Good Christian [Bleep!]

A reporter from a major television news outlet recently called Christianity Today to ask how offended we were by the title of the proposed ABC television show Good Christian Bitches. We declined to comment on such a leading question.

The proposed show is certainly provocative. The American Family Association called it "a Christian-bashing version of Desperate Housewives," stating that "ABC has no reservations about creating hate speech against Christians, but you can be sure they would never consider a show called Good Muslim B-tches or Good Jewish B-tches." Meanwhile, Parents Television Council president Tim Winter called the b-word "toxic." He said it's "used to degrade, abuse, harass, bully and humiliate women …. Regardless of whether the title ultimately makes it to broadcast, ABC has publicly proclaimed its values …."

The groups' indignation is understandable, even though at this writing, ABC has not yet committed to the show, and may change the title if they do.

Nevertheless, it's not so much the show's title but its premise that should get our attention. The show is based on a book of the same name by Kim Gatlin, a professing Christian from Dallas, whose circle of Southern Baptist friends engages in a lot of gossip, some of it quite mean-spirited. "All Southern girls are taught to love Jesus, but just because we're Christians doesn't mean we're perfect," she told Newsweek. Gatlin says her book's title "is not mocking God. It's mocking those of us who love God and don't always make the best choices to honor him." On her website, Gatlin says she intends to "put a voice to the downside of gossip ...

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