'God's Not Dead 2' star Melissa Joan Hart speaks out on faith issues in movie
"God's Not Dead 2" lead star Melissa Joan Hart has talked about faith issues in the movie and said Christian persecution at present has reached a whole new level.
In "God's Not Dead 2," Melissa Joan Hart plays high school history teacher, Grace Wesley, who gets into trouble after answering a student's question by bringing up Jesus' teachings. The school demands an apology from her for violating the policy of the separation of church and state, but she refuses to do so, prompting the students' parents to sue her in a landmark case that seeks to disprove Christ's existence, according to Chicago Sun-Times.
The "God's Not Dead 2" actress revealed that she received a lot of backlash for popularizing magic and witchcraft in her longtime role as a witch on the television show "Sabrina, The Teenage Witch." Now that she is playing the role of a persecuted Christian woman, people are still criticizing her, Hart revealed.
While making the movie, Hart said she was made aware of the stark contrast between the situation of Christians then and now. Before, Christians were part of the biggest religious movement. But now, she has observed that Christianity has become a minority and is now the one being ignored or stamped upon.
However, Hart chooses to remain committed to Christianity, and said she felt playing the lead role in "God's Not Dead 2" was a calling.
"Today, there are a lot of Christians being persecuted for their faith," said Hart. "Far beyond the freedoms this country was founded on."
In addition, Hart talked about the different segments of Christianity, including Catholic, Methodist, Presbyterian, and Evangelical. The actress acknowledged that each group has a different interpretation of faith, but she is hoping that "God's Not Dead 2" will help them arrive at a more respectful discussion on the role of religion in present society.
"God's Not Dead 2," which stars Melissa Joan Hart, will premiere in theaters on Apr. 1.
