A movie about keeping Christian values in American politics is in theaters this weekend. The film takes a hard look at the political process, freedom of speech and religion. 

God’s Not Dead: In God We Trust tells the story of Rev. David Hill (David A.R. White), who runs for Congress to fight back against the efforts to stifle religious freedom by his opponent, Peter Kane (Ray Wise). Given the current temper of our time that is so hostile to religion, the film focuses on the need to bring God back to the public square. 

The movie stars Dean Cain, Samaire Armstrong, David A.R. White, Scott Baio and features Mike Huckabee as himself and Raymond Arroyo, EWTN’s host of The World Over, who plays a news anchor moderating a debate between characters Hill and Kane. 

Speaking to the Register, Arroyo said, “I think what David White is trying to do is draw people's attention to religious freedom, the challenges against religious freedom today, and how every vote matters, and that people can't take these rights for granted.” 

“I think it's a crowd pleaser,” added Arroyo, saying, “I think it speaks to where we are today. It's not a partisan film, though. It really is about the power of God in every life and the importance of religious freedom.”

The film is the fourth movie in the God’s Not Dead series directed by Vance Null. Like the three previous movies, it features appearances and performances from Christian rock band Newsboys.

Arroyo had three members of the cast on his show Thursday night, including White, who said films that inspire perseverance excite him. 

“I love telling stories where you get knocked down, and then you have to pick yourself up and figure out what the right direction and path forward is. This film has that,” White told Arroyo. 

“Apart from just trying to motivate people to vote, it really inspires the audience to get uncomfortable and find themselves on a journey of standing up for their country, even when you think that that maybe isn’t the position that you’ve meant to be led to.”

Baio told Arroyo several times what motivates him: his daughter.

“I love the message of the movie, which is that 40 million Christians don’t vote. I’m sure that a large percentage of those people complain about things in the country. I thought, well, if you people would get off your rear ends and vote, you might affect change, the change that you’re looking for. Because I have a daughter, I want her to grow up in the country that I grew up in, Ray.”

The movie addresses the separation of church and state and the role that Christian teachings have in influencing political persuasions, and both Baio and Armstrong spoke of being canceled based on their own beliefs. 

“Look, that’s one of the reasons why I am so excited about doing films like this, because I really, genuinely ... I gave up so much stuff when I came out for Trump in 2016,” Baio said on The World Over. “I gave up my career, basically, and I knew it, which was fine, but I do it for my child.”

Speaking to Arroyo, Armstrong said:

“I’ve come to understand my faith a lot more deeply in the last four years, given what’s going on in the country. After I ran for mayor, I was really questioning what I was going to do with my life. I do believe that God gave me this gift of storytelling, and I was inspired to pick that back up. I, too, spoke out in support of President Trump. I did in 2020. You trade your career for your beliefs if you’re willing to do that. But I did feel along the process that God was with me the entire time and there would be another side.”

The intersection between cancel culture in the real world and what happens to a member of Congress for being sidelined for speaking about God in the film illustrates why these stories are so important, as White told Arroyo: 

“I think the God’s Not Dead movies are special because they somehow radiate what’s going on in culture at the time ‘for such a time as this.’ Our country certainly has gone through a lot of turmoil. In different ways, like Scott said, it‘s not the country that we grew up in. We hardly recognize it anymore.”

How did the country get so far from the ideals of freedom of religion and faith in the public square? The cast speaking to Arroyo were quick to mention the perils of Hollywood and the media-driven nature of our digital age. 

But White offered some optimism amid the political quagmire, and he hopes the movie will inspire all viewers into “taking that step, going outside of your comfort zone for the things that maybe you don’t want to get involved in, you don’t want to do, but God calls us for such a time as this to step out. That’s really the heart of this movie.”

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IN THEATERS

To learn more about the movie, visit GodsNotDead.com, and check local listings for showtimes.