The trailer of a new film that addresses the question "Is the Gospel enough?" has been released.
Written by Wes Halula, Thor Ramsey and Bob Saenz, "Church People" is a comedy film that reminds the sufficiency of the Gospel, The Christian Post reported.
The movie features Stephen Baldwin and Thor Ramsey, with special appearances by Joey Fatone, Chynna Phillips, Donald Faison and Billy Baldwin.
The film's synopsis says that it is a story of real people with struggles and their journey towards the discovery of the truth about faith in Jesus. The story begins with Guy Sides, a youth pastor who is caught between a megachurch marketing machine and his desire to find his passion again. But when the youth pastor tries to return "to the heart of ministry, he is thrust into the throes of dissuading his zany church leadership from performing a strange and potentially blasphemous stunt for the upcoming Easter service while navigating his own personal problems."
The summary further says that the movie "exposes the wacky heights some people will go in the evangelical subculture while revealing God's out-of-this-world grace through a poignantly redemptive climax."
The trailer shows a senior pastor who wants to do something big to help bring in more people into the church, big enough to be captured by national headlines. This "big thing" would take holding "an actual crucifixion" for a Good Friday service.
To which Guy reacted saying, "Bigger than the resurrection?" confused about his senior pastor's idea implying that preaching focusing on the Gospel is not enough.
The movie features the danger "of the entertainment-driven church," an issue reportedly tackled by church leaders and pastors.
Christine Caine, a Bible teacher, criticized the modern church for focusing on being cool rather than holiness. She gave a warning stating that revival will not happen unless the Body of Christ returns its focus to "righteousness, joy and peace."
She urged the churches to give importance to prayer.
"I'm on a campaign to pull prayer out of the basement and put it on the pulpit and put it front and center. We got a bit embarrassed because in our coolness, in between our skinny jeans and tattoos, beautiful light section and camera, we thought, 'prayer is not cool, prayer is embarrassing. A smoke machine will do the job.' And what we've discovered is smoke machines haven't saved anyone. Look at the mess that the world's in," she said.
"Instead of being in the world, not of it, we became of it and we're no longer in it. And so the challenge is then you've got no power, and power comes through intercessory prayer," Caine continued.
The Bible teacher further said that the churches have to show the "lost and dying world" that we Christians do not care if they think we're not cool but that we are wholly dependent on God.
Directed by Christopher Shawn Shaw, the movie will be released by Fathom Event on March 13-15, 2021.
