Very few bands, Christian or otherwise, have the staying power to remain relevant for five decades. Petra is undoubtedly one of them.
Sure, the band has changed personnel and reinvented itself more than once along the way. But what has never changed is its talent, passion, and gift for creating driving, emotional, hands-in-the-air rock anthems rooted in faith and evangelism.
That’s why Petra has remained an iconic group for more than 50 years – breaking new ground and paving the way for countless artists who followed.
And as we’ve previously told you, Petra is breaking new ground once again.
This time, the band’s vast musical catalog has helped inspire a new feature film, Beyond Belief, now playing in theaters.
To be clear, Beyond Belief is not a biopic chronicling the highs and lows of this seminal Christian rock band. Instead, it’s an original story set in the 1980s and built around the music of Petra.
As the film’s official website explains:
Set in the 1980s, Beyond Belief follows Andy, a teenage rocker chasing his dream of making it big while struggling to cope with the loss of his father. When a mysterious voice urges him to “run,” Andy is drawn into an unexpected journey that challenges his ambitions, tests his faith, and forces him to decide what kind of life he’s truly meant to live.
Filled with heart, humor, and the iconic music of Petra, Beyond Belief is an inspiring story about hearing God’s voice, trusting His plan, and discovering that His dreams for our lives are often bigger than our own.
Directed by Johnny Meier, who co-wrote the film with Darren Scott Jacobs and Joe Sanders, Beyond Belief was filmed primarily in the suburbs of Chicago, including Woodstock, Illinois –famously used as the stand-in for Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, in the 1993 classic Groundhog Day.
The setting works particularly well in capturing the world of a teenage Christian rock fan in the 1980s.
According to Executive Producer Joe Sanders, the project has been 15 years in the making. That journey began with an idea and eventually led to a meeting with Petra legends John Schlitt and Bob Hartman – and, apparently, a steak dinner – to convince them to lend their music to the project and even appear in the film themselves. Spoiler alert: they may have gotten the biggest laugh in the flick!
After all these years and all they’ve accomplished, John and Bob admitted that it was a surreal experience watching 20-something actors portray them on screen.
And you can imagine it was no less intimidating for actors Oscar Mansky and Jeremy Burchard, who had the unusual opportunity to portray two legends while the real Schlitt and Hartman watched from behind the cameras.
John said it was important to him that the actors felt comfortable in the roles, but it’s still hard to imagine the pressure – and the honor – of stepping into the shoes of two such influential figures.
I first saw Petra live in 1991, only a couple of years after the film takes place. And I thought Oscar, Jeremy, and the rest of the cast did a great job capturing the energy and spirit of a Petra concert from that era.
In fact, I’ve now seen Beyond Belief twice. And as a Petra fan of nearly 40 years, I can say the movie’s Back to the Future-inspired marketing is actually pretty appropriate. For us Gen-X Petra fans, this film is like a time machine.
But the story itself is designed to reach beyond nostalgia, offering themes of faith, purpose, loss, and finding your way — all set to one of the most recognizable soundtracks a Christian music fan could ask for.
At one point during the screening, I looked around and watched fellow filmgoers pumping their fists, nodding their heads, and mouthing along to the songs.
And that may be the best way to experience Beyond Belief.
If you’re a Petra fan, this is one trip back to the 1980s you won’t want to miss.
Beyond Belief is now playing in theaters.
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