Christian Topics

Christians in television have rarely had the best characters to represent them and their beliefs. A couple of decent characters to memory were Dot Cotton in EastEnders and Mary Cooper in the American sitcom Young Sheldon. I have not watched every episode of these series, so my analysis is only skin deep. Outside of those characters we normally expect the ridiculous stereotype of Ned Flanders in the Simpsons. We are used to mockery on our screens however I have noticed a worse trend that has made its way to our televisions. Subversion.

In Brockmire season 3, a series about a troubled baseball commentator called Brockmire, we are introduced to the character Gabby Taylor (Tawny Newsome). Gabby Taylor is a former softball who now is Brockmire’s co-commentator. Gabby attempts to help Brockmire deal with his alcoholism and it is revealed that she is a Christian. She is a good friend to Brockmire and a genuinely likeable character. Gabby despite being a church-going Christian is married to someone of the same sex. The show never shows any struggle between Gabby’s faith and her sexuality. If anything the show makes zero attempt to show any kind of realistic antagonism between homosexuality and Christianity. On one hand, it is refreshing that Christians are not shown to be awful towards Gabby because of her sexuality but on the other hand, it creates an odd normalisation of homosexual marriage within the church.

I was willing to let this slide as there are many ‘progressive’ churches where homosexuality is so normalised. Gabby is probably representing a certain demographic out there. Just like when you have a Christian mafia boss on TV kill a traitor in cold blood. Murder is not condoned in the bible but again the murderous religious mafia boss is probably representing a small demographic somewhere in the USA.

Then I watched Dead To Me. A sitcom about Jen Harding (Christina Applegate) unknowingly befriending her husband’s killer. Jen’s friend and real-estate partner Christopher Doyle (Max Jenkins)is a Christian and offers to take Jen’s youngest son Henry (Luke Roessler) to church. The church has a positive impression on Henry and helps him move pasted his grief. Again it was noticeable that Christopher was in a homosexual relationship without anyone blinking an eye.

Both shows having openly homosexual church-going Christian characters is more than a coincidence. Though it may seem like an overreaction I would like to explain why I think this is a concern.
It is unfair on Homosexual Christians

There are plenty of Christians whose flesh gives them homosexual tendencies. Many of these Christians sacrifice short-term pleasures by resisting temptation and pursuing their relationship with the Lord. These are some of the most disciplined and inspiring Christians. Many heterosexual Christians are not able to reach that sort of discipline as they indulge in pornography or sex before marriage.

These homosexual Christians who understand the sacrifice it takes to be a Christian are then pushed these homosexual characters that can be a ‘Christian’ in the Hollywood sense and yet indulge in their sins. It’s not only an insult to them but a temptation too.

It draws a trench line in Christianity

What I mean by trench lines is that normalising progressive Christianity is a way to draw lines between what the state deems as ‘acceptable’ Christian and ‘dangerous fundamentalist’. But worse than that is that it is a way to deceive the secular public. If the secular public watches these programs, they could be subverted into thinking progressive Christianity is the true form of Christianity and the rest of us who believe in the unchanging God of the bible as bigots.

Christians are already a divided group and now progressive Christianity is being used as the governments of the West’s trojan horse into the church. We have seen a nasty civil war in the Church of England in the disasters hands of Justin Welby who is pushing for same-sex blessings. Agents of the enemy are doing everything they can to make the secular public invested in the idea of a progressive church.

Alex
Christian Topics
Co-Founder