It's Not Graham-Approved Television. It's HBO. | Christianity Today

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Christianity Today, August (Web-only), 2001

It's Not Graham-Approved Television. It's HBO.

"Afghanistan prisoners may be seen or even freed, Baltimore's stained-glass crisis, and other stories from media sources around the world"

Ted Olsen | posted 8/01/2001 12:00AM

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Franklin Graham angry at benefit film
When HBO shows a film, it usually precedes it with a warning about whether it includes nudity (or the ever popular "brief nudity"), violence, or other such objectionable material. But now evangelist Franklin Graham is issuing a warning of his own. The HBO film Dinner With Friends, he complains, contains language and themes "morally inconsistent with the values and work of my parents and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association." Of course, that's also true of almost all of HBO's programming, from Sex and the City to G-String Divas. The difference here is that Dinner With Friendspremiered as a fundraiser for the Ruth and Billy Graham Children's Health Center. Actress Andie MacDowell, who stars in the film, is also the national spokesperson for the center, which earned $115,000 from the event. Franklin Graham was reportedly upset that the Grahams weren't warned that the film contained frank sexual discussions and numerous instances of the f-word. But the real news here may be that the film contains no nudity. Imagine that! An HBO film with no nudity! Meanwhile, in the Grahams' hometown paper, Don Hudson suggests that criticizing the film while not returning the money is hypocritical. But could Franklin Graham really return the money? It went to a hospital named for his parents, not a Graham organization.

Taliban may be relenting Several sources have good news from Afghanistan today. Taliban foreign minister Wakil Ahmed Muttawakil says the International Committee of the Red Cross will be allowed to visit the eight foreign detainees accused of Christian evangelism. (The flip side of the coin: Mohammad Wali, who is in charge of the religious police, said he was unaware of the decision to ...

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