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Tom Neven (Plugged In) writes, "Pastor Taylor opens a sermon with, 'The God I serve is an awesome God.' This, in turn, is an awesome film. It has been a long time since such a clear presentation of the gospel, in both word and deed, has appeared on the big screen. Best of all, this gospel message is woven into a compelling story of realistic, flawed human beings who know they need God's grace. There's nary a plaster saint in sight, and there's no moral merely tacked onto the end of this story; it's lived throughout.

And the music! Anyone whose toe is not tapping by the end simply can't hear."

Rosemarie Ute Hoffman (Christian Spotlight) says, "Hardy … has done a brilliant job in making art imitate life. He skillfully removes the veil from our eyes as he exposes each layer—the inner-workings of church, the complicated relationships in the midst of church family, the humanness of spiritual leaders, and how they often confuse progression for spotlight."

David DiCerto (Catholic News Service) says, "You wouldn't expect a soulful reimagining of the New Testament prodigal son parable from a filmmaker whose credits include mostly erotic thrillers. But that's what director Rob Hardy has crafted … an elevating, if melodramatic, redemption tale that raises the roof as it lifts your spirit."

But he adds, "From a dramatic standpoint, however, the movie could have used less hand-clapping and more story and character development. Dynamic though they are, the gospel performances begin to feel like padding for an undernourished script."

DiCerto's reservations about the film's artistry is echoed in many mainstream reviews, and the film is being poorly received by most secular publications.

Laura Kern (New York Times) says, "Set against a lively, music-filled African-American church, The Gospel … endeavors to be a powerful tale of faith and forgiveness, but in the end fails to capture even the slightest essence of spirituality and religious belief, or to provide any real insight into its characters' conflicts, desires and motivations."

More mainstream film reviews of the film are posted here.

Mike Furches (Hollywood Jesus) writes, "Why did the church not get behind this film and support it as they have virtually most other 'religious' film of recent years? I was troubled by that and still am, especially when considering that this is a rather thought provoking retelling of the Prodigal Son out of the Gospel of Luke. While the story is contemporized, the reality of it is that the story is just as thought provoking as ever and addresses various spiritual themes that one would think the church would support.

"Are there easy answers to that question? I don't think so, one of the most obvious, which I would hope is not true, is that because the movie is centered around the black church . . . ."

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