Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. (2016), 400 pages
Original publication date
2016
Description
God is not dead . . . but Tom Endler doesn't believe it. Hope Springs, Arkansas, seems an unlikely setting for a battle over religious freedom, but the conflict that started at a small local college has spread to a high school campus, where a young Christian teacher named Grace Wesley is on the hot seat with the school district for talking about Jesus in her classroom. Tom, a young lawyer on retainer by the teacher's union, is tapped to represent Grace in her fight for her First Amendment rights. But Tom has his own challenges. His father thinks he's a failure, and his grandmother doesn't recognize him when he visits her. Tom is grateful for the billable hours, but he's fighting for a cause he doesn't even believe in. Soon Tom's advocacy leads him to Amy Ryan, a reporter and former skeptic who found faith after battling cancer and watching the classroom battle unfold at Hope Springs College a year ago. Tom discovers the truth about that case while also discovering more about what genuine faith looks like.Tom, the unlikely hero, seems destined for failure as he takes on a case he surely can't win. But as the disbelieving lawyer, the struggling journalist, and the persecuted teacher share experiences from their pasts and struggles of the present, they become reluctant allies in their journeys toward faith. God's Not Dead 2 tells the story behind the blockbuster film, going deeper into the characters' backstories, and finishing with a triumphant picture of the victory that comes from true belief in the face of adversity.… (more)
Language
Original language
English
Physical description
400 p.; 8 inches
ISBN
9781496413611
UPC
031809213612
User reviews
LibraryThing member eccl
God’s Not Dead 2 is written by Travis Thrasher. The story takes place in Hope Springs and focuses around legal proceedings involving a teacher, Grace, who answered a student’s question about Jesus. The class was discussing Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr and being nonviolent. The
Grace’s attorney, Tom is struggling to get his law practice off the ground after moving back home with the death of his mother. He represents the teachers’ union basically has no choice as to if he will take the case. To help his finances, Tom tutors a group of law students from the local college. One of his students we meet is a young man who was involved in a similar situation last year at the college he attended. Tom was raised by Christian parents but is not a believer himself. He feels he has never been able to measure up to what his father expects of him.
We also meet a blogger, Amy, who is in remission from cancer. Amy use to criticize Christians in her blog but stopped after finding her faith during her illness. She does not have a relationship with her mother, and wants to make this right. Amy sits in the courtroom every day and blogs about what happens. She also talks with some of the students.
I like this story, it is a reminder to us to stand up for our faith regardless of the situation. I like how the story is very realistic in how non-believers question if there really is a God. If there is, why do bad things happen to good people and not who we might consider to be a bad guy. The story also is a reminder to us that God is in control. I really like this story and will recommend it to my friends. I give it 5 star.
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student asked if that was what Jesus meant about loving our enemies. The parents of the student who asked this question are the ones filing the complaint. Grace refuses to apologize as she would rather stand by God and be judged by the world than stand by the world and be judged by God.Grace’s attorney, Tom is struggling to get his law practice off the ground after moving back home with the death of his mother. He represents the teachers’ union basically has no choice as to if he will take the case. To help his finances, Tom tutors a group of law students from the local college. One of his students we meet is a young man who was involved in a similar situation last year at the college he attended. Tom was raised by Christian parents but is not a believer himself. He feels he has never been able to measure up to what his father expects of him.
We also meet a blogger, Amy, who is in remission from cancer. Amy use to criticize Christians in her blog but stopped after finding her faith during her illness. She does not have a relationship with her mother, and wants to make this right. Amy sits in the courtroom every day and blogs about what happens. She also talks with some of the students.
I like this story, it is a reminder to us to stand up for our faith regardless of the situation. I like how the story is very realistic in how non-believers question if there really is a God. If there is, why do bad things happen to good people and not who we might consider to be a bad guy. The story also is a reminder to us that God is in control. I really like this story and will recommend it to my friends. I give it 5 star.
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LibraryThing member smichaelwilson
*Spoiler Alert* Having recently seen the first God's Not Dead and not being able to get out to the sequel, I jumped at the chance to read this novelization of God's Not Dead 2: Electric Boogaloo. Considering that this is a novelization of a film I have not seen, and that there is no novelization
This is a bit more complicated considering that God's Not Dead 2 is a novelization of a film, it's questionable how much blame can be assigned to author Travis Thrasher for the major faults of the book. The weakness of the book lies not within the writing style itself, but rather the plot and characters that pass through it, neither of which Thrasher could have reasonably changed. But, that aside...
God's Not Dead 2 is balanced on the completely implausible premise that a teacher would be threatened with not only being fired, but having her teaching credentials revoked, merely for answering a question from a student about Jesus. It's a straw-man plot device used to support the film's main premise, which is that Christians are constantly being persecuted by angry atheists and the Godless secular state merely for having faith. In this case, the Christian being persecuted for her beliefs is high school history teacher Grace (get it?) Wesley, who is taken to court because she won't apologize and admit to being wrong for mentioning Jesus.
The story is told through the two main characters of book (alternating between first and third person, which I'm not a particular fan of), Grace's lawyer Tom Endler, and blogger Amy Ryan. These characters are going through their own crisis of faith, both having apparently abandoned their belief in God at a young age in rebellion against their religious parents. They're the only likeable non-believers in the book - spoiler alert, they both find God - as anyone associated with the Godless side of society is portrayed with some odious personality flaw. Most of them combine some level of success with a lack of emotion or overwhelming hostility. The principle of the school is a divorced power-hungry CEO, the ACLU lawyer is a manipulative bully hell-bent on removing Christianity from society, and even the parents of the girl who asked the Jesus question are greedy opportunists who hope that their daughter being involved in a constitutional court case will help her get into a good college (I'm not making this up). A Chinese student from God's Not Dead is brought back long enough for us to find out that his father has disowned him for accepting Jesus Christ into his life (The same thing happens to a Muslim girl in the original film). My personal favorite is the classmate responsible for the Jesus story getting out of the classroom in the first place, who spends his interview with Amy staring blankly into the distance and shoveling plates of buffet food into his face, because only a glutton with ADD would complain about religion in school.
None of this is being pointed out because I find it unfair or insulting, but because it's blatant propaganda disguised as a thought-provoking What If scenario. All characters that aren't sympathetic to the book's 'message' are oversimplified caricatures designed specifically to prove the author's point. This is true for the entire court-room drama itself, which spends most of the time 'proving' that Jesus was a real historical figure. This leads to Grace saying at one point: “And every credible historian admits Jesus existed. There’s just too much evidence to say otherwise.” This is a very debatable statement, but you wouldn't think so since the defense is the only side that bothers bringing two historians up to testify, and the crafty ACLU lawyer practically lets slide. But that makes perfect sense, because God's Not Dead 2 isn't interested in any kind of debate. Like all propaganda, it's only aim is to present the other side's argument the way they perceive it, and in a way that is easily refutable by their own logic.
This is exemplified by the ridiculous way in which the trial ends. (Spoiler Alert: Jesus Wins). Realizing that they're going to lose because the jury doesn't care that they've unequivocally proven that Jesus was real, Endler plays reverse-psychology on the jury by turning on his client and demanding that society wipe out all Christians to prevent them from spreading their faith, revealing the true spirit behind separation of church and state laws, which guilts them into returning a not guilty verdict. It would seem like a ludicrous solution if you hadn't already slogged through dialogue like: "It’s the truth that scares so many people. It’s fear of the truth that keeps the name of Christ out of the classroom. The truth that says Jesus is the only way." And: "Do you know how many men and women are threatened by the idea of walking through the doors of a church?" The book builds it's own little reality in which the only reasons not to be Christian are fear and hatred, so by the end the court drama is only following the rules of this propagandized universe.
There are also some peculiarities to the book that defy even a religious explanation, such as how nearly every woman in the book takes the time to mention at least once how they have to be careful with calories so they watch what they eat. Is this something that all god-fearing women mention in casual conversation? And what's with the relentless plugging of Duck Dynasty and The Newsboys? Aren't there any other Christian entertainers out there? And if you're familiar with God's Not Dead, you have to wonder why there's an ongoing fascination with elderly dementia.
In the end, God's Not Dead 2 is nothing more than the pointless kind of simplistic propaganda that is geared towards the already converted, and even then only those incapable of rational thought or nuanced logic. Even if you do believe that God's Not Dead, you probably won't believe this book.
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for the previous film (which was named after the non-fiction text by Rice Brooks God's Not Dead: Evidence for God in an Age of Uncertainty), I will do my best not to compare this to either of the God's Not Dead films, and instead treat this as a stand-alone work. This is a bit more complicated considering that God's Not Dead 2 is a novelization of a film, it's questionable how much blame can be assigned to author Travis Thrasher for the major faults of the book. The weakness of the book lies not within the writing style itself, but rather the plot and characters that pass through it, neither of which Thrasher could have reasonably changed. But, that aside...
God's Not Dead 2 is balanced on the completely implausible premise that a teacher would be threatened with not only being fired, but having her teaching credentials revoked, merely for answering a question from a student about Jesus. It's a straw-man plot device used to support the film's main premise, which is that Christians are constantly being persecuted by angry atheists and the Godless secular state merely for having faith. In this case, the Christian being persecuted for her beliefs is high school history teacher Grace (get it?) Wesley, who is taken to court because she won't apologize and admit to being wrong for mentioning Jesus.
The story is told through the two main characters of book (alternating between first and third person, which I'm not a particular fan of), Grace's lawyer Tom Endler, and blogger Amy Ryan. These characters are going through their own crisis of faith, both having apparently abandoned their belief in God at a young age in rebellion against their religious parents. They're the only likeable non-believers in the book - spoiler alert, they both find God - as anyone associated with the Godless side of society is portrayed with some odious personality flaw. Most of them combine some level of success with a lack of emotion or overwhelming hostility. The principle of the school is a divorced power-hungry CEO, the ACLU lawyer is a manipulative bully hell-bent on removing Christianity from society, and even the parents of the girl who asked the Jesus question are greedy opportunists who hope that their daughter being involved in a constitutional court case will help her get into a good college (I'm not making this up). A Chinese student from God's Not Dead is brought back long enough for us to find out that his father has disowned him for accepting Jesus Christ into his life (The same thing happens to a Muslim girl in the original film). My personal favorite is the classmate responsible for the Jesus story getting out of the classroom in the first place, who spends his interview with Amy staring blankly into the distance and shoveling plates of buffet food into his face, because only a glutton with ADD would complain about religion in school.
None of this is being pointed out because I find it unfair or insulting, but because it's blatant propaganda disguised as a thought-provoking What If scenario. All characters that aren't sympathetic to the book's 'message' are oversimplified caricatures designed specifically to prove the author's point. This is true for the entire court-room drama itself, which spends most of the time 'proving' that Jesus was a real historical figure. This leads to Grace saying at one point: “And every credible historian admits Jesus existed. There’s just too much evidence to say otherwise.” This is a very debatable statement, but you wouldn't think so since the defense is the only side that bothers bringing two historians up to testify, and the crafty ACLU lawyer practically lets slide. But that makes perfect sense, because God's Not Dead 2 isn't interested in any kind of debate. Like all propaganda, it's only aim is to present the other side's argument the way they perceive it, and in a way that is easily refutable by their own logic.
This is exemplified by the ridiculous way in which the trial ends. (Spoiler Alert: Jesus Wins). Realizing that they're going to lose because the jury doesn't care that they've unequivocally proven that Jesus was real, Endler plays reverse-psychology on the jury by turning on his client and demanding that society wipe out all Christians to prevent them from spreading their faith, revealing the true spirit behind separation of church and state laws, which guilts them into returning a not guilty verdict. It would seem like a ludicrous solution if you hadn't already slogged through dialogue like: "It’s the truth that scares so many people. It’s fear of the truth that keeps the name of Christ out of the classroom. The truth that says Jesus is the only way." And: "Do you know how many men and women are threatened by the idea of walking through the doors of a church?" The book builds it's own little reality in which the only reasons not to be Christian are fear and hatred, so by the end the court drama is only following the rules of this propagandized universe.
There are also some peculiarities to the book that defy even a religious explanation, such as how nearly every woman in the book takes the time to mention at least once how they have to be careful with calories so they watch what they eat. Is this something that all god-fearing women mention in casual conversation? And what's with the relentless plugging of Duck Dynasty and The Newsboys? Aren't there any other Christian entertainers out there? And if you're familiar with God's Not Dead, you have to wonder why there's an ongoing fascination with elderly dementia.
In the end, God's Not Dead 2 is nothing more than the pointless kind of simplistic propaganda that is geared towards the already converted, and even then only those incapable of rational thought or nuanced logic. Even if you do believe that God's Not Dead, you probably won't believe this book.
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LibraryThing member Harley0326
I remember watching the first movie that the book was from and thinking how powerful it was. The challenge was to prove that God was real . I loved how the author gave the character strength and wisdom to fight for what he believes. In this second installment the same premise exists except it is
Grace is a sweet and lovely young woman who teaches history at a high school. When she references Jesus in an answer , that starts a downward spiral for her job. It seems that everyone is so sensitive to words that were not really preachy , just making a statement. After a student complains Grace finds herself trying to save her career. I loved how Grace was not upset with the student and held her ground on what she believes . Could you stand up to others and claim God is not dead? Would you have others to support you?
Tom is a lawyer who takes Grace's case. It is ironic that Tom is going to defend Grace since he doesn't believe God exists. I thought that was really a great way to witness to him by having him research and listening to others about the existence of God. Will he change what he believes? What I really liked about the book was that I didn't feel like it was preachy but stated viewpoints from both sides. Isn't is nice that we live in a country where we can freely express our beliefs ? I think about those in other countries that have to hide that they are Christians.
The story is fascinating and there are other characters in the book that play a vital part in the story. As you read the book you feel the passion that people have . I kept thinking about the right we have for freedom of speech. I don't take that likely and I think we see that right being displayed everyday. I loved the book and thought the story was well written and gave readers issues to think about.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bookfun.org. The review is my own opinion.
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now about a teacher. Grace is a sweet and lovely young woman who teaches history at a high school. When she references Jesus in an answer , that starts a downward spiral for her job. It seems that everyone is so sensitive to words that were not really preachy , just making a statement. After a student complains Grace finds herself trying to save her career. I loved how Grace was not upset with the student and held her ground on what she believes . Could you stand up to others and claim God is not dead? Would you have others to support you?
Tom is a lawyer who takes Grace's case. It is ironic that Tom is going to defend Grace since he doesn't believe God exists. I thought that was really a great way to witness to him by having him research and listening to others about the existence of God. Will he change what he believes? What I really liked about the book was that I didn't feel like it was preachy but stated viewpoints from both sides. Isn't is nice that we live in a country where we can freely express our beliefs ? I think about those in other countries that have to hide that they are Christians.
The story is fascinating and there are other characters in the book that play a vital part in the story. As you read the book you feel the passion that people have . I kept thinking about the right we have for freedom of speech. I don't take that likely and I think we see that right being displayed everyday. I loved the book and thought the story was well written and gave readers issues to think about.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bookfun.org. The review is my own opinion.
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LibraryThing member JenniferRobb
Based on the movie of the same name.
Teacher, Grace Westley answers a question about Jesus posed by one of her students during an AP history lesson on Ghandi and Martin Luther King Jr. and their nonviolence beliefs. She finds herself being reprimanded by the school and rather than apologize to end
Some characters from God's Not Dead make appearances. Pastor David Hill is a member of the jury for Grace's trial until appendicitis sidelines him. His Kenyan pastor friend covers the church while Hill is out. Amy Ryan is now in remission for her cancer--and (cheer) she rejects the guy who dumped her when he comes crawling back now that she's healthy again. She's got a new outlook on life but is still learning how to incorporate her faith in her life. Martin Yip is being tutored by Grace's attorney--and his Chinese family is not happy he's become a Christian--but Martin is convinced that Christianity is truth and refuses to back down.
The trial goes back and forth as to what exactly is on trial: Separation of Church and State, Freedom of Speech, Was Jesus a Historical Figure?, etc.
The movie was a bit more interesting to me than the book version.
Teacher, Grace Westley answers a question about Jesus posed by one of her students during an AP history lesson on Ghandi and Martin Luther King Jr. and their nonviolence beliefs. She finds herself being reprimanded by the school and rather than apologize to end
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the incident, she insists she's done nothing wrong and finds herself in a courtroom.Some characters from God's Not Dead make appearances. Pastor David Hill is a member of the jury for Grace's trial until appendicitis sidelines him. His Kenyan pastor friend covers the church while Hill is out. Amy Ryan is now in remission for her cancer--and (cheer) she rejects the guy who dumped her when he comes crawling back now that she's healthy again. She's got a new outlook on life but is still learning how to incorporate her faith in her life. Martin Yip is being tutored by Grace's attorney--and his Chinese family is not happy he's become a Christian--but Martin is convinced that Christianity is truth and refuses to back down.
The trial goes back and forth as to what exactly is on trial: Separation of Church and State, Freedom of Speech, Was Jesus a Historical Figure?, etc.
The movie was a bit more interesting to me than the book version.
Show Less
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