God's Not Dead 2 (2016)

Hayley Orrantia: Brooke Thawley

Photos 

Quotes 

• Brooke Thawley : You never let anything get to you. How do you do that?

  Grace Wesley : Jesus.

• Brooke Thawley : God's not dead!

• Judge Stennis : Young lady, your youth is no excuse for disturbing the sanctity of this court.

  Brooke Thawley : But this case is supposed to be about me. I'm almost 17 years old; it's not like I can't think for myself. I just don't have the right to speak.

  Catherine Thawley : Brooke, what are you doing?

  Judge Stennis : Not unless you are called as a witness, young lady.

  Tom Endler : [quietly to Grace]  If I put her on the stand, what am I gonna hear?

  Grace Wesley : That she asked a question and I answered it.

  Tom Endler : Your Honor, we'd like to call Ms. Brooke Thawley to the stand.

  Pete Kane : Objection, Your Honor! Ms. Thawley is a minor. Her parents do not want her subjected to the emotional pressure of testifying against her own teacher.

  Judge Stennis : Ms. Thawley, are you willing to testify on your own behalf?

  Brooke Thawley : Yes, Your Honor.

  Judge Stennis : And do you understand that you will have to answer all the questions truthfully, regardless of your feelings, and that failure to do so is punishable by law?

  Brooke Thawley : Yes, Your Honor. I'm not afraid of telling the truth. I'm only afraid of not being able to tell it.

• Brooke Thawley : Can you give Marlene and I a ride to school today?

  Richard Thawley : I'm sorry, honey, I don't have time. I have an 8:30 with Marc Shelley at White & Wolfe.

  Catherine Thawley : What? Richard, you didn't say anything! How did you get the meeting?

  Richard Thawley : Well, it's just a meeting, so don't get too excited. But it could be huge.

  Catherine Thawley : I know! Who's going to the meeting with you?

  Richard Thawley : Hey, I got the meeting.

  Catherine Thawley : I know, I just think maybe you should take Melinda or Janice.

  Richard Thawley : Jan... Janice? You want me to take Janice?

  Catherine Thawley : Yeah, why not?

  Richard Thawley : I'm not taking Janice.

• Brooke Thawley : You wanted to see me?

  Principal Kinney : Ms. Wesley is currently under disciplinary review. All of her classes have been reassigned until things are settled. I don't want you to have any contact with her. None whatsoever, either on or off school property.

  Brooke Thawley : Do I have any say in this?

  Principal Kinney : No. I've already discussed things with your father and he agrees.

  Brooke Thawley : Since when does my dad care?

  Principal Kinney : Brooke, the important thing for you to remember is you've done nothing wrong.

  Brooke Thawley : Neither did Ms. Wesley. All she did was answer a question.

  Principal Kinney : Ms. Wesley's answer was not in line with school policy.

  Brooke Thawley : Really? I mean, aren't we allowed to say what we believe? When did that change?

• Marlene : Rough morning?

  Brooke Thawley : You know my parents.

  Marlene : Maybe they just need a little more time.

  Brooke Thawley : I don't know about that. I'd say they're pretty over it.

  Marlene : My mom's making tacos tonight. I'll let her know you're coming.

  Brooke Thawley : It's not like they'll miss me.

  Catherine Thawley : [stopping by them on the way out of the driveway]  Brooke, I'm serious, honey. You need to get focused or you could say, "Goodbye Stanford, hello Somewhere State."

  Brooke Thawley : Got it.

  Marlene : [as Catherine drives away]  Yikes.

• Grace Wesley : And so peaceful nonviolence comes first in India under Gandhi, and then later here in the United States under Dr. King and others as a means of achieving civil rights. But what makes nonviolence so radical is its unwavering commitment to a nonviolent approach, not just initially, but in the face of escalating persecution by the opposing force.

  [Brooke raises her hand] 

  Grace Wesley : Yes?

  Brooke Thawley : Isn't that sort of like what Jesus meant when he said that we should love our enemies?

  Grace Wesley : Yes. Uh, the writer of the Gospel of Matthew records Jesus as saying, "You have heard it said love your neighbor and hate your enemy, but I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you will be children of your Father in heaven," which indicates a commitment to nonviolence. Dr. King confirmed the link, describing his inspiration from Scripture, saying Christ furnished the spirit and motivation, while Gandhi furnished the method.

  Slacker Kid : Except that that didn't work. Jesus got himself killed and everybody knows that.

  Grace Wesley : Well, so did Dr. King. So I guess it just depends on how you measure success. Both men created movements that survive to this day, even though both paid the ultimate price for their commitment to their ideals.

  Slacker Kid : I still wouldn't do it.

  Grace Wesley : Well, not very many people have that kind of courage. But I, for one, am grateful for those that do, you know, those who stand up for what they believe.

• Brooke Thawley : And now it's become this huge deal, and all she did was answer my question.

  Amy Ryan : Why do you think your parents are doing this?

  Brooke Thawley : Because my mom thinks it'll help me get into Stanford, or one of the Ivys, and my dad thinks it'll help pay for it.

  Amy Ryan : And nobody's asked you what you think?

  Brooke Thawley : No. So, are you gonna help her?

  Amy Ryan : I don't know. I would at least like to talk to her. Maybe I could help get her story out there.

  Brooke Thawley : Great, because everyone's telling me to stay out of it.

  Amy Ryan : Do you always do what you're told? What is your heart telling you to do?

• Brooke Thawley : He just had so many notes written in the margins that for the first time, I felt like I was truly getting to know my brother. Like God gave me the extra five minutes that I so desperately needed with him. I just don't understand why he never told me about his faith.

  Martin Yip : Sharing one's faith with family, especially not knowing how they will react, can be difficult.

  Brooke Thawley : Count our struggles as blessings, right?

  Martin Yip : That is exactly right. There are more than five minutes awaiting you and your brother. John 11:25-26 says, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live even if he dies. And whoever lives and believes in me will never die." Do you believe this?

  Brooke Thawley : I do.

  Martin Yip : Then invite him into your heart and make him the Lord of your life.

  Brooke Thawley : [closing her eyes]  Dear Lord, I'm not quite sure what to say, but thank you for dying on the cross for me. Please forgive me of my sin. Jesus, please come into my life, and I will follow you as my Lord and Savior.

  Martin Yip : Amen.

  Brooke Thawley : [wiping tears from her eyes]  Thank you.

• Brooke Thawley : [listening to Martin play the piano at church]  That was beautiful.

  Martin Yip : [jumping in surprise]  Forgive me, but I did not know anyone was here.

  Brooke Thawley : Oh, no. Please don't apologize. I didn't mean to interrupt. I just didn't know where else to go.

  Martin Yip : I'm Martin.

  Brooke Thawley : I'm Brooke. Do you think I could ask you a few questions?

  Martin Yip : That would be fine.

  Brooke Thawley : Good, 'cause I have a lot.

• Pete Kane : Ms. Thawley, do you like Ms. Wesley?

  Brooke Thawley : Yes.

  Pete Kane : Would you say she's your favorite teacher?

  Brooke Thawley : Yes, absolutely.

  Pete Kane : Do you think Ms. Wesley likes you?

  Tom Endler : Objection. Speculative.

  Pete Kane : Your Honor, speaks to the state of mind of the witness, if not Ms. Wesley herself.

• Tom Endler : Grace, I want you to do something for me, something for everyone in this courtroom. I want you to apologize. I want you to say you're sorry and that you made a mistake.

  Pete Kane : Your Honor, what's going on here?

  Tom Endler : Do it, Grace.

  Grace Wesley : I can't do that.

  Tom Endler : Why? Why can't you do that, Grace?

  Grace Wesley : Because I don't believe I did anything wrong.

  Tom Endler : Well, as your attorney, I'm advising you to do it anyway. To at least pretend that you're sorry and throw yourself on the mercy of the court.

  Brooke Thawley : [watching from the gallery]  What?

  Grace Wesley : That would be a lie.

  Tom Endler : So what? Everyone lies.

  Grace Wesley : Not everyone.

  Tom Endler : Are... are you looking to become a martyr?

  Pete Kane : [quietly to his second chair]  What in the world is he doing?

  Simon Boyle : I have no idea.

• Pete Kane : After all of your Bible readings, do you feel now that you're a believer?

  Brooke Thawley : Yes.

  Pete Kane : Maybe even a Christian?

  Brooke Thawley : Yes.

  Pete Kane : At the risk of seeming redundant, do you think any of this, the Bible readings, the question about Jesus in class, the newfound commitment to Christianity, is it likely that any of that would've occurred without Ms. Wesley's direct involvement?

  Brooke Thawley : No, it wouldn't.

  Pete Kane : I thank you for your honesty.

• Pete Kane : What did you mean when you said that you had talks about faith outside of school?

  Brooke Thawley : My brother died in an accident six months ago. Ms. Wesley noticed that I wasn't doing so well, so she asked me if everything was all right after class.

  Pete Kane : Mm-hmm.

  Brooke Thawley : I told her I was fine, but I went and found her later on at the coffee shop.

  Pete Kane : And did Ms. Wesley refer you to any kind of psychological counseling?

  Brooke Thawley : No.

  Pete Kane : Uh, did she suggest that perhaps she wasn't the right person to be discussing this with you?

  Brooke Thawley : No.

  Pete Kane : Well, then what did Ms. Wesley do?

  Brooke Thawley : She was really nice. We talked for a long time and I could tell that she really cared.

  Pete Kane : Mm.

  Brooke Thawley : I asked her how she kept it all together so well, and she said, "Jesus."

  Pete Kane : So, she's the one who brought up Jesus? Did her endorsement of Jesus move you to explore Christianity?

  Brooke Thawley : Yes, at first. But when the Salvation Army came to pick up my brother's things, one of the ladies found his Bible and she gave it to me. I didn't even know that he had one.

  Pete Kane : Mm.

  Brooke Thawley : So I started reading it, and once I started, I realized that I didn't wanna stop. That's why. That's why I came up with the question that I asked in class.

  Pete Kane : Now, if I understand you correctly, without Ms. Wesley's direct involvement, you never would've asked that question in the first place, would you?

  Brooke Thawley : I don't know.

• Tom Endler : Brooke, in class, who first brought up the name Jesus, you or Ms. Wesley?

  Brooke Thawley : I did.

  Tom Endler : As part of a question?

  Brooke Thawley : Yes.

  Tom Endler : And at that time, did you feel like you were asking a faith-based question?

  Brooke Thawley : No, not really. It just seemed like Martin Luther King and Jesus were saying similar things, so I brought it up.

  Tom Endler : And did you consider Ms. Wesley's response to be a reasonable answer to your question?

  Brooke Thawley : Yes.

  Tom Endler : So if I'm hearing you correctly, you asked a question in history class about a historical figure, and your history teacher answered it in a sensible manner?

  Brooke Thawley : Yes.

  Tom Endler : Thank you.

  [to Kane] 

  Tom Endler : Your witness.

• Pete Kane : Do you think there's any possibility that in answering your question, she may have tried to share some of the ideas of her faith, a faith that she holds most dear?

  Brooke Thawley : No, uh, no, not at that moment.

  Pete Kane : Not at that moment. You mean to say that there were other moments in which she talked to you about her faith?

  [the courtroom notices her react] 

  Pete Kane : Hmm? Ms. Thawley, please?

  Judge Stennis : You must answer the question, Ms. Thawley.

  Brooke Thawley : Yes, but it was outside of school and it was only one time.

  Tom Endler : Move to strike. Your Honor, this is irrelevant. No actions off the school campus are at issue here.

  Judge Stennis : Denied. Mr. Kane seems to have found a loose thread. I'm inclined to let him pull it. See what unravels.

  Pete Kane : Thank you, Your Honor.

  Tom Endler : [quietly to Grace]  Why didn't you tell me about this?

  Grace Wesley : You didn't ask, and I didn't think it mattered.