God's Not Dead with Scott Baio and David A. R. White

The world is becoming increasingly proficient at telling stories that deny God. As such, we need thinking Christian to become as natural as breathing. Welcome to the Thinking Christian podcast. I'm Dr. James Spencer. Through calm, thoughtful theological discussions, Thinking Christian highlights the ways God is working in the world and questions the underlying social, cultural, and political assumptions that hinder Christians from becoming more like Christ. Now, on to today's episode of Thinking Christian. Hey, everybody, welcome to this episode of Thinking Christian. I'm Dr. James Spencer, and I'm joined today by two of the stars of God's Not Dead, In God We Trust, which is going to be out in theaters on September 12th. David A.R. White and Scott Baio. Guys, thanks for coming on Thinking Christian podcast. Great to meet you. Great to have you on. Thanks for having us. Thank you, James. Absolutely. Yeah. So I got a little bit of a preview of the movie, just kind of the building blocks, I suppose, of the plot. But I'm wondering if maybe you can describe what the movie is about and maybe why you decided you wanted to be in it. And that can go to either one of you. David, why don't I start with you? Dave produced the movie. There you go. This is our it's hard to believe it's our 10 year anniversary for God's Not Dead. And and, you know, where in the world do you go with the God's Not Dead franchise? Every that's always a question, right? Is there even a point to do another one? We don't want to make a movie just to make a movie. But but in this one, I Reverend Dave is running for Congress. There's a there's the incumbent dies. And so there's a spot open in Congress four weeks before the election. Nobody else wants to join in because, as we all know, politics is a dirty business and you get dragged through the mud. And Titans played by Ray Ray Wise is a is basically trying to stamp God out of culture and country. And chaos ensues. Yeah. And so there we go, you know, and and for such a time as this, I think this movie resonates. Yeah, this is modern day. Mr. Smith goes to Washington is what it is. Modern day. Mr. Smith goes to Washington. OK. Why do you think this is I mean, obviously, there are a lot of reasons, but I'd like to hear you guys talk about it. Why do you think this is important right now? I mean, what do you what are your thoughts on politics in America right now and how you think this movie is really going to resonate and encourage maybe faith based audiences and other people who watch the movie to get out and participate in politics? Yeah, Scott, why don't you go? Maybe I don't want to go. Oh, boy, here we go again. This is a lot of set. Scott, do you want to be a close up first or do you want to be David? Maybe I don't want to. Well, I think the importance of the movie is that there are 40 million Christians that don't vote and they need to vote because very slowly or slowly over the past couple of decades and quite rapidly now, God is being taken out of almost everything in this country. And there are like the 40 million people that don't vote for whatever the reason is, they don't vote. I don't know what the reason is, but, you know, and David talks about this, where, you know, politics and faith and Christians don't Christians don't want to get involved in politics. Well, unfortunately, politics is involved in everything now in this country. It's involved in every aspect of our lives. And if you don't like the way the country is going, you got to do something about it and you got to go and vote. And that's that's the aside from being a good movie, well done movie. The message is, if you want to affect change, you got to get off your rear end, get off whatever principle you're standing on and vote. And then, you know, you vote this one time in this election, you 40 million people and you can sit down for a while because you're going to have a very, very powerful voice. Yeah. David, anything to add to that? No. Here's the thing that's crazy. Here's the thing that's crazy is, you know, out of that 40 million people who don't vote, right, which is a crazy stat, is 15 of them. 15 million aren't even registered to vote. And so, you know, we've we've we've been an age old argument about church and state. Where in the world do those do they collide? Right. Yeah. Where does one end and where does the other start? And more and more, it's like, do Christians should Christians be involved in politics? Well, it's a dirty business. We don't want to be involved in politics. So we sit back, we armchair, you know, quarterback the whole and we throw stones at whoever it is and complain. And yet the movie is, you know, it talks about change. It talks about you. You want to complain, yet that person's not in charge. This person's not in charge. You have the power to change things. And if we don't, as Scott was saying, if we don't step out of our comfort zone and if we don't get involved, then we have no one to blame but ourselves. Yeah, we can say, well, elections are rigged. They're cheated. They're whatever. But but at the core of it is just at least get out and vote. And we've done as Christians, we've done a really poor job of even doing that. And so the movie is, you know, it's whether or not this movie should have been done. You know, it was started three years ago. We felt like it was it was supposed to be made. And I did not imagine nor, you know, 10 years ago when the first one came out that it would be received as well as it is and also is relevant as it is. And and I think we're seeing that again. And so I hope people come out on September 12th and they show up and that they that they give their support to a not only the movie. Yeah. You know what? If you don't if you don't come out and support the movies, then they're not gonna be in theaters. Faith-based movies for very much longer. But B, if you get anything out of the movie, just at least go vote, at least register to vote. Yeah. What do you think? I mean, the God's not dead franchise and mentioned this like most popular franchise, Christian franchise movies ever, as far as I understand it. Right. You know, these are the most popular faith based movies. What do you attribute that popularity to? I mean, what resonates so much about God's not dead? That franchise overall, I think if it had been named something different, maybe, maybe I don't know. You know, it's I don't want to. It's interesting. Why did the Lord choose to bless this movie? Right. Why did his hand of favor was on this movie? I think the title speaks it so clearly. It's you know, God says my word will not come back void when we when faith or Christianity or biblical worldview or even just verses from the Bible are put into a movie more and more. God says my word won't come back void. That's not going to be even you could do the worst movie ever and God's going to still use that movie. And I've seen it time and time again, even in some of the movies that, you know, early on when I was in, you know, when they were the short little movies made for fifty thousand dollars or something crazy at the time. They're relevant. They hit people where they are. And I feel like the truth and the purity of the film comes out and people are moved by these movies, which ultimately brings people back to them. And our goal isn't just to make another movie. Our goal is to make a movie that is relevant, that encourages and inspires. Let me ask you a serious question. If something triggered a major market drop in the coming months, would your retirement be ready or exposed? With inflation, market volatility and ongoing global uncertainty, more families are taking a closer look at whether their retirement plan is truly built to hold up. And many are finding that adding a layer of protection makes a lot of sense. Sanctuary Metals is a Christian owned company that helps families strengthen their retirement savings with physical gold and silver through a gold IRA. During uncertain times, many people look to precious metals as a way to add stability when other assets may be under pressure. If you'd like to explore whether a gold IRA is a good fit for your situation, Sanctuary Metals makes it easy to get started. Text GUIDE to 94878 to receive your free retirement defense guide or call 888-958-6579 to speak with one of their knowledgeable team members. Again, text GUIDE to 94878 or call 888-958-6579. Hopefully, you know.

Brings people to a higher level of insight to who God is and the purpose that he has for their lives through the powerful medium of film. Yeah, and David, you mentioned, and maybe Scott, you can comment on this, but David mentioned, you know, at least get out and vote. And so you guys have obviously done a little bit more than just go out and vote. You've made a movie. You know, you're encouraging people to actually go out and vote. What are some things, you know, beyond just voting that you see us missing as a faith-based community, as a Christian community? Probably being vocal. I think Christians have no idea why they're feeling persecuted or shamed as Bible thumpers and crazy people and conspiracy theorists. And I don't know where that came, I know where that came from. I think the politicians are afraid of religion because it sort of takes government out of people's lives if you have religion and they don't want, they want government in your life. So if people were more vocal and reached out more, I think that would help considerably. And don't be afraid. Look, it's a violent country. I don't know when that happened too, where violence against Christians is fine. Violence against Jews is fine. I don't know when that happened, but it is frightening. You know, I grew up in America and I don't feel like I live in America anymore. I don't really know where I live. I live in some quasi-America, quasi-fascist country where you're being told what to say and we're being propagandized. And so I'm just hopeful that Christians will be more vocal and Christians will come out and vote in mass. And if you're upset about stuff, do something about it. Yeah. When you think about the 40 million Christians who aren't voting, I mean, I have this sense that some people do it out of apathy. There's probably a number of mixed motives, right? And we've already said we don't really know why they don't vote, but I do get the impression that fear or concerns related to the efficacy of voting are, you know, part of that mix. And so in the movie, as you're sort of moving this pastor through Washington, how do you deal with the dirty aspect of politics and this pastor sort of navigating that as well as the efficacy of the political realm? You know what I'm asking? Like, how is it that we understand that this actually has an effect, that it is going to have an impact on the way that our government runs so that we can see that people actually change things? Maybe I'll turn to David for that one. Yeah, it's crazy that you have the church and state, right? Separation of church and state. And then this movie talks about the separation between Christian and politics. Like, where do Christians, should Christians be involved in politics or should they not? It's a dirty business. Maybe they don't want to be, you know, even part of it. And then also, it's like, it's mind boggling to... I don't know, I don't know why. Like, I just think people, it's easier to just complain about things than to actually do something about it. You know, it's just a... It's like, it's the same way, like, I hate to even say this, but it's similar to Hollywood. I grew up as a Mennonite, right? Seeing movies in the theater the first 18 years of my life. However, I did watch Happy Days with Scott Baio on television, very small television. When I said I wanted to go to Hollywood, my dad and everybody else basically was like, why would you do that? Hollywood's an evil place. You know, why go to a terrible place and get involved in this? Now, this is years ago. I'm not saying that maybe Christians don't feel the same way these days. I don't know whether they do or they don't. But back then, it was like a, oh, that's a, that's a dark place. But the problem is, the irony about that whole thing is that, for whatever reason, the Lord put in my heart a love for movies. He put a love for entertainment, a love for telling stories, and a passion for this. And so I felt like I was supposed to go. Now, here we are, you know, doing, building Pure Flix later, with the irony of this, is, you know, we build Pure Flix. We make a lot of faith and family films for the underserved marketplace of faith-based people, right? That wouldn't have existed if I didn't, not just me, but if believers didn't exist and didn't show up. And I think that's even true with your podcast here, is that, is that people of faith need to stop trying to run from what isn't comfortable and step out of your comfort zone and know that God wants you to do that if he, if he put that thing inside of our, each and every one of our hearts, that dream, that desire. Is that, is that sort of the tension? I mean, that, that what you just described, is that sort of the tension the character goes through in the movie? That very similar tension, like sort of the reluctant servant kind of vibe? It's a bizarre thing of life imitating art here, you know. It happens in a lot of different ways, whether or not the character that you're playing in some way, shape or form, I think most of the time, Scott, you might correct me on this, but the ones that I played, I feel a certain connection to and a struggle from a human standpoint of what that character goes through, which I think ultimately is why these movies or movies like these resonate, is because people can see the organic heart in the character, you know, he plays, he's an underdog trying to overcome something that's beyond him. Scott plays a bad guy in this, so I'm not sure where life imitates art in his life, but I am actually kind of curious about that conversation. We'll talk later off camera, Dave. Yeah, I mean, Scott, like you do play a bad guy in the film, so how do you, you know, obviously you have convictions opposing that. How do you prepare to do that? Like, what does that even look like? Because you're, you know, obviously it's acting, so you're not acting like yourself, but you have to adopt a whole different sort of mindset and value system to kind of get into character, no? Well, I could give you the BS actor response, and yes, of course, I did a lot of meditating and interviewed some bad guys, and it was just written well. And you see enough bad people, you see enough bad politicos on television, and I always, and watching, not politicians and the people that work for these politicians, there's a, watching them, I know they're lying to me. I know it. When their mouths are moving, they're lying. And it's easy to, you know, so in this, in God's Not Dead and God We Trust, you know, there's some fun in there where I go after the girl Samira about her weight because politicians, if they can't beat you in the arena of ideas, they go after you personally, and you see it all the time. So that was an easy one. But getting back to your, you said something about the efficacy of the elections, and there was something else you said in there, James, that kind of hit me. People don't trust something, or people don't, people don't trust the elections or whatever it is, and they don't want politics and faith, but it is what it is. That's it. It's there. So you have to deal with what's in front of you. You can't say, well, it used to be like this. No, it's what it is now. And if you think that you can fudge 40 million votes, I don't think you can. You know, whether they massage votes, whether they fine votes, whatever they do, you can't fake that. You can't beat that. So that's why I think David, in making this movie, it's an amazing, it's such a simple, simple message, but an amazingly powerful one. If there are 40 million of you that are probably unhappy, you have so much power. Let me ask you a serious question. If something triggered a major market drop in the coming months, would your retirement be ready or exposed? With inflation, market volatility, and ongoing global uncertainty.

More families are taking a closer look at whether their retirement plan is truly built to hold up. And many are finding that adding a layer of protection makes a lot of sense. Sanctuary Metals is a Christian-owned company that helps families strengthen their retirement savings with physical gold and silver through a gold IRA. During uncertain times, many people look to precious metals as a way to add stability when other assets may be under pressure. If you'd like to explore whether a gold IRA is a good fit for your situation, Sanctuary Metals makes it easy to get started. Text GUIDE to 94878 to receive your free Retirement Defense Guide or call 888-958-6579 to speak with one of their knowledgeable team members. Again, text GUIDE to 94878 or call 888-958-6579. To change things the way you want them to be, and it's not that much of a change, really. We just want to be God-fearing, prosperous, powerful, and safe. And that's it. And these people have the power to do that. Yeah, it's interesting. So I live in Illinois, and in Illinois, there's sort of this little mini mantra, and it's like, if you're a Democrat, they don't need you. If you're a Republican, you don't matter. And I think that's the sort of apathy that I have a feeling, at least when I talk to people in my area who don't vote, they just feel like it's insurmountable odds. And so within that state, it's difficult to do anything to change. But then I look at things like there was a story out in Oregon where there's a group of voters who are actually trying to secede from Oregon. I believe they're trying to join Idaho, if I recall. Have you guys heard about that? And I find it so interesting because it's like, yeah, they might not be able to win general elections, even if they all got together. But they're still doing something to make their voices heard, and they're raising enough of a ruckus to sort of make people pay attention. Last I checked, I think they had four or five counties that had sort of signed on to the petition. And so they're doing something. They're pushing back and making themselves known, which I think is great. It's a really interesting story. But, yeah, I appreciate that. That's the sort of apathy, though, that I'm concerned that sometimes Christians get. It's like, it doesn't matter if we vote. That's the thing. There's a really wonderful speech at the end of the movie where David talks about all of that. There are so many people, again, that don't vote. And if they voted, it'd be a complete. It's frustrating. It would be a completely different country. Yeah, it wouldn't even be a challenge. I mean, I wonder how many on the other side. I mean, we see the 40 million. I wonder how many on the other side don't vote. But it's interesting to think there's 40 million people who are a voting bloc that are just not participating. 15 million, you said, I think, that aren't even registered. Is that 15? Yeah, I think so. David knows the things. It's maddening. So hopefully September 12th, you know, 10 million people will go out and watch it and tell their friends and tell their friends and tell their friends and they'll get something done. Get some folks registered. Yeah. Actually, at the very end of the movie, there's a QR code to register to vote. It's like, hey, if you've got nothing else on this movie, please make sure you're registered to vote. I wondered if you guys had partnered with any ministries. I'm just coming out of this Christian Post Politics in the Pews forum. And there are a number of ministries who are actually now going out into churches and mobilizing those churches to get people to register to vote and go to polls and those kind of things. But have you partnered with anybody for that or are you just doing the, hey, here's the link to register? I don't know that. I don't know that. I mean, in the movie, we're not partnering in the movie, but in the marketing aspect of it, I don't know that. Gotcha. The marketing department would know that. Yeah, yeah. But hopefully, I mean, you know, I mean, it's a universal theme that no matter what, whether you like the movie, don't like the movie, go, don't go. Although, let me just say, please go to see Scott Baio because it's definitely worth your price of admission and the popcorn. But at the very least, please just vote, you know, in the election that's coming up. And we're not even telling you which way you have to vote, but just vote. Just be involved. Yeah, so I think it's important because, obviously, we talk a lot about voting and it is an election movie. But at the heart of these, you know, the goal of all the God's Not Dead films are to inspire, to, you know, to breathe hope into people in people's lives, wherever they are. Because, you know, people, we're broken people, you know, we go through a lot. There's so many things that is hard in life. You know, not all of us roll out on the beach like Scott Baio and, you know, enjoy some sunshine and go. I moved to Florida, so that's where I moved. Yeah, by the way, he moved to Florida, which I'm still bitter because I still live in Los Angeles. OK. But the point is, though, is that there's, you know, and I feel like the God's Not Dead movies serve that to breathe hope into people's lives where they're at right now. And that's genuinely our hope. And David, you're quite well versed in this, right? Because, I mean, you've been doing a podcast, the White House Pod, right? Yeah. Yeah. So, I mean, you've been talking to a lot of political folks and, you know, talk a little bit about what you've learned from that. Well, Scott also has a podcast. You've got to hear about his, too. Oh, OK. Mine is mine's not actually about it. Ironically, it's not a it's not a political podcast at all. I know it's called the White House Pod, but that's just because it's my last name. And I always found it quite humorous to say, you've reached the White House. Leave a message, you know, on my answering machines. And quite frankly, you know, I didn't even want to be involved in politics. I was one of those 40 million people who were like, hey, I have no idea. I don't want to do this arguing and that kind of thing. It's not my that's not my lane. That's Scott Baio's lane. But the movie that our podcast is just about dreams, you know, it's about where does God put them? Where did they come from and where did God put that thing inside of their heart? And then where is he taking each and every one of us? And so, yeah, please check it out. It's on Spotify and iHeartRadio and YouTube and everywhere else. The White House pod Dare to Dream. And Scott, you do take on life. Am I getting that title correctly on the podcast? Scott, take me on. No, that's no from from the band. Uh-huh. Take on me. So what do you got going on with your podcast? My podcast. Take on life. It's my take on life. My take on things in life. Is it my or just take on life? No, it's my take on things in life. Like if a plumber comes to your house and his butt crack is showing, do you tell him? We sit around and smoke cigars. What's it like going to the airport? Will you eat in a restaurant by yourself? It's just little life things that we talk about, you know, I sit around with my buddies. We talk about silly things and things you don't really think about. Like what's going through the TSA stuff like that. Or, you know, my thoughts. My wife told me my earlobes are too big. And I went, well, when the hell did that happen? And my earloob and the body changing as you age. Just things like that. That's awesome. Well, guys, talk with just give us a final word on the movie. September 12th is when it comes out in theaters. What's the release looking like? All over? I mean, what are we looking at? It is wide. It's September 12th. Yeah. You know what? Go to God's Not Dead. God'sNotDead.com. And I like that. I have to. I'm trying to remember if there was a movie in there, but it's just GodsNotDead.com. Which is you can buy your pre-buy your tickets there and, and try to sell out a theater where you're at. Try to bring your, you know, buy a whole roll, like, you know, get, get your friends, your family to come out. Because when you do that, you cast a vote that says, you know what? Hey, Hollywood. Hey, theater chains. AMC. You know what? We support this stuff and we want more of these movies in theaters. And don't you dare try to take that freedom away from us. And so, yeah, that's the September 12th. Very important that you come out opening weekend. And also.

It's a really good movie. It's just, I mean, forget all this election and all that. It's just a good movie. It's a good movie to take your family to, and it's a good story. Yeah. Well, let me ask, because we're getting close to time, so I want to ask you guys the question, and I'll ask both of you, but I ask a question of all my guests before we get off here, so here's the question. What do you think Christians ought to be thinking about in today's world to help us be and make disciples more faithfully? So maybe I'll start, David, with you. Is that cool? Sure, sure. Wow. I'm sorry. What was the exact question one more time? Yep. So what do you think Christians should be thinking about today to be and make disciples more faithfully? Yeah. I think it's just, it's a matter of just, what is it that you feel like God called you to do on a daily basis? And taking that step forward one step at a time, wherever it is, and most likely it's going to be out of your comfort zone, because that seems to be the way that God works in our lives, that he doesn't like us to be comfortable. You know, he likes to put us in a waiting room to stretch us, to teach us that faith, you know, is the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things not yet seen. Love it. Yeah, very cool. Scott, any thoughts? What do you think? Well... Where are we missing? Not to be shy. Yeah. Wow, and it's so crazy to me that Christians are, I mean, do you think about the flip in this country when I was a boy till now? And it's frightening that Christians have to hide. Don't hide. That's my... Very cool. Gentlemen, we're out of time, but I really appreciate you being here. And everybody, go see God's Not Dead, In God We Trust, in theaters September 12th. And we'll put the website and everything up on the show notes, so you can check it out, but I'd encourage you to go buy tickets, go take your friends, go tell everybody, go see the movie. Fantastic franchise, fantastic movie, and I really appreciate you all both being here. Thank you very much. Appreciate you. All right, take care, everybody, and we'll see you on the next episode of Thinking Christian. Just wanna take a second to thank the team at Life Audio for their partnership with us on the Thinking Christian podcast. If you go to lifeaudio.com, you'll find dozens of other faith-centered podcasts in their network. They've got shows about prayer, Bible study, parenting, and more. Do you ever hear sayings make their way through the culture and the church that seem nice in theory, but are actually theologically problematic? My name is Shara Donahue, and I'm the host of The Bible Never Said That, a podcast where we examine these popular sayings under the lens of biblical truth. We cover sayings like, God won't give you more than you can handle, time heals all wounds, and follow your heart. We also spend time exploring how people use Bible verses out of context. If you want to grow in discernment and truth, join us and subscribe at lifeaudio.com.