors,

130. towering intellects, all of them.

131. But what do they all have in common?

132. Yes?

133. They're all dead.

134. Well, that would be incorrect.

135. Mr. Dawkins and Mr. Chomsky are still very much alive, Mister—

136. G-dog Gerard Trigga.

137. G-dog.

138. Anyone else?

139. No one?

140. Well, they are, or were... atheists.

141. Based on the 16th-century French "athéisme,"

142. from the Greek "theos," meaning "God,"

143. and from the prefix "a,"

144. meaning, as it always does in Greek, "without."

145. In short, each of the thinkers I named

146. took the strong position that there is no God,

147. as opposed to the weak position of agnosticism.

148. "Gnostic," from the Greek "gnosos," to know,

149. and again, with the prefix "a" meaning to not know,

150. or more accurately, to doubt the existence of a supreme being.

151. This semester, I propose that we refuse

152. to waste our limited time together debating the existence

153. of the big man in the sky, the myth of a benevolent,

154. all-powerful, supernatural being.

155. - Hey! - How was your flight?

156. - Wonderful. - Wonderful?

157. It's like a 30-hour flight.

158. Thirty-six.

159. Great to see you.

160. Nice to see you.

161. Dakar to Zurich, Zurich to Frankfurt,

162. an 8-hour layover,

163. and direct to Carter International.

164. Ugh, how does that translate as wonderful?

165. I'm happy, I'm safe, and now I'm here because God is good.

166. All the time.

167. And all the time?

168. God is good.

169. God is dead.

170. This is, of course, a metaphor,

171. but an illustrative one meaning not that God has somehow died,

172. but rather that he never existed in the first place,

173. other than in the depths of our forebears' imaginations.

174. He was a useful fairy tale in ages gone by,

175. when his fiery anger was used to explain away plagues

176. and crop failures, diseases and disasters,

177. which we now ascribe to bacteria and viruses,

178. chromosomal disorders, and plate tectonics.

179. In short, science and reason have supplanted superstition,

180. and we are all the better for it.

181. And with your permission,

182. I would like to bypass this senseless debate all together

183. and jump to the conclusion

184. of which every sophomore is already aware of:

185. there is no God.

186. All that I require from each of you

187. is that you fill in the papers I've just given you

188. with three little words: "God is dead,"

189. along with your signature.

190. The sooner we reach a unanimous consensus,

191. which I expect we will,

192. I will be spared the tedious duty

193. of slogging through dry and dusty arguments,

194. and you will bypass the section of the course

195. in which students have traditionally received

196. their lowest grades of the semester.

197. And when you finish, please pass your papers to the right.

198. Thank you.

199. Thank you.

200. Oh, a lower case "g."

201. Maybe this one ought to get extra credit.

202. Thank you.

203. Excuse me, Mister—

204. Wheaton. Josh Wheaton.

205. Mr. Wheaton, is something wrong?

206. Yeah, I can't.

207. I can't do what you want.

208. I'm a Christian.

209. Oh, don't worry.

210. You can still go back to your dorm room

211. and sink to your knees

212. and pray to your bedside if you'd like.

213. What you do in your personal life is your business,

214. but what you do in this class is mine.

215. I can't.

216. Alright, Mr. Wheaton.

217. Allow me to explain the alternative.

218. If you cannot bring yourself to admit that God is dead

219. for the purposes of this class,

220. then you will need to defend the antithesis

221. that God is not dead.

222. And you'll need to do it in front of this class

223. from the podium.

224. And if you fail, as you shall, you will fail this section

225. and lose 30% of your final grade right off the bat.

226. Are you ready to accept that?

227. Well, who would decide whether I won

228. or lost the argument?

229. Well, I would.

230. It's my class, my rules.

231. Grading's my prerogative.

232. No disrespect, but I'm not sure you can be objective.

233. What would you propose?

234. Well, what about them?

235. Well, that's interesting,

236. but why would I want to empower them?

237. Well, you've already won them over.

238. I mean, I'd have to unconvince them,

239. get them to admit they were wrong.

240. Alright, Mr. Wheaton.

241. You'll get 3 sessions,

242. the last 20 minutes of each of the next 3 classes,

243. to make your case.

244. I promise to keep my interruptions to a minimum.

245. You may take whatever questions you'd like from the class,

246. but I will not increase your allotted time.

247. Of course, you'll be responsible

248. for all the other class assignments.

249. But, you know, you could change your mind

250. and bring in your signed statement at our next class,

251. and we'll go forward as though none of this ever happened.

252. The rest of us, having dispensed with primitive superstition,

253. will turn our focus to the issue of being in reality.

254. For our next class,

255. please have read David Hume's "The Problems of Induction"

256. and Renee Descartes' "Discourse on Method,"

257. to which you may add Bertrand Russell's

258. "Why I Am Not a Christian"

259. in preparation for Mr. Wheaton's lecture

260. and in thanks for his failure to help us reach

261. a unanimous consensus.

262. You don't want to deny your faith, I get it.

263. So, the answer's simple: drop the class.

264. Yeah, but I'm not sure I can do that.

265. I feel like God wants someone to defend him.

266. Don't be ridiculous.

267. I don't know, I just keep thinking

268. of that C.S. Lewis line,

269. "Only a real risk can test the reality of a belief."

270. So, you're gonna risk our future over your yearbook quote?

271. Josh, why am I here?

272. Hello, earth to Josh.

273. Why am I, Salutatorian of our graduating class,

274. here at my third-choice school?

275. I'm sorry for having the next 50 years

276. of our life planned out.

277. That's just who I am.

278. I don't know, Kara, it's just—

279. Josh, I love you, but I absolutely forbid you

280. to go up against this professor in his own classroom.

281. We have too much at stake.

282. The whole thing's rigged to make you look like an idiot,

283. and if you want to get into law school,

284. you can't afford to flunk this class.

285. Even a "C" could be disastrous.

286. I don't know why you wear those heels.

287. What's wrong with 'em?

288. You're too tall. You're taller than me.

289. You're man enough to handle it.

290. I'm just saying, I don't want to be the short guy at the prom.

291. Mr. Robertson!

292. Hi, or should I call you Willie?

293. You can call me Willie.

294. Amy Ryan, I blog "The New Left."

295. Can I ask you a few questions?

296. Yeah, sure, fire away. This is my wife—

297. Korie, I know.

298. I'm actually surprised to see you here.

299. I thought you'd be home, barefoot and pregnant.

300. I haven't been barefoot and pregnant in a really long time.

301. I do kinda miss those days, huh?

302. Yeah, you want to start again? We can try.

303. No.

304. You've made a fortune selling devices

305. that are designed to lure water fowl to their deaths.

306. Oh, I guess when you say "you,"

307. you're referring to the whole group of my family,

308. which would be "y'all."

309. You can just change it to "y'all."

310. That'd be an easier expression,

311. that way it'll get everybody in there.

312. So, y'all have made a fortune, isn't that right?

313. We're doing alright.

314. We can certainly buy bigger tires on our trucks

315. and four-wheelers to get out in the mud with,

316. so life is good.

317. What makes you think you have the moral right

318. to go around maiming and killing innocent animals?

319. Hey, look, let's just get one thing straight.

320. I ain't maiming nothing.

321. Whatever I see and I aim at, I shoot.

322. When I shoot it, I kill it and then I eat it.

323. So, you do kill those ducks?

324. Of course I do. What am I gonna do,

325. cook 'em while they're still moving around?

326. That would be cruel.

327. That'd be bad.

328. So, this isn't an act? You're actually proud of what you do?

329. Of course I am. Why would I do it if I'm not proud of it?

330. And you go along with everything he says?

331. We've been married for 20 years.

332. I don't go along with everything he says,

333. but on the things that matter, yeah,

334. I agree wholeheartedly.

335. So, what do you say to people who are offended by your show,

336. not just because of the hunting,

337. but because you openly pray to Jesus in every episode?

338. Hey, we're not trying to offend anybody, alright?

339. If they don't want to watch the show, they can turn the channel.

340. As far as my praying to Jesus,

341. my life and my whole eternity belongs to God.

342. All this stuff is temporary: the money, fame, success.

343. Temporary.

344. Even life is temporary.

345. Jesus, that's eternal.

346. Jesus said this:

347. "Whoever acknowledges me before men,"

348. he will acknowledge before the Father in heaven.

349. "Whoever disowns me, I'll disown him to the Father."

350. Now, those words are written in red so they're important.

351. And that's it?

352. That's it. That's what we're going with.

353. Pretty simple, isn't it?

354. Thanks for your time.

355. Come on, let's go do some acknowledging.

356. You're welcome to join us.

357. No thanks, I'm good.

358. You're good?

359. Alright.

360. Who was that lady?

361. You're beautiful.

362. I wish you didn't have to do that.

363. It's for my father. He's very traditional.

364. Who were you talking to?

365. No one.

366. Ayisha, I know it's hard living in their world

367. and being apart from it,

368. a world you can see but can't touch.

369. I know they seem happy,

370. but know that when you look around at all those people,

371. there is no one who worships God,

372. not the way he deserves and demands to be worshipped.

373. We must never forget who and what we are.

374. That is the most important thing.

375. Yes, Baba.

376. I only insist on this because I love you.

377. You know that, don't you?

378. That I love you?

379. Of course, Baba.

380. Can I help you?

381. You waiting for someone?

382. Yeah, you could say that.

383. It looks like he's out at the moment.

384. Well, maybe that's why he sent me.

385. We are the ones and zeros

386. The beautiful incomplete

387. We are the future heroes

388. A colorful symphony

389. We are the ones

390. I could drop the class, run away,

391. pretend like it never happened,

392. which is what my girlfriend wants.

393. I could sign the paper saying something I don't believe.

394. Or I commit academic suicide in front of a live audience

395. by trying to prove that God exists.

396. How many people in that class?

397. Eighty maybe.

398. And how many of them do you think

399. would ever step foot in here,

400. or any other church for that matter?

401. Well, none probably.

402. So, your acceptance of this challenge,

403. if you decide to accept it,

404. may be the only meaningful exposure to God and Jesus

405. they'll ever have.

406. Yeah.

407. Yeah, I suppose so.

408. Check out Matthew 10:32-33.

409. What, that's it? That's all?

410. Yeah.

411. Just a Scriptural citation?

412. If you're still undecided after that one,

413. Look at Luke 12:48.

414. It can't be that simple.

415. Sure it can.

416. You're here because that still small voice inside you

417. isn't happy with the choices everyone else wants you to make.

418. Personally, I think it's the Holy Spirit talking to you.

419. That's how he interacts with us if we allow him to.

420. All you have to do is decide

421. whether or not you're willing to listen.

422. It's not easy, but it's simple.

423. "So everyone who acknowledges me before men,

424. "I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven,

425. "but whoever denies me before men,

426. I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven."

427. "Everyone to whom much was given,

428. "of him much will be required,

429. "and from him to whom they entrusted much,

430. they will demand the more."

431. Sorry I'm late.

432. I had to move a ton of stuff around just to get here.

433. That's alright.

434. Please, go and have a seat Ms. Ryan.

435. Oh, excuse me a second.

436. We've gotten your results back from your test the last week.

437. Okay, as I was saying—

438. I'm so sorry. I have got to take this call.

439. Amy.

440. Your results came back positive.

441. You have cancer.

442. I don't have time for cancer.

443. I'm too busy.

444. Listen, it's already grown into the surrounding tissue.

445. Your lymph nodes are involved and your blood markers indicate

446. evidence of distant metastasis.

447. Now, I've already scheduled you for an MRI.

448. We need to determine the extent of it.

449. I know you're very important

450. and the world can't get along without you,

451. but it's my job to let you know

452. that it may be preparing to do exactly that,

453. and it certainly will unless you begin immediate treatment.

454. Do you understand?

455. Hey babe.

456. Babe, where have you been? Did you turn your phone off?

457. More like I forgot to turn my phone on.

458. Do you know what day it is?

459. Thursday?

460. Anything else?

461. The 13th?

462. Happy anniversary.

463. Six years ago, your youth group collided with mine.

464. You remembered.

465. Mm-hmm, and we're gonna celebrate.

466. You remember how we met?

467. The Newsboys.

468. They're gonna be in town next Friday.

469. You are amazing, which is why I love you.

470. Look, I know I came off probably way too strong yesterday.

471. You know, I just—

472. I get concerned when outside things start coming between us.

473. You get that, can't you?

474. - Sure. - Forgive me? - Always.

475. Come on.

476. I just need—

477. Whoa!

478. Well, that can't all be Statistics.

479. Josh, please tell me you haven't been spending

480. all your time on that philosophy thing.

481. Not all of it.

482. Okay, most of it.

483. Josh, that's not funny.

484. Okay, it's really not.

485. Look, this is something I want to do, okay?

486. I don't understand how it comes between us.

487. Josh, everything you do is about us.

488. Okay, we're a team.

489. I mean, we're what, 6 years going on forever, right?

490. That means your grades, your whole future,

491. I'm a part of that.

492. I don't see how this is contributing to our future.

493. Yeah, well, neither do my parents

494. or anyone else in my life.

495. What should that tell you

496. if every single person that loves you

497. is saying the exact same thing?

498. Josh, I'm letting you know now for your own good,

499. this experiment is over.

500. You need to prioritize and decide

501. who's the most important person in your life,

502. me or Professor Radisson?

503. What if it's God?

504. God wants you with me, so it's the same answer.

505. Return the books to the library, sign the stupid paper,

506. and move on.

507. A year from now, we'll look back on this and laugh.

508. We're not in high school anymore.

509. The decisions you make now can have real consequences.

510. Josh!

511. Josh, this is serious.

512. I know.

513. You know.

514. I can't believe I'm making a 12-hour drive to Florida

515. to do things that seemed corny when I was 12.

516. David, I promised my mother a picture of me in mouse ears

517. standing in front of the fairy tale castle.

518. The mouse ears are for me, picture is for her.

519. To you, it's old-hat, but to me, it's a lifelong dream come true.

520. Can you not understand that?

521. Then we'll go for the undersea submarine ride.

522. Actually, I think they closed that ride like 20 years ago.

523. And then we'll ride the world's biggest roller coaster.

524. Sixteenth biggest.

525. In my mind, when I'm screaming as we descend,

526. it will be the world's biggest

527. and I'll be glad that it's not taller than it is.

528. That doesn't sound good.

529. Maybe the battery—

530. Or the starter.

531. Either way, we're not going anywhere right now.

532. I'll call and arrange for a rental car.

533. But how will we get to the rental car?

534. They'll deliver it to us.

535. Are you serious?

536. Yeah, absolutely.

537. They'll deliver us the car we are to drive?

538. Yeah.

539. Hello?

540. Amazing.

541. But there are some flat-earthers out there

542. who still consider the existence of a supreme deity

543. to be either necessary, or self-evident, or both.

544. And with that, as previously announced,

545. I will be turning the podium over to Mr. Wheaton,

546. who will be presenting his case in favor

547. of a supreme celestial dictator,

548. otherwise known as God.

549. Mr. Wheaton, are you ready?

550. Podium is yours.

551. Atheists say that no one can prove the existence of God,

552. and well, they're right.

553. But I say no one can disprove that God exists.

554. But the only way to debate this issue

555. is to look at the available evidence,

556. and that's what we're going to do.

557. We're going to put God on trial,

558. with Professor Radisson as the prosecutor,

559. and me as the defense attorney,

560. and you as the jury.

561. Most cosmologists now agree

562. that the universe began some 13.7 billion years ago

563. in an event known as the Big Bang.

564. So, let's look at theoretical physicist

565. and Nobel Prize winner Steven Weinberg's description

566. of what the Big Bang would have looked like.

567. And since he's an atheist,

568. we can be sure there isn't any believer-bias

569. in his description.

570. In the beginning, there was an explosion,

571. and in 3 minutes, 98% of the matter there is

572. or ever will be, was produced.

573. We had a universe.

574. For 2,500 years,

575. most scientists agreed with Aristotle on the idea

576. of a steady-state universe,

577. that the universe has always existed

578. with no beginning and no end, but the Bible disagreed.

579. In the 1920s, Belgian astronomer Georges Lematre, a theist,

580. who was actually also—

581. What's a theist?

582. A theist is someone who believes in the existence of God.

583. He said that the entire universe jumping into existence

584. in a trillionth of a trillionth of a second,

585. out of nothingness,

586. in an unimaginably intense flash of light

587. is how he would expect the universe to respond

588. if God were to actually utter the command in Genesis 1:3,

589. "Let there be light."

590. In other words, the origin of the universe unfolded

591. exactly how one would expect after reading Genesis,

592. and for 2,500 years,

593. the Bible had it right and science had it wrong.

594. So, the earliest you can get here is 5?

595. Okay, we'll be waiting.

596. Wait, it has air conditioning, right?

597. Okay, thanks.

598. Well, looks like we won't get there 'til late tonight.

599. Sorry, I think you're gonna miss an entire day at the park.

600. It's okay, David.

601. I'm sure we can make good use of our time here today.

602. Sure.

603. We can meet the choir director,

604. talk about song choices for the upcoming concert.

605. Or we could meet the women's club

606. about the details for the next craft bazaar.

607. Lots of important stuff.

608. And since you're not leaving,

609. you'll have time to meet Mina for lunch.

610. Right, I can meet Mina for lunch.

611. Sounds like you need this vacation more than I do.

612. No, I just need to do some meaningful work

613. so that I can have something to take a vacation from.

614. You know, some of the most important work that we do

615. may seem meaningless to us.

616. This coming from the missionary

617. who literally is in the trenches,

618. winning hearts for the Lord on a daily basis.

619. David, God has you exactly where he wants you.

620. He who is faithful in a very little thing

621. is also faithful in much.

622. God knows you're doing the work.

623. It's all part of his grand design.

624. All of which points to a God that created it.

625. You see, in the real world, we never see things

626. jumping into existence out of nothingness,

627. but atheists want to make one small exception to this rule,

628. namely, the universe and everything in it.

629. But in his book, "The God Delusion,"

630. Richard Dawkins says

631. that, "If you tell me God created the universe,

632. then I have the right to ask you who created God."

633. Dawkins' question only makes sense

634. in terms of a God who has been created.

635. It doesn't make sense in terms of an uncreated God,

636. which is the kind of God that Christians believe in.

637. And even leaving God out of the equation,

638. I then have a right to turn Mr. Dawkins's own question

639. back around on him and ask,

640. "If the universe created you, then who created the universe?"

641. You see, both the theist and the atheist are both burdened

642. with answering this same question

643. of how did things start.

644. What I'm hoping you'll pick up from all this

645. is that you don't have to commit intellectual suicide

646. to believe in a Creator behind the creation.

647. And to the extent that you don't allow for God,

648. you'd be pretty hard-pressed to find an incredible

649. alternative explanation for how things came to be.

650. Well, I imagine you're quite pleased with yourself.

651. I see you've carefully avoided the fact that Stephen Hawking,

652. the world's most famous scientist,

653. and who is not a theist,

654. has recently come out in favor of a self-designing universe.

655. I haven't avoided it, I just didn't—

656. You just didn't know about it.

657. Alright, well let's see what Professor Hawking,

658. Lucasian Professor of physics at Cambridge,

659. who occupies a teaching chair once held by Sir Isaac Newton,

660. has to say about the origin of the universe.

661. And I quote, "Because there's a law such as gravity,

662. "the universe can and will create itself from nothing.

663. "Spontaneous creation is the reason

664. "there is something instead of nothing.

665. "It's why the universe exists, why we exist.

666. "It is not necessary to invoke God

667. to set the universe in motion."

668. End of quote.

669. So, you may have never come across his comment,

670. but his point remains.

671. How do you answer?

672. I don't know.

673. You don't know?

674. I prick the balloon of your entire argument

675. with a single pin, and you don't know?

676. Huh.

677. Well, I mean, I'd like to tell you I have the perfect answer,

678. but it doesn't shake my underlying faith.

679. Okay, so the greatest scientific mind in all of history says

680. that God is not necessary, but a first-semester freshman says,

681. "Oh, yes he is."

682. Wow, you know, that's gonna be a really tough choice.

683. Well, I look forward to next week's lecture.

684. Class is dismissed.

685. Do you think you're smarter than me, Wheaton?

686. Do you think there's any argument you can make

687. that I won't have an answer for?

688. I never said I was smarter.

689. That's the first intelligent thing you've said.

690. Now, I want to make this clear.

691. In that classroom, there is a god,

692. and yep, I'm him.

693. I'm also a jealous god, so do not try to humiliate me

694. in front of my students.

695. You know, I also checked up on your declared major.

696. Pre-law?

697. What exactly is pre-law?

698. We don't award degrees in that.

699. Don't bother answering, but know this,

700. if you truly feel a need to continue with the charade,

701. I will make it my personal mission to destroy any hope

702. of a law degree in your future.

703. Have a nice day.

704. - You did it, didn't you? - What?

705. You know what I'm talking about.

706. You went and did your argument, didn't you?

707. Yeah, yeah I did.

708. What were you trying to prove?

709. I'm not even sure there are words to describe

710. what I'm feeling right now.

711. I'm sorry Josh, but it's over between us.

712. That's it? It's just—it's over?

713. It's over, Josh.

714. If you're going to do something this stupid and selfish

715. after I already told you what would happen—

716. Yeah, but that's sort of the point, isn't it?

717. This is something that's important to me, right,

718. but since it's not important to you,

719. you made it a make-it- or-break-it-thing for us.

720. You didn't ask me, you told me.

721. It wasn't a decision that we made,

722. it was a decision that you made for the both of us.

723. Well, somebody had to.

724. Okay.

725. That's it? "Okay"?

726. It's not what I want.

727. Honestly, I'm still hoping you'll change your mind, right,

728. but I have to do this thing.

729. I feel like it's something that God wants me to do.

730. I can't just turn away from it, especially not now,

731. now that I've started.

732. My mother was so right about you.

733. I just wish I'd had the sense to listen.

734. Oh picture it, a little girl, just a beautiful 8-year-old

735. Trying to live through this life in a crazy world

736. Hey, Fahid.

737. She finds herself as a teen and her life in ruins—

738. Showed that girl she had meaning and a purpose to life

739. Maybe avoid that downward slide

740. Would you tell her the truth or let her live in a lie?

741. It all just seems to change

742. When you see it as a life to save—

743. 1 Corinthians says you're saved,

744. and Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,

745. that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day

746. according to the Scriptures.

747. If you believe this in your heart,

748. if you accept this by faith,

749. you see, God will forgive you, he'll cleanse you,

750. and he'll set you free.

751. Give me that!

752. Give me that!

753. You must never tell Baba.

754. Swear to me you will never say anything.

755. Swear it!

756. Bottle of Cristal, my table.

757. Yes, Mr. Shelley.

758. I have some news.

759. Me too.

760. Okay, but me first.

761. I've just been named partner.

762. I think I have cancer.

763. Did you hear me?

764. Did you hear what I just said?

765. I have cancer.

766. This couldn't wait until tomorrow?

767. What?

768. How can you say that to me?

769. I thought you loved me.

770. I do, but you're changing our agreement,

771. you're breaking our deal.

772. You make it sound like a contract negotiation.

773. Well, what did you think this was?

774. I thought it was love.

775. Grow up, Amy.

776. Love is the most overused word in the English language.

777. It's what we say when we want something,

778. when we need something,

779. and you're as guilty of it as anybody.

780. We had fun.

781. You were my hot, young girlfriend with the chic job.

782. I was your upwardly mobile, charming, successful boyfriend.

783. And we were together because we each got something

784. out of the relationship that we wanted,

785. and it was good.

786. It was— actually, it was great.

787. But now it's over.

788. How did I not see this in you?

789. Because you saw what you wanted.

790. You understand that I might die?

791. And I'm sorry about that.

792. Hey, you're in my philosophy class.

793. Martin, right?

794. Correct, and you're Mr. Josh.

795. Yeah.

796. Yeah, that's me, Mr. Josh.

797. Hey, is that on our reading list?

798. No.

799. Can I ask you a question?

800. Yeah, sure.

801. Why are you doing what you are doing?

802. Everyone else thinks I'm crazy.

803. My girlfriend— ex-girlfriend left me over it.

804. My parents don't want me to risk it.

805. At the end of it all,

806. I'm gonna have to work like a dog

807. for the rest of the semester

808. just to catch up on my other classes.

809. You have described your difficulties,

810. but you haven't answered my question of why.

811. I don't know.

812. I just—I think of Jesus as my friend.

813. So, you think Jesus is God?

814. Yeah, and the Son of God.

815. I don't want to disappoint him,

816. even if everyone thinks I should.

817. See, to me, he's not dead.

818. He's alive.

819. I don't want anyone to get talked out of believing in him

820. just because some professor thinks they should.

821. See you around, Martin.

822. Bye.

823. Hiya, Tom Blanchard, Metro City Auto.

824. Here's your keys.

825. - Thank you. - Satisfaction is guaranteed.

826. Do I need to sign something?

827. Absolutely. I'm giving you a car.

828. Sign here,

829. and then one more right there, and one more there.

830. And if you could just initial there, there, and there.

831. Thank you.

832. Call us when you're back. You have it for the weekend.

833. We'll come pick you up.

834. Thanks.

835. You're kidding.

836. What did you do? Did you break it?

837. What?

838. Check and see if it's still in gear.

839. No, it's in park.

840. I don't understand. It worked 5 minutes ago.

841. Alright, well, now it's not.

842. How soon can you get us another car?

843. Well, not tonight.

844. It's already after 5:30.

845. Everyone's gone home

846. and I'm already kind of late for an audition.

847. An audition?

848. Yeah, the gang and I are doing "Death of a Salesman"

849. and it's kind of a dinner theatre thing.

850. What happened to satisfaction guaranteed?

851. It's alright, David. We can leave tomorrow.

852. You want to make this drive and miss half the day?

853. Perhaps it's gonna rain anyway.

854. Forecast for tomorrow is 82 and sunny at 9 a.m.

855. Sometimes you don't make any sense.

856. Sometimes you make too much.

857. Just remember, God is good.

858. All the time.

859. And all the time?

860. God is good.

861. Will you sign this saying you reject the car?

862. You're on with Marc.

863. It's me, dork, your sister.

864. Oh, and this is about?

865. You really should go see Mom.

866. She's not doing well.

867. She hasn't been doing well for years.

868. That's why they call it dementia.

869. Still, you should go see her.

870. Claire said you haven't been there in awhile.

871. Like it matters?

872. Besides, I just bought her a new TV.

873. Look, I'll make you a deal.

874. You go and you ask her what 3 + 3 equals.

875. If she gives you the right answer, I'll visit.

876. That's not fair.

877. Life's not fair. I gotta go.

878. Say hi to Amy.

879. No, that's over.

880. What'd you do?

881. Unresolved personal issues.

882. She's got some stuff she's gotta work through.

883. I'm sorry to hear that.

884. Well, that's the way it goes.

885. Okay, ready to get this started?

886. Seriously, you have got to get a life.

887. Yeah, tell me about it.

888. Hey honey.

889. Oh, sorry, the door was open.

890. I just let myself in.

891. - Hi. - Hi.

892. Oh hey, did you pick up the bottle of wine I wanted?

893. I did.

894. I left it in the car.

895. It's in the car.

896. Don't worry about it.

897. You have a lot on your plate.

898. So, you know, just—

899. thank you for helping set up our dinner party.

900. Well, unless I'm wrong,

901. all the guests are from the philosophy department?

902. That's not true. Vivian's a sociologist.

903. You're proving my point.

904. Look, I can't help it.

905. See, my intellectual rigor falls to pieces

906. the instant I get around you.

907. Really?

908. You could have fooled me.

909. The first time I walked into your classroom,

910. you were all blood and thunder.

911. That was a performance, staged largely for your benefit.

912. In the mean time, I kept trying to keep my eyes off you

913. and hoping that there was a brain inside that pretty head.

914. Why?

915. Well, because if there wasn't, then, you know,

916. there's no way I could have made myself go out with you.

917. Look, as it was, I waited until you aced the midterm.

918. It was an A-minus.

919. Close enough.

920. Come on, where is she?

921. Huh?

922. Who?

923. That carefree, free-spirited girl

924. who forced me to almost risk my career by dating her.

925. You know, the one who quoted Emily Dickinson, and Shelley,

926. and Spongebob Squarepants with equal self-confidence.

927. I mean, what ever happened to the old Mina?

928. 'Cause I miss her.

929. She has got a mom who's failing,

930. she's sensing time is passing by,

931. and she's starting to wonder if she's unequally yoked.

932. Alright, you've been reading again, haven't you?

933. Reading, listening, thinking.

934. You can hardly call this thinking.

935. As a matter of fact, it's the opposite of thinking.

936. You know I'm a Christian.

937. You knew that when you first started seeing me.

938. Yes, and you know that I'm not.

939. Yeah, I know,

940. and I know there's a lot of things

941. you don't want to talk about,

942. so we don't talk about them.

943. Yeah, except the not talking is starting to get louder

944. and louder, and soon it will be deafening,

945. and I don't know if I can put up with that.

946. - I know. - Do you? - Yeah.

947. Because we need to be clear on this.

948. There's only room in this relationship for two,

949. which means I don't get a mistress

950. and you don't get to drag a 2,000-year-old dead carpenter

951. turned itinerant rabbi into our lives.

952. Look, I'm gonna go freshen up.

953. Is this the same car?

954. Oh, no sir. No, sir.

955. Same model, different color.

956. The other one was a cabernet.

957. This is more of a merlot.

958. You know, lying's not good.

959. Lying to an ordained minister is flat-out bad.

960. You know that, right?

961. Sir, I assure you this is a different automobile.

962. Here, try it out.

963. How'd your audition go?

964. Oh, pretty good.

965. I'm up for the role of Biff, so—thanks for asking.

966. You guys going somewhere?

967. How's it look for you with the department chair position?

968. I'm up for review mid-semester.

969. Dean Powell assures me it's a slam dunk.

970. Well, congratulations Jeffrey.

971. Anything else on your plate?

972. Not really.

973. Feel like sharing?

974. I've got this student in my introductory class this semester

975. who's—well, he's taken a challenge

976. to prove the existence of God.

977. In your classroom?

978. - Yes. - Silly boy.

979. - Freshman? - Oh yeah.

980. Doesn't seem quite fair to me.

981. Well, how's that?

982. He's inexperienced in front of a room,

983. and you're expecting him to compete with you

984. in your own field of expertise.

985. Come on, Mina. This is fun for me.

986. I can't help it if a boy wants to make a fool of himself

987. and commit academic suicide.

988. Look, I tried to stop him.

989. I gave him an out, but no, no, no,

990. he wants to prove that God isn't dead.

991. Look, I know I am in the minority here,

992. but I actually believe in God.

993. Yes, yes, well, she is— she's a work in progress.

994. So, darling, I think it's best we just change the subject.

995. But I'm just saying—

996. Mina, I've asked politely, okay?

997. Okay.

998. The coq au vin is almost done.

999. Excellent.

1000. To the dining room.

1001. Nothing like a nice merlot to take the edge off.

1002. Cheers, everyone.

1003. Mina, this wine is awful.

1004. It's been cooked.

1005. It tastes like it was sunning in a moldy basement.

1006. Talk about your "Grapes of Wrath."

1007. I bought it before I went shopping the other day.

1008. I locked it in the trunk

1009. and when I got home I forgot about it.

1010. Well, I think this dinner serves as a valuable lesson.

1011. As Socrates put it over 2,000 years ago,

1012. "Gnothi seauton."

1013. Looks like it's Greek to her.

1014. Oh, it's "Know thyself," darling, know thyself.

1015. Which I suggest means knowing your own limitations.

1016. You know, if you'll all excuse me,

1017. it's time for the help to depart.

1018. Sweetheart—

1019. No pacemaker?

1020. No other piercings, right?

1021. No.

1022. I know it sounds crazy, but I have to ask.

1023. If there's any ferrous metal anywhere inside your body,

1024. the magnetic field will put it out, and forcibly.

1025. In our last class, I was asked a question

1026. that I couldn't answer.

1027. As Professor Radisson pointed out,

1028. Stephen Hawking is an atheist.

1029. He also wrote a book called "The Grand Design"

1030. in which he says the following:

1031. "Because there is a law such as gravity,

1032. the universe can and will create itself from nothing."

1033. And to be honest, I didn't know how to refute that.

1034. I mean, after all, Hawking is clearly a genius.

1035. But, Professor John Lennox,

1036. who teaches mathematics and philosophy

1037. has demonstrated that there are not one, even two,

1038. but three errors of logic contained

1039. in that one simple sentence,

1040. and it all boils down to circular reasoning.

1041. Hawking is basically saying that the universe exists

1042. because the universe needed to exist,

1043. and because the universe needed to exist,

1044. it therefore created itself.

1045. It's like this.

1046. If I say to you that I can prove

1047. that Spam is the best-tasting food that's ever existed

1048. because in all of history, no food has ever tasted better,

1049. you'd probably look at me strange

1050. and say I haven't proven anything.

1051. And you'd be right,

1052. all I've done is restate my original claim.

1053. But when Hawking claims that the universe created itself

1054. because it needed to create itself,

1055. and then offers that as an explanation

1056. as to how and why it was created,

1057. we don't immediately recognize that he's doing the same thing.

1058. But he is, prompting Lennox to further comment,

1059. "Nonsense remains nonsense,

1060. "even when spoken by famous scientists

1061. "even though the general public

1062. assumes they are statements of science."

1063. This is the height of hubris.

1064. Are you telling me that you, a freshman,

1065. are saying that Stephen Hawking is wrong?

1066. No, what I'm saying is that John Lennox,

1067. a professor of mathematics and philosophy,

1068. has found Professor Hawking's reasoning to be faulty,

1069. and I agree with his logic.

1070. But if you can't bear to disagree

1071. with Hawking's thinking,

1072. then I suggest that you turn to page five of his book,

1073. where he insists philosophy is dead.

1074. And if you're so sure

1075. of Professor Hawking's infallibility,

1076. and philosophy really is dead,

1077. then well, there's really no need for this class.

1078. It's like I'm a convenience to him,

1079. except for when my faith comes up,

1080. then he becomes verbally abusive.

1081. I'm guessing he's bright.

1082. Brilliant.

1083. Handsome.

1084. Yes.

1085. And his attention makes you feel special,

1086. gives you a sense of completeness.

1087. Have you been reading my diary?

1088. Psychologists call it the Cinderella complex.

1089. It's not my name for it, so don't get upset with me.

1090. Guys are capable of the same thing.

1091. It's just they don't have a name for it.

1092. But in essence, you're looking for his approval

1093. to give you a sense of self-worth

1094. instead of generating it internally.

1095. Don't most people do that?

1096. Yeah, a lot of people do, sure.

1097. But, using romance to shore up self-image

1098. is an unstable foundation.

1099. Do you believe God's capable of error, bias, or bad judgment?

1100. No.

1101. So, if he's incapable of mistakes,

1102. and he made you in his likeness and image,

1103. then it follows that he cares about you, right?

1104. Right.

1105. To the point where God's only Son

1106. would willingly be crucified again for you, just you,

1107. if that's what was necessary.

1108. Well, if he loves you that much,

1109. who cares what your boyfriend thinks?

1110. To the wrong person, you'll never have any worth.

1111. But to the right person, you'll mean everything.

1112. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury,

1113. for the last 150 years, Darwinists have been saying

1114. that God is unnecessary to explain man's existence

1115. and that evolution replaces God,

1116. but evolution only tells you what happens

1117. once you have life.

1118. So, where did that something that's alive come from?

1119. Well, Darwin never really addressed it.

1120. He assumed maybe some lightning hit a stagnant pool

1121. full of the right kind of chemicals

1122. and bingo, a living something.

1123. But it's just not that simple.

1124. You see, Darwin claimed that the ancestry of all living things

1125. came from that one single, simple organism

1126. which reproduced and was slowly modified over time

1127. into the complex life forms we view today.

1128. Which is why, after contemplating his own theory,

1129. Darwin uttered his famous statement,

1130. "Natura non facit saltum,"

1131. meaning, "Nature does not jump."

1132. Well, as noted author Lee Strobel pointed out,

1133. that if you can picture the entire 3.8 billion years

1134. that scientists say life has been around

1135. as one 24-hour day,

1136. in the space of just about 90 seconds,

1137. most major animal groups suddenly appear

1138. in the forms in which they currently hold.

1139. Not slowly and steadily as Darein predicted,

1140. but in evolutionary terms, almost instantly.

1141. So, "nature does not jump" becomes

1142. "nature makes a giant leap."

1143. So, how do theists explain this sudden outburst

1144. of new biological information?

1145. "And God said, 'Let the water teem with living creatures

1146. "'and let birds fly above the earth

1147. across the expanse of the sky.'

1148. "So God created the great creatures of the sea

1149. "and every living and moving thing

1150. "with which the water teems,

1151. "according to its kind.

1152. And God saw that it was good," Genesis 1:20.

1153. In other words, creation happened

1154. because God said it should happen.

1155. And even what looks, to our eyes,

1156. to be a blind, unguided process

1157. could really be divinely controlled from start to finish.

1158. Isn't there anyone you'd like to have here with you for this?

1159. No, there's nobody.

1160. Lies, lies, and more lies.

1161. It's easy to dismiss what you don't understand

1162. or what you don't want to understand.

1163. There it is, the default setting of the Bible-thumper.

1164. "If only you would open the Scripture and read,

1165. then you would understand."

1166. So says the brave young freshman.

1167. "For thou art wise, and with thou, all wisdom shall die,"

1168. Job 12, verse 2.

1169. What else does Job tell us?

1170. "For man who is born of woman is few of days,

1171. "and full of trouble.

1172. "He comes forth like a shadow and does not continue.

1173. "So man lies down, and does not rise

1174. 'til the heavens are no more."

1175. Well, at least he got that part right.

1176. What happened to you?

1177. When a 12-year-old watches his mother dying of cancer,

1178. it's only natural to beg God for her life.

1179. He'll promise anything

1180. to his make-believe grandfather in the sky,

1181. including to love and worship him forever,

1182. if only he will spare her.

1183. Sometimes the answer is no.

1184. Tell that to me the day you lose someone you love.

1185. She died believing a lie.

1186. She died believing that someone out there loved her

1187. even while he was strangling her to death.

1188. A God who would allow that is not worth believing in.

1189. That is why, Wheaton, you will find

1190. the most committed atheists were once Christians,

1191. but we took the blinders off.

1192. We saw the world for what it truly is.

1193. You see, Shakespeare had it right.

1194. Life is really a tale told by an idiot,

1195. full of sound and fury, and signifying nothing.

1196. Ayisha!

1197. "He's the one god who has not begotten."

1198. Say it!

1199. I command you to say it!

1200. No, Baba.

1201. Jesus is my Lord and Savior and he died to save me from my sins.

1202. No!

1203. Carry on, carry on

1204. What I know is you, my God, are real

1205. No matter how I feel, you've never let me go

1206. And what I know is there will never be a day

1207. You aren't just a breath away

1208. And through it all I've gotta hold to what I know

1209. Gonna hold to what I know

1210. What I know

1211. What I know

1212. Sorry for the delay in posting my interview.

1213. It's been a rough week.

1214. When I finally caught up to—

1215. New post.

1216. I have cancer.

1217. Amy is going to die.

1218. No!

1219. Jeffrey, I need to talk to you.

1220. You know how I feel about that.

1221. On campus, I'm Professor Radisson, okay?

1222. So, then he claims that Dawkins is the one who was in error,

1223. as if Dawkins thought—

1224. Jeffrey, I'm leaving you.

1225. Excuse me.

1226. What?

1227. What are you saying?

1228. I'm leaving you.

1229. You can't do that.

1230. I won't accept it.

1231. I'm sorry.

1232. I said I don't accept that.

1233. I won't allow it.

1234. I know, I heard you, but it's not your choice.

1235. Good bye, Jeffrey.

1236. How long has she been hiding her faith?

1237. About a year.

1238. I can't even imagine what she must be feeling.

1239. You asked to be in the trenches, David.

1240. What have I done, Pastor Dave?

1241. I've lost everything.

1242. What if I made a mistake?

1243. Ayisha, you've displayed an amazing amount of courage

1244. by standing up for your faith.

1245. God knows the risks you've taken and he will honor that.

1246. I don't think I can do this.

1247. We're here for you, Ayisha.

1248. Are you—have you read of the Apostle Paul?

1249. He said, "I know what it is to have little,

1250. "and I know what it is to have plenty.

1251. "In any and all circumstances,

1252. "I have learned the secret of being well-fed

1253. "and of being hungry,

1254. "of having plenty and of being in need.

1255. I can do all things—"

1256. "Through Christ who strengthens me."

1257. Right.

1258. You're not alone, Ayisha.

1259. You're gonna be okay.

1260. I made a mistake with you,

1261. Letting you speak in front of my classroom

1262. and spew your propaganda.

1263. But today, we're gonna change things up a bit.

1264. Evil.

1265. Now, it's been said that evil is atheism's most potent weapon

1266. against the Christian faith, and it is.

1267. After all, the very existence of evil begs the question,

1268. "If God is all-good and God is all-powerful,

1269. why does he allow evil to exist?"

1270. The answer at its core is remarkably simple: free will.

1271. God allows evil to exist because of free will.

1272. From the Christian standpoint, God tolerates evil in this world

1273. on a temporary basis so that one day,

1274. those who choose to love him freely

1275. will dwell with him in heaven, free from the influence of evil,

1276. but with their free will in tact.

1277. In other words, God's intention concerning evil

1278. is to one day destroy it.

1279. Well, how convenient.

1280. "One day, I will get rid of all the evil in the world.

1281. "But until then, you just have to deal with all the wars,

1282. "and Holocausts, tsunamis, poverty, starvation, and AIDS.

1283. Have a nice life."

1284. Next, he'll be lecturing us on moral absolutes.

1285. But why not?

1286. Professor Radisson, who's clearly an atheist,

1287. doesn't believe in moral absolutes,

1288. but his core syllabus says he plans to give us an exam

1289. during finals week.

1290. Now, I'm betting that if I manage to get an "A"

1291. on the exam by cheating,

1292. he'll suddenly start sounding like a Christian,

1293. insisting it's wrong to cheat,

1294. that I should have known that.

1295. And yet, what basis does he have?

1296. If my actions are calculated to help me succeed,

1297. then why shouldn't I perform them?

1298. For Christians, the fixed point of morality,

1299. what constitutes right and wrong,

1300. is a straight line that leads directly back to God.

1301. Oh, so you're saying that we need a God to be moral,

1302. that a moral atheist is an impossibility.

1303. No, but with no God, there's no real reason to be moral.

1304. I mean, there's not even a standard

1305. of what moral behavior is.

1306. For Christians, lying, cheating, stealing—

1307. in my example, stealing a grade I didn't earn—

1308. are forbidden.

1309. It's a form of theft.

1310. But if God does not exist,

1311. as Dostoyevsky famously pointed out,

1312. "If God does not exist, then everything is permissible."

1313. And not only permissible, but pointless.

1314. If Professor Radisson is right, then all of this,

1315. all of our struggle, our debate,

1316. whatever we decide here is meaningless.

1317. I mean, our lives and ultimately our deaths

1318. have no more consequence than that of a goldfish.

1319. This is ridiculous.

1320. So, after all your talk,

1321. you're saying that it all comes down to choice:

1322. believe or don't believe.

1323. That's right, that's all there is.

1324. That's all there's ever been.

1325. The only difference between your position and my position

1326. is that you take away their choice.

1327. You demand that they choose the box marked, "I don't believe."

1328. Yes, because I want to free them.

1329. Because religion is like a—

1330. it's like a mind virus that parents have passed on

1331. down to their children,

1332. and Christianity is the worst virus of all.

1333. It slowly creeps into our lives

1334. when we're weak or sick or helpless.

1335. So, religion is like a disease?

1336. Yes. Yes, it infects everything.

1337. It's the enemy of reason.

1338. Reason?

1339. Professor, you left reason a long time ago.

1340. What you're teaching here isn't philosophy.

1341. It's not even atheism anymore.

1342. What you're teaching is antitheism.

1343. It's not enough that you don't believe.

1344. You need all of us to not believe with you.

1345. Why don't you admit the truth?

1346. You just want to ensnare them in your primitive superstition.

1347. What I want is for them to make their own choice.

1348. That's what God wants.

1349. You have no idea how much I'm gonna enjoy failing you.

1350. Yeah, but who are you really looking to fail, Professor?

1351. Me or God?

1352. Do you hate God?

1353. That's not even a question.

1354. Okay, why do you hate God?

1355. This is ridiculous.

1356. Why do you hate God? Answer the question.

1357. You've seen the science and the arguments.

1358. Science supports his existence.

1359. You know the truth.

1360. So, why do you hate him?

1361. Why?

1362. It's a very simple question, Professor.

1363. Why do you hate God?

1364. Because he took everything away from me.

1365. Yes, I hate God.

1366. All I have for him is hate.

1367. How can you hate someone if they don't exist?

1368. You've proven nothing.

1369. Maybe not.

1370. They get to choose.

1371. Is God dead?

1372. God is not dead.

1373. God's not dead.

1374. God's not dead. God's not dead.

1375. God's not dead. God's not dead. God's not dead.

1376. God's not dead. God's not dead. God's not dead.

1377. Josh!

1378. Josh. Josh!

1379. Your decision to prove God is not dead

1380. has affected me greatly.

1381. I'm glad.

1382. Yes, and it has changed everything.

1383. I've decided to follow Jesus.

1384. That's great, Martin.

1385. Hey, you know what?

1386. You've gotta check this out.

1387. - Okay. - Come on.

1388. Why did I have to bring my suitcase?

1389. Not bringing it would show a lack of faith.

1390. Oh merciful Father, please allow this car to start.

1391. Amen.

1392. That's it?

1393. Why, do you have a better "Lord, please make my car run"

1394. blessing that you know?

1395. No.

1396. So then, let's give it a try.

1397. Okay.

1398. No, no, no, no.

1399. Put our bags in the trunk first.

1400. David, we spend our entire lives talking about faith.

1401. Now I'm asking you to show faith.

1402. Okay.

1403. - Unbelievable. - No. Faith.

1404. - God is good. - All the time.

1405. - And all the time? - God is good.

1406. I don't even know what I'm doing here.

1407. I mean, it's not like you even know who I am.

1408. You prayed and believed

1409. your whole life,

1410. never done anything wrong,

1411. and here you are.

1412. You're the nicest person I know, I am the meanest.

1413. You have dementia, my life is perfect.

1414. Explain that to me.

1415. Sometimes the devil allows people

1416. to live a life free of trouble

1417. 'cause he doesn't want them turning to God.

1418. Your sin is like a jail cell, except it's all nice and comfy,

1419. and there doesn't seem to be any need to leave.

1420. The door's wide open

1421. 'til one day, time runs out,

1422. and the cell door slams shut

1423. and suddenly... it's too late.

1424. Who did you say you were?

1425. I can't believe this.

1426. The car actually starts

1427. and now we're being done-in by believers.

1428. I think it's beautiful.

1429. Please, no more words of wisdom.

1430. But I'm just happy to see

1431. all these people going to sing about Jesus.

1432. Move!

1433. Hello, gentlemen.

1434. Can I help you?

1435. I'm Amy Ryan. I write "The New Left."

1436. Michael Tait. How are you?

1437. Did we schedule this?

1438. No, I actually find that the best interviews are unscripted.

1439. So, in a few minutes, you guys are gonna go out there

1440. and you're gonna sing about God and Jesus

1441. as if they're as real as you and me.

1442. How can you do that?

1443. Well, to us, they are as real.

1444. As a matter of fact, even more so.

1445. I mean, we exist in the here and now.

1446. They've existed forever. Think about that.

1447. Yeah, you know, in the beginning was the Word.

1448. The Word was with God and the Word was God.

1449. So, I see. So when you're pressed,

1450. you quote a bunch of ancient scribblings and say,

1451. "Don't worry, it's all in there."

1452. Well, they may be ancient, but they're not scribblings.

1453. I mean, we believe God gave us an instruction manual,

1454. and it's where we draw our strength

1455. and it's where we find our hope.

1456. So, where do you find your hope?

1457. I'm dying.

1458. Hey Amy, you're not here to trash us, are you?

1459. I think that's what you might have done,

1460. but I think you're here kinda wondering,

1461. kinda hoping that this stuff is for real, aren't you?

1462. How do you know that?

1463. I just felt that that's what God was saying,

1464. and he just wanted you to know it.

1465. That's—I can't—

1466. Yeah, and he's just the drummer.

1467. And we never really did what we're told

1468. And we'll say we were dumb and all alone

1469. But we're still chasing the sun

1470. We'll say we were young and full of hope

1471. And we never really did what we're told

1472. And we'll say we were dumb and all alone

1473. But we're still chasing the sun

1474. One day, we'll fade but we'll never forget—

1475. "My dearest son,

1476. "words cannot express the love I have for you

1477. "or the sorrow in my heart

1478. "knowing that I will never be able to see you grow up

1479. "and fulfill God's plan for your life.

1480. "My heart is broken at the thought of leaving you.

1481. "I know God is in control.

1482. "His ways are higher than our ways

1483. "and his thoughts are higher than our thoughts.

1484. "Live life to the fullest and remain in the joy of the Lord.

1485. "You will forever be in my heart.

1486. I love you. Mom."

1487. Hey, it's Mina.

1488. Sorry I missed your call. Leave a message.

1489. Mina, it's Jeffrey.

1490. Please call me.

1491. Hey guys, we're a-go for the show.

1492. Hey Steve, give us a minute, buddy.

1493. This is kinda important.

1494. - Thanks guys. - Thanks.

1495. Can we pray for you real quick?

1496. Do you mind?

1497. Cool.

1498. Dear God, we don't know your plan for Amy, Lord,

1499. but we're asking you would save her tonight, Lord.

1500. Change her, cleanse her, give her a fresh start, Lord.

1501. Let her know that she's loved, and more importantly,

1502. that she is loved by you, the Master of the universe.

1503. Give her strength for the journey ahead, Lord,

1504. and let her know in her heart, God, speak to her,

1505. that you're gonna be with her every step of the way.

1506. We pray this, Jesus, in your holy name.

1507. Amen.

1508. Yeah.

1509. Hey guys, we gotta roll.

1510. Cool, you gonna be okay, Amy?

1511. You good?

1512. Make a way for

1513. Make a way for

1514. Make a way for the King

1515. The King is coming

1516. Empty hearts are filling up

1517. Wicked ways are coming undone

1518. Every eye is looking out for you

1519. City lights are burning out

1520. Freedom's song is ringing loud

1521. Dead men waking up to the sound of you

1522. And all our hearts can sing

1523. All our hearts can sing

1524. Make a way for

1525. Make a way for

1526. Make a way for the King

1527. The King is coming

1528. So, make a way for

1529. Make a way for

1530. Make a way for the King

1531. Oh, that's perfect.

1532. So much for sunny and clear skies.

1533. Call an ambulance!

1534. Call an ambulance!

1535. Don't move.

1536. His ribs are crushed.

1537. His lungs are filling with blood.

1538. He doesn't have long.

1539. Are you sure?

1540. Yeah.

1541. Don't move.

1542. I can't die.

1543. I'm not ready.

1544. Do you know Jesus?

1545. I'm an atheist.

1546. I believe it's God's mercy that brought me here right now.

1547. I'm dying.

1548. How can you call that mercy?

1549. Because that car could have killed you instantly.

1550. And I'm sure right now you probably wish that it did,

1551. but I'm here to tell you that it's a gift

1552. 'cause the God that you don't believe in

1553. has given you another chance,

1554. another chance to change your final answer.

1555. I don't want to die, but I'm so scared.

1556. If it's any consolation, so was Jesus.

1557. He was so scared, he sweat blood.

1558. He asked the Father if it could be removed from him,

1559. but the answer was no.

1560. He says no a lot.

1561. He gives us the answers we'd ask for

1562. if we knew what he knows.

1563. "'For as the heavens are higher than the earth,

1564. "so are my ways higher than your ways,

1565. and my thoughts are higher than your thoughts, ' says the Lord."

1566. Exactly.

1567. So, the question is— stay with me.

1568. Stay with me.

1569. Are you willing to put your faith in Jesus Christ?

1570. Are you willing to take that chance?

1571. Yes.

1572. God is willing to forgive you of your sins, all of them,

1573. if you accept his Son and ask him into your life.

1574. That's all you have to do is just accept his Son.

1575. Accept his love and receive his forgiveness right now.

1576. Do you accept him as Lord and Savior?

1577. Yes, I accept.

1578. It's alright.

1579. In a few minutes, you're gonna know more about God than I do,

1580. or anybody else here does.

1581. It's okay, it's okay.

1582. If you check out the screens behind me,

1583. we have a very special message from a very good friend.

1584. Hey, I'm Willie Robertson,

1585. speaking on behalf of the Robertson family.

1586. Me and the gang wanted to let you know

1587. we've heard in the news

1588. that there's been a bit of a squabble down there on campus.

1589. One of your professors insisted that God is dead.

1590. Well, I'm happy to announce that the reports of God's death

1591. were greatly exaggerated.

1592. Now, let me ask you a question.

1593. Have you got your cell phones on you?

1594. Good.

1595. Alright, now while this next song is playing,

1596. I want everyone to go to their contacts

1597. and click on everybody you know

1598. and text them three simple words:

1599. "God's not dead."

1600. And there's 10,000 of you out there,

1601. and everyone knows about 100 people.

1602. That's a million messages right there.

1603. A million times we're gonna tell Jesus that we love him

1604. in the next 3 minutes.

1605. And for the young man who took up the gauntlet

1606. to defend God's honor, and you know who you are,

1607. I can only imagine the smile you put on God's face.

1608. This one goes out to you.

1609. It was you, wasn't it?

1610. The one who defended God?

1611. Yeah.

1612. How did you know?

1613. I heard you talking in the cafeteria.

1614. Only a real risk tests the quality of a belief, right?

1615. Let love explode and bring the dead to life

1616. A love so bold to see a revolution somehow

1617. Let love explode and bring the dead to life

1618. A love so bold to see a revolution somehow

1619. Now I'm lost in your freedom

1620. And this world I'll overcome

1621. My God's not dead, he's surely alive

1622. He's living on the inside, roaring like a lion

1623. My God's not dead, he's surely alive

1624. He's living on the inside, roaring like a lion

1625. Roaring, he's roaring, roaring like a lion

1626. Let hope arise and make the darkness hide

1627. My faith is dead

1628. I need a resurrection somehow

1629. Now I'm lost in your freedom

1630. And this world I'll overcome

1631. My God's not dead, he's surely alive

1632. He's living on the inside, roaring like a lion

1633. My God's not dead, he's surely alive

1634. He's living on the inside, roaring like a lion

1635. Roaring, he's roaring, roaring like a lion

1636. He's roaring, he's roaring

1637. Let heaven roar and fire fall

1638. Come shake the ground with the sound of revival

1639. Let Heaven roar and fire fall

1640. Come shake the ground with the sound of revival

1641. What happened here tonight is a cause for celebration.

1642. Pain, yes, for just a few moments, but now,

1643. think about the joy in heaven.

1644. My God's not dead, he's surely alive

1645. He's living on the inside, roaring like a lion

1646. My God's not dead, he's surely alive

1647. He's living on the inside, roaring like a lion

1648. God's not dead, he's surely alive

1649. He's living on the inside, roaring like a lion

1650. God's not dead, he's surely alive

1651. He's living on the inside, roaring like a lion

1652. Roaring, he's roaring, roaring like a lion

1653. He's roaring, he's roaring, roaring like a lion

1654. Roaring like a lion

1655. Our God is alive

1656. This is a story of your life, a movie starring you

1657. What's the next scene have for you to do?

1658. Leave the dishes in the sink, leave your fear there too

1659. Live the story you would write for you

1660. Say, hey, hey, wake your heart

1661. And break, break, break apart

1662. The walls that keep you from being you

1663. And walk, walk towards the light

1664. And don't stop 'til you live your life

1665. Like someone died for you

1666. This is the time to try

1667. Just step out, your life is waiting

1668. And as you fall, you'll find that you can fly

1669. This is the time to try

1670. Just step out, your life is waiting

1671. And as you fall, you'll find that you can fly

1672. You can find a million words to build a wall of fear

1673. Safe behind that wall, imprisoned here

1674. Take that someday step today to who you're meant to be

1675. And turn your dreams to plans so you can breathe

1676. Say, hey, hey, wake your heart

1677. And break, break, break apart

1678. The walls that keep you from being you

1679. And walk, walk towards the light

1680. And don't stop 'til you live your life

1681. Like someone died for you

1682. This is the time to try

1683. Just step out, your life is waiting

1684. And as you fall, you'll find that you can fly

1685. Ask anyone whose time is up

1686. What they'd give for what you've got

1687. And how they'd live your life

1688. Live like your life's worth dying for

1689. You just walked out that prison door

1690. And you'll know how to live your life

1691. This is the time to try

1692. Just step out, your life is waiting

1693. And as you fall, you'll find that you can fly

1694. This is the time to try

1695. Just step out, your life is waiting

1696. And as you fall, you'll find that you can fly

1697. This is the time to try

1698. Just step out, your life is waiting

1699. And as you fall, you'll find that you can fly