Liberty University has caused quite a stir after it announced a group of students is helping to produce a movie that insinuates the Trump presidency was part of some divine plan. “The Trump Prophecy” follows the story of a Florida firefighter who is convinced that the Lord told gave him a prophetic message regarding Trump’s future victory.
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Mark Taylor released his book titled, “The Trump Prophecies: The Astonishing True Story of the Man Who Saw Tomorrow… and What He Says Is Coming Next” last summer. “The Trump Prophecy,” a feature-length movie based on the book, has been funded and produced by Charlotte-based ReelWorks Studios, with a budget of roughly $2 million. ReelWorks also helped produce a 2015 documentary based on the book “Four Blood Moons” by megachurch Pastor John Hagee.
“The enemy’s timeline has been denied by the Most-High God and it’s through Donald Trump a lot of this is being denied right now,” Taylor told CBN News. “And what God is saying right now is, ‘No, it’s not time right now’ because there are many things that God wants to accomplish on the earth right now.”
About 56 Liberty University students and several staff members from the Virginia university’s Cinematic Arts department will help with production as part of the department’s spring semester film project,The Christian Post reported.
Many are unsurprised by the controversial film coming out of the halls of Liberty. Jerry Falwell Jr, the president of what has been coined as the “largest Christian university in America,” has been a loyal supporter of Donald Trump ever since he announced his candidacy.
“I am proud to offer my endorsement of Donald J. Trump for President of the United States,” Falwell said in a statement released by the Trump campaign in January 2016, as reported by NPR. “He is a successful executive and entrepreneur, a wonderful father and a man who I believe can lead our country to greatness again.”
“It is truly an honor to receive Jerry’s endorsement,” Trump said in response. “Not only is he a high-quality person, with a wonderful family, whom I have great respect for — I also consider him a very good friend and his support means so much to me.”
Despite being shrouded in controversy ever since he took office, Falwell has said that “Mr. Trump lives a life of loving and helping others as Jesus taught in the New Testament.”
The head of the university’s Cinematic Arts department, Stephan Schultze, explained to The Christian Post that the film is not political, but is instead a celebration of the power of prayer and the Christian faith as a whole.
“[People] have come together in the recognition that those prayers have value and build community and build a strong bond that allows for a president like Donald Trump to be elected. It created a bond within the Christian community,” he said. “I hope it reflects an understanding that when people come together in prayer, how valuable that is not only for the people that are praying but for what they are praying for.”
Schultze said that the film is not an overt political endorsement of President Trump or his policies.
“I don’t think this has anything to do with any agenda related to supporting or not supporting Trump, from my perspective,” he added.
According to a statement Liberty sent to Vox, the students involved in the film production are doing so in a completely voluntary manner:
“Liberty University’s School of Cinematic Arts is collaborating with a prominent filmmaker on a movie based on the book The Trump Prophecies. While the university sees this as an excellent opportunity for film students to gain real world experience, students’ participation in this film is voluntary. No student is being forced to work on this film. Those who choose not to have already been told they can work on other projects with no impact to their grades or to their progress toward graduation.”
According to the movie’s website, “The Trump Prophecy” is an “inspirational message of Hope, highlighting the vast beauty and greatness of The United States, its electoral process and concludes by asking a panel of world leaders to respond to a few questions like: What does it mean to ‘make America great again?’ How does a healthy American economy affect world economics? What does the current US administration mean to the middle east and specifically Israel? How does a strong US military affect the world climate for peace?”