"God's Not Dead 2" (PG, 2:01) is a fantasy – and I am NOT (repeat, NOT) referring to the religious beliefs at the film's core. At the Movie Fan Community Facebook Page, we conscientiously avoid taking sides when it comes to religion, politics, or controversial social issues. We simply evaluate movies on their own individual merits. Before "God's Not Dead 2", we previously reviewed about a dozen faith-based movies since starting this page in January 2015 – and we've reviewed the majority of them positively (e.g. "The Young Messiah", "Risen" and "Do You Believe?") and, although we didn't review it, we also saw the original "God's Not Dead". This sequel stands as one of the most unrealistic faith-based films we have ever seen (and, again, we are not referring to the film's biblical message). Our staff includes a former high school history teacher and an attorney. We think you'll find this review to be an objective and well-informed critique and a fair evaluation of this particular movie's own plusses and minuses.

While certainly very much in the spirit of its predecessor, "God's Not Dead 2" features an entirely new plot, but brings back some of the same characters from the 2014 original. Reverend Dave (David A. R. White) and Reverend Jude (Benjamin Onyango) reunite at Reverend Dave's church, while Chinese college student, Martin Yip (Paul Kwo) and blogger Amy Ryan (Trisha LaFache) each continue the respective faith journeys they began when each became Christians in the first film, plus the Christian rock band "Newsboys" again has a couple scenes. Other minor cast members worthy of note include "Duck Dynasty" cast member Sadie Robertson in her first feature film and the late Fred Thompson in a scene which marks his final on-screen role. Of course, as interesting as all that is, the main point of this movie is a second attempt by Pure Flix Entertainment, their go-to writing team of Chuck Konzelman and Cary Solomon, and returning director Harold Cronk to prove to Movie Fans that God is not dead.

This time around, instead of in a college classroom, issues of faith come up in a high school classroom and the main debate is not between an atheist professor and his student, but between lawyers in an Arkansas courtroom. The trouble starts when public school history student Brooke Thawley (Hayley Orrantia) asks her teacher, committed Christian Grace Wesley (Melissa Joan Hart),a question about Jesus' teachings as they relate to the Civil Rights Movement and Grace answers Brooke by quoting a passage from the New Testament. The phrasing of the question and the answer both sound purely academic in nature, but the principal (Robin Givens) and Brooke's parents (Carey Scott and Maria Canals-Barrera) are very upset and Grace soon finds herself appearing before the local school board.

Grace refuses to apologize for the way she answered Brooke's question, so the board lets the case go to court. Brooke's parents are represented by ACLU attorney Pete Kane (Ray Wise) who professes to hate everything Grace stands for. Grace's attorney, Tom Endler (Jesse Metcalfe) is a non-Christian "low man on the totem pole" provided by Grace's teacher's union. Tom is determined to win his case and Grace's grandfather (Pat Boone),whom she cares for in her home, encourages her, but she's afraid that she'll lose everything is she loses her court case. Reverend Dave ends up on the jury, blogger Amy Ryan's interest is peaked and this situation has a big impact on Brooke's life as well. Plus, the whole nation seems to be watching to see whether the name of Jesus will be barred from the classroom. Tom has to establish that Grace's classroom discussion with Brooke was historical and, therefore, academic in nature. He decides that the best way to prove his case is to prove Jesus' existence as an actual historical figure. As part of his case, he calls witnesses who include famous real-life atheists-turned-Christian authors Lee Strobel and J. Warner Wallace. Then, this young lawyer pulls a couple late trial tricks that are shocking to see the judge (Ernie Hudson) allow and to see opposing counsel not fight against harder.

"God's Not Dead 2" is well-acted and mostly well-directed, but it buries its own message underneath a pile of implausible plot points and dialog. The script imagines a world in which the mere mention of Jesus' name in a public school classroom could get a teacher fired and her teaching certificate revoked. Although some recent court decisions have gone against the Christian perspective on certain issues, the country that this film portrays simply does not exist. Nor does a courtroom exist in which the types of legal arguments and tactics that we see in this film could be employed. This movie furthers its fantasy by filling its world with non-Christians who are always bad people – uncaring parents, angry protesters, stupid judges and evil lawyers – even casting a man who once played the devil in a TV series as the plaintiff's attorney – and having him glower in the courtroom scenes as if he really were Satan himself.

Those stereotypes represent the exception rather than the rule in real life and they're insulting – both to those who aren't Christians, and to those who are, but also have friends and acquaintances beyond the walls of their church. One-dimensional characters do this film no favors, nor does the script jumping back and forth between trying to prove that God is alive and that a teacher should be able to speak Jesus' name in an academic context, but actually proving neither. The more our staff members discussed this movie, the more we became concerned about the blood pressure of the lawyer on our staff. Furthermore, the movie ends with a post-credits scene setting up another sequel. We hope #3 improves on #2's fallacious story. "D"

The life of the Creator/Deity of the infinite universe of time, space, and matter gets a second go round in God's Not Dead 2. In this film, Advanced Placement History teacher Melissa Joan Hart is suspended when she quotes from the Gospel of Matthew in answer to a student's question concerning Jesus, Gandhi, and Martin Luther King. Somebody tapes the lesson and Hart's hauled up before the school board and then put on trial. For what I'm still not sure as this is not a criminal matter. Now what John Thomas Scopes was put on trial for teaching evolution back in the 20s, that was a criminal matter. All that should be happening here is a legal appeal of an administrative ruling and certainly that is civil.

I remember many years ago in New York City in the Bronx I believe there was a teacher fired for bringing up Jesus as her evangelical faith tells her she has to. She was told that she could not be talking about religion. With all seriousness and ingenuousness she replied she wasn't talking about religion to her students, she was talking about Jesus. That got her deservedly canned. Poor woman had not a clue.

The school board retains the biggest villain in the evangelical modern world, the American Civil Liberties Union. Ray Wise is a properly smarmy lawyer whom if he wore a handlebar mustache would be twirling it. Hart's lawyer is Jesse Metcalfe late of the revived TV Dallas and he's the hero of the piece saving Hart's job and right to her beliefs.

I brought up the Scopes Trial and those of us who've seen any version of Inherit The Wind remember that the judge ruled out scientific expert testimony about evolution. That's not what happens here as Jesse Metcalfe is allowed to bring in religious 'expert' testimony from some real folk playing themselves. I guess different rules apply in Judge Ernie Hudson's court. Mike Huckabee is playing himself as Fox New commentator and he's probably cursing the fact that God's Not Dead 2 was released after he called a halt to his presidential campaign.

The original God's Not Dead was a Christian propaganda piece, but in terms of the film the story was interestingly presented. This one played like a long episode story from the 700 Club. I'm sure it will play heavily on the Christian film circuit and will be rented a lot by youth pastors all over the Bible Belt once it goes to DVD.

It's a truly simplistic world these folks live in. They're right, the Bible is the word of God not to be questioned or given alternative interpretation. And those who don't believe are either sinners beyond redemption or a fertile evangelical field to be plowed.

Seeing the united front the kids give Melissa Joan Hart in support you know this is a Bible Belt community she's from. I wonder if there are any kids openly saying that she was wrong. God help them, the gay kids must be very deep in the closet there.

Clarissa didn't explain it all. Or if she did, I must have missed it this time. Frankly, Clarissa's pet alligator Elvis could've made a more coherent thing.

Oh hey, c'mon, clearly these Christians in America are so persecuted! Thats why there are thousands of them at the end/at that concert yelling God's Not Dead. Makes sense, don't it? It clearly took a lot for a 2016 movie to be more offensive, idiotic, wrong-headed, and not comprehending on the most rudimentary of levels how ANYTHING WORKS than Collateral Beauty... This went the distance. God's Not Dead 2 is at best pathetic and confused about the message it wants to convey. At worst, it paints a dangerous picture about how people, who may be ignorant or not know any better, may/will perceive how things work like the *constitution of the United States* and the courts and is not at ALL how it works.

Ray Wise and Ernie Hudson, please tell me you donated your salaries to the ACLU and/or Planned Parenthood, otherwise what the in the unholy (Bleep) are you DOING in this? Does Leland Palmer have more Garmonbozia he owes to the Black Lodge??

This should anger reasonable-minded Christians as if not more than agnostics or atheists or like you know ANY SINGLE OTHER RELIGION - this makes you look like insecure maniacs. Aside from this - like the first one didn't understand how things like college works - it uses its position to constantly play the victim card. I am (NOT) sorry, but the fact that you can pull together millions of dollars (even if it's only a million, since this is so cheaply made aa these all are) to make something like a motion picture with actors and a crew is proof enough that you are not in a minority position. You just aren't.

Bleep times a hundred. Even the production quality makes made-for- Hallmark pap look like Alfonso Cuaron. I don't have the energy to write a longer review for now...

Wait, I'm not done, one last thing - I'm an English teacher at a community college where the student populous is largely if not all Christian. I've taught Letter From a Birmingham Jail many times. Shame on this bland hunk of nightmare fuel for bringing that into this propo.