The God Who Speaks, awarded Best Documentary at the 2018 Christian Worldview Film Festival, begins with a question.
What if God could communicate with us?
The 90-minute film, featuring interviews with 23 Christian experts, goes on to explore the Bible's divine voice and authority. First Baptist Church of Plant City will host a screening of the movie at 5 p.m. on Sunday (Sept. 16).
Directed by M.D. Perkins, The God Who Speaks addresses criticism of scripture as inerrant and those who question if its God-inspired. Contributors include theological scholars, pastors and Biblical apologists. Those interviewed comment on Old and New Testament topics ranging from historical accuracy to significance.
The Bible differs from other ancient texts because it offers eyewitness accounts, says Kevin DeYoung, senior pastor of Christ Covenant Church in Matthews, North Carolina.
"This good news is rooted in history," he says, speaking of the Sermon on the Mount and Christ's miracles.
Why are some books left out of the Old Testament?
"Jesus and the Apostles did not use those books as scripture," says Michael J Kruger, New Testament and Early Christianity Professor at Reform Theological Seminary in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Who wrote the New Testament books? When were they written and how did they spread?
The Gospels were written down in the first century but some years after Jesus's life and death because the living voices were dying off, says Ben Witherington, New Testament Professor at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky.
The God Who Speaks also offers come backs to skeptics who say the authors of the Gospels fabricated the resurrection.
"There would be no New Testament unless there was a resurrection," says Frank Turek of Cross Examination Ministries, asserting that any Jewish person who claimed such things would have faced persecution and torture, which are not great incentives for inventing a false religion.
The documentary notes the existence of more than 66,000 written manuscripts and scrolls of the Bible. The first scrolls took extensive work to create and in some cases, measured more than 20-feet long. Why take the time and effort to transcribe every word if those words weren't inspired, contributors say.
Those who consider the book "boring and irrelevant" must not know its author, says J Ligon Duncan III, professor of systematic and reformed theology at Reformed Theological Seminary.
Though the film showcases no opposing viewpoints, it provides a well-researched look at the Bible through the eyes of believers who study it. The movie is family-friendly but is unlikely to keep the attention of young children. I suggest it for viewers 10 and older.
First Baptist Church of Plant City is located at 3309 James L Redman Parkway. Admission is free and child care is available. For more information, call (813) 752-4104.
The God Who Speaks is also available on DVD and Amazon Video, as well as online in digital form. For more information, visit thegodwhospeaks.org.
