Liberty University Film Students Don’t Want Their Names Attached to Prophecy Propaganda Movie

I am a Liberty University grad, and I bristle with resentment when I see comments from those who now deem the quality of my education there as “less.”

Such obnoxious snipes take away from the hard work of the professors, as well as all the students who put in the work and effort to make their presence at the school something worthwhile and Christ-centered.

With all that aside, I understand the beef some have with Liberty University, especially now.

Liberty University’s president, Jerry Falwell, Jr. works more at ingratiating himself to President Trump than he does at, “training champions for Christ,” as the school line boasts.

In fact, when you consider the censorship of student groups that oppose the de facto connection to a man the student body resoundingly rejected during the 2016 primary season, that line could probably be changed. Because of Falwell’s stubborn pursuit of Donald Trump’s approval, it could possibly be reworded, “training champions for Trump.”

But that’s not what the students want.

I’ve written here before about an upcoming film, “The Trump Prophecy,” as well as the involvement of the Liberty University cinematic arts department.

The origins of the so-called “prophecy” begin with a firefighter named Mark Taylor, who claims in 2011 God told him that Donald Trump would be president.

Taylor’s “prophecy” contains a lot of contradiction and confusion.

He claims God told him in 2011 that Donald Trump would win the “next election,” which was in 2012. He also claimed God showed him tons of money being thrown at keeping Barack Obama in office, but it wouldn’t happen.

Well…

He later claimed that the prophecy that he spoke of first in April 2016 wasn’t for the “next” election from when he had the prophecy in 2011, but the next, “next election,” meaning 2016.

Ok. So how does he explain saying that they would pour out money, attempting to keep Obama in office? Everybody knows Obama served his two terms and was gone in 2016, no matter what.

And of course, there was a lot of talk of how everyone would respect and revere America again, because of Trump’s greatness. We know that hasn’t happened. Our allies no longer trust us and our enemies have been given a foothold.

This upcoming film is nothing but propaganda to hook the evangelical crowd even more securely.

A petition has been circulating, in attempts to disconnect Liberty from the project, but it may be too late. The movie is set to open in early October in 1,000 theaters around the nation.

The Liberty students are not only objecting to the political nature of the movie but the fact that it centers on the prophecies of Taylor, who has drawn the ire of many critics for some of his claims.

“For the university, by stamping our name on this film, we are telling the world that this is what we believe: radical prophecies about a controversial man make him a Godsend,” a senior film student recently told PJ Media. “While the school is not creating or financing the film, the act of partnering with the film arguably ties the school to the film in the way these students and graduates fear.”

Of those other claims, Taylor says that Trump will appoint five Supreme Court justices. Until that happens, feel free to maintain your skepticism.

The producers of the film are trying to downplay the reliance on this man’s “prophecy” (Guys, it’s in the title) and say it’s more about the power of prayer, and how a movement of prayer brought us Donald Trump.

I was part of a weekly prayer group, meeting by phone twice a week to pray for this nation and for a godly, dignified, competent candidate to rise and help set the nation right, again. None of us were thinking about Donald Trump.

It was the school’s Cinematic Arts Department director, Stephan Schultze’s relationship with producer Rick Eldridge that brought about this project.

In late 2017 Eldridge, who previously worked on the film based on Pastor John Hagee’s book, “Four Blood Moons,” reached out to Schultze about having his students help with the new project.

According to the Change.org petition, however, “[s]ome Cinematic Arts students have expressed that they are disheartened by being forced to be a part of promoting a man that they don’t agree with.”

“They were originally told that they would be doing very different projects and were only told about this new film project at the beginning of the spring semester,” the petition claims. “Many do not want this movie on their resume and some are even considering using aliases on IMDB or dropping out.”

Imagine desiring a career in filmmaking, but being so offended by a project you feel forced to work on, as you work towards that end, that you would rather use an alias.

Some of the students got the impression that Eldridge was only using them as free labor to get the film out there. Not surprising, considering that pretty much everything attached to Donald Trump is part of a long con, anyway.

“Many of us felt used at times, which was another reason why we petitioned against the film in the first place,” the source said.

They were giving other options, but they were put in that difficult position of working on this project or accepting work on things that would be of less value, as far as experience.

Sometimes you have to make sacrifices for the sake of principle, kids.

They also objected to what they saw as the “political agenda” behind the script.

“The film did have a political agenda, which we were against,” the source added.

The senior film student who spoke with PJ Media argued that the film could “significantly discredit our film program.”

“It’s not just a video — it’s a feature length movie that will have a theatrical release in October,” the student added.

Propaganda. The word you’re looking for is “propaganda.”

Schultze released a statement, meant to silence the concerns of the students – another big thing with Liberty University, these days – silencing students.

“Liberty University did not create or finance ‘The Trump Prophecy.’ Nor has it financed the other four feature films made with the Cinema Arts Department over the past six years since its inception,” he wrote. “All were financed through investor-financed production companies that want to help educate the next generation of filmmakers. Film production opportunities of this caliber equip our students with skills essential to their career advancement after graduating.”

Schultz added that students were not forced to work on the movie.

“All students taking these productions courses for the major were offered alternative film production opportunities if they desired and one student took that option,” Schultze explained.

Would it be a violation of Godwin’s Law if I said something about renaming the cinematic arts department at Liberty to the Goebbels Center for Excellence in Film, or something like that?

“We hoped his political engagement would subside after the election, but it only seems to have grown, and at the expense of the university’s reputation and now apparently, its theological foundation,” Joseph McGowan, a pre-law and cinematic arts Liberty graduate, told PJ Media.

“The message of ‘The Trump Prophecy’ seems to be at odds with what the Cinematic Arts Department teaches about craft, and where its professors’ passions lie, and opposed to what the School of Divinity holds up as a spiritual standard,” McGowan added. “But increasingly, Jerry Jr. seems to see the university as a tool for his political causes rather than an institution worth carefully guarding.”

Indeed.

I don’t know what Falwell’s end game is, other than to get close to power. It has driven him near-insane (as anyone reading his social media feed can tell you).

Not only does Falwell Jr. engage in daily praise of Trump, but has, in recent weeks, suggested (and doubled down on, when questioned) that anyone speaking against Trump or not serving Trump’s immediate purpose should “rot in prison.” Among those he would like to see rot in prison are Attorney General Jeff Sessions and FBI Director Christopher Wray – both appointed by Trump, himself.

He also recently sneered at the respect shown to deceased Senator John McCain during his funeral ceremonies.

I’m going to say this: I thought, in life, McCain was a horrible squish, as far as politics, but I never doubted the man’s character, or his sacrifice to his nation. His funeral ceremonies were a wonderful celebration of bipartisan respect, and working together to get things done.

If you’re one of those attacking the man or his family now because of the disdain Trump had for him, then you are a petty, horrible person, with no morals or decency.

Jerry Falwell Jr. is a petty, horrible person. He has no morals or decency.

We’ll have to wait to see the outcome of this film project, but the saddest, most disturbing part isn’t that troublesome “prophecy” is being harnessed for propaganda and profit. It’s that we’re going to see some churches promote this sham with “movie night” showings.

Yeah. I won’t be going.