Pure Flix Entertainment, the movie studio behind recent box office successes like God’s Not Dead and its sequel, announced on Thursday that it will donate $25,000 to the American History and Heritage Foundation to help rebuild the Ten Commandments monument at the Arkansas Capitol in Little Rock.
Arkansas Ten Commandments Memorial Vandalized Just 24-Hours After Installation
As Faithwire reported, a controversial monument dedicated to the Ten Commandments erected on the grounds of the Arkansas state capitol in late June was destroyed within 24 hours of its dedication after being mowed down by a vehicle.
Michael Tate Reed was taken into custody after police watched him drive onto the Capitol grounds in Little Rock and intentionally ram his car into the six-foot tall statue. Reed had been arrested for a similar crime in 2014, when he defaced a Ten Commandments display in Oklahoma.
State senator Jason Rapert, who sponsored the 2015 law that allowed for the privately funded monument to be built near the Capitol, called the incident “an act of violence against the people of Arkansas” and vowed to rebuild.
“It will be rebuilt,” he told Fox News. “People need to focus on being civil and debating issues rather than thinking they can take the law into their own hands and commit acts of violence against people with whom they disagree.”
With the help of Pure Flix Entertainment, some $54,000 has now been raised for a new display. The production company, which is the largest independent faith and family entertainment studio in the United States, has a special connection to the state, having filmed God’s Not Dead in Little Rock in 2015.
“We hope our donation will contribute to the costs to rebuild this beautiful landmark,” said Pure Flix COO Steve Fedyski. “Little Rock—and Arkansas in general—have been very hospitable to us and we want give back to the community in a meaningful way.”
(H/T: KHBS-TV)