There’s been a lot of talk about apologies in the news of late. What can and cannot be said of women in today’s society.
Well, let me enter in a new request – that ABC television network apologize to every Christian woman in the country.
On Sunday, a holy day to those of faith, ABC unveiled its new drama “GCB” which stands for “Good Christian Bitch.”
ABC has taken blasphemy to new levels of depravity.
Based on the 2008 book “Good Christian Bi----s” by Kim Gatlin, "GCB" is about a woman named Amanda Vaughn, played by Leslie Bibb, who returns home to Dallas with her two children after facing marital and financial troubles. "GCB’s" trailers, ads, and name suggest this series will not be family friendly or even respectful towards Christians.
According to information about the program received by Movieguide, Amanda is a former “mean girl” who has put the past behind her, while her former classmates and victims have not. They are the new mean girls who are as likely to gossip viciously about their returned rival as they are to offer up a humiliating prayer about her in church.
As soon as their leader Carlene Cockburn, played by Kristin Chenoweth, sees her arrive she calls her friends, smugly gossiping about how Amanda’s former husband died in a car crash while having an affair with her best friend.
Chenoweth’s character then halts the talk saying, “Ladies, it is not appropriate to speak of such things on the phone.” After a pause she continues, “I’ll see ya in church.”
Another clip shows Carlene and her friends confronting Amanda about the moral code of their community.
The following scene shows Carlene in an office getting an invitation from a man to “do it.” Turning religious pictures face down, she crawls over the desk -- and the object of her affection -- and gives him a heavy kiss.
Meanwhile, Amanda’s gun-collecting, shallow mother, played by Annie Potts says, “I feel certain that the good Lord would like me to have a new fur coat.”
Based on the trailers, Amanda Vaughn appears to be the only sane member of this community, and she doesn’t appear to be a practicing Christian.
When her mother drags her and her children to church, Amanda tells her mother that she “didn’t raise the kids with any particular religion.” While we all know that there are hypocrites in every institution and every religion, GCB uses Southern Christian women as the sole, stereotypical examples of self-indulgence, shallowness and hypocrisy.
Other scenes show young girls being encouraged to wear revealing tops.
When one mother expresses concern that her daughter's old cheerleader uniform is too tight, Chenoweth’s character tells her not to worry “cleavage helps your cross hang straight.” Later at the game, the football team cheers when the girl’s vest pops open.
Clearly, these are not messages Christian parents would want to send their daughters.
The fact that "GCB" ridicules God, morality, and Christians, who are little more than stereotypes, is typical of the Hollywood, where calling Christian women names is still in fashion. However, if this were a television show about any other group -- Muslim women, Jewish women or even radical feminists, the demands for apologies would be ringing from the halls of the media establishment from New York to Hollywood.
Apparently, it is calling only certain women names that is a problem in today’s culture. Christians are easy fodder for derision.
We urge all Americans to call or write ABC executives about this series Robert Iger, CEO of the Walt Disney Company, Anne Sweeney, President of Disney-ABC Television Group Paul Lee, President of ABC Entertainment and demand Christian women be treated with respect and that the offensive "CGB" be taken off the air immediately.
Ted Baehr is founder and publisher of Movieguide®: The Family Guide to Movies and Entertainment.
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