‘Can God Forgive Me?’ Incarcerated Teen’s Question Inspires Jimmy Jenkins’ New Film, God With Us
God With Us movie screenshot Jimmy Jenkins
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Filmmaker Jimmy Jenkins recently recounted how he visited a juvenile detention facility and shared the gospel with a 16-year-old boy who thought his crimes were beyond God’s forgiveness because he committed murder.
Jenkins, son of First Baptist Church of Glenarden Pastor John K. Jenkins, told The Christian Post that the teen interrupted him when he was preaching to young offenders in prison and that the subsequent conversation would be the inspiration for his new film, God With Us:
"He said, 'Hey, Jimmy, ain't no point of you preaching to us. God can't save us. You know we're murderers,'" Jenkins recalled the young man saying.
"He said, 'Jimmy, man, you make movies. You do this for a living. Can you just teach me the story of Jesus, but just put it in my neighborhood so I can better understand it?'" Jenkins added.
That conversation would inspire God With Us, a contemporary retelling of the Nativity set within an African American community.
"That's the people I'm trying to reach: the 16-year-old murderers, the juveniles who are in prison," Jenkins contended.
He maintained that the film is not an attempt to retell the gospel, noting that he would anticipate criticism for the film’s retelling of the biblical account.
"The whole purpose of this is just to reach a new audience, and sometimes you got to put it in their language for them to understand," he said, adding that his goal is to share the gospel to people who have never attended a church.
Additionally, the film takes a shot at religious hypocrisy and the prosperity gospel, as highlighted in one scene where a woman questions why the pastor drives a Cadillac while she struggles financially, despite being told to give to the church to be blessed.
“I feel like people have confused a good God with bad churches,” Jenkins said.
Ultimately, Jenkins hopes his film would reach people who consider themselves to be beyond receiving God’s grace, like the incarcerated teenager he spoke to.
"I would hope that it encourages them to give Jesus another try, and I would hope that it encourages them to go read the story of Jesus again," he said.
"I want to reach the worst people. I want to reach the prostitutes. I want to reach the murderers. I want to reach the robbers. …I just want them ultimately to feel like, yo, like God can still use me no matter what I've done. God can still use me."
God With Us is set to release in select theaters November 13th. The film reimagines the biblical story of Mary Anne Thomas, played by Ashley Olivia Fisher ("Average Joe"), and Joseph "Junie" Love, portrayed by Aspen Kennedy ("The Forge"), as they experience a miraculous pregnancy.
Photo Credit: YouTube / GOD WITH US | Official Trailer
Originally published November 04, 2026.
