Christians should be free to talk about Jesus without fear of it making others uncomfortable, Melissa Joan Hart, star of God's Not Dead 2, has said.
In an interview with Metro, the 40-year-old actress said: "In the past few years, I've been taking my religion seriously, taking Bible study and praying. I find that if you say 'Jesus', it makes people feel uncomfortable instead of feeling love and peace. It's very unfortunate.
"The idea with the movie is that Jesus shouldn't be an uncomfortable name to say... Whether or not you believe he is the Messiah, Jesus started a huge movement that changed our world. Why is it not OK to talk about that?"
God's Not Dead 2, out in the UK on Friday, stars Hart as a teacher who is taken to court for answering a question about Jesus in the classroom. It follows God's Not Dead, in which an atheist professor challenges a Christian student to prove the existence of God.
Hart told Metro that the growth of her personal faith has been "sort of a snowball effect". She grew up Catholic, but later converted to Presbyterianism along with her husband.
He is "really proud" of the film, she said and added: "He thinks it's an important story".
The movie franchise has faced some criticism, however. In March David AR White, the film's producer and actor denied accusations the film is "full of fake Christian persecution".
"It's an interesting thing, because, if it wasn't real, why do they get so offended by it? I don't think it would annoy people if it wasn't true," he told The Blaze.
