GCB: The Parable of the Prodigal Daughter
As a Christian, one of my favorite things about Jesus (in addition to that HUGE thing of how he paid for my sins by dying and resurrecting on a cross) is that he is a storyteller. Throughout the New Testament, you'll find parables Jesus told to help people connect with them on their level to tell them something, not only about God, but about themselves.
One of his greatest and most well-known of those stories is commonly known as The Parable of the Prodigal Son. Found in Luke 15, it's a tale of a son who demanded all of his inheritance so he could leave his home and do whatever he wanted to do. After having squandered it all and becoming so destitute that he was jealous of pigs, he had no other choice but to return home. He thought himself so unworthy, he wanted to offer himself up as one of his father's servants. But, the father would have none of that. When he saw the son, he ran to him and decided to celebrate his homecoming.
That story is the essence of ABC's GCB. But, instead of a son, it's a daughter. And, instead of the Biblical setting, it's present-day Dallas, Texas.
It's not just me, reading into the TV show. As it turns out (after having gone back to do some research), GCB was actually conceived and written under the prodigal son premise. Which is why things like this bother me so much.
A group called One Million Moms whose mission is to get rid of the "filth" they see in the world, boycotted GCB by contacting advertisers to let them know how much they hated it for being a program that is "about as far from true Christianity as it could be". This group was up in arms about the show's portrayal of Christians as "spiteful hypocrites". I hate to tell the moms of that organization, but their boycott has them behaving like the characterizations that has them so outraged.
GCB may have contained Christian stereotypes (more specifically, Christians in the south), but what made the show rise above them is the stories of the ladies. They were all funny (it is a comedy, after all) in their own way, but Amanda was the heart of the show.
Amanda had been living the glamorous life in L.A. when her cheating husband is in a car crash, leaving her nothing but her two children. Even though she hadn't visited in a long time, she had no choice but to return home to Dallas. Instead of turning Amanda away, her mother accepted her back, encouraged her to find herself, and even took her to church.
Sound familiar?
It boggles my mind that a group of Christian women can't see the value in a story reflective of a parable in the Bible that features the reunion of a daughter with her mother, the redemption of a woman with a past who wants to make things right, and her search for faith. Instead of embracing it as a way to re-tell the story Jesus taught us, they called it "filfth". FILTH.
All because they thought it made Christians look bad.
I'm a Christian and I'll be the first to tell you that the world of GCB is a real one. I've lived in it. I've interacted with those people. Heck, I've been one. Whether it's a legalistic Christian like Carlene or a lost soul like Amanda, all of those spectrums of the faith exist. Why does One Million Moms want to act like they don't? Stop pretending there aren't bitches in the world who refer to themselves as Christians. And, stop pretending like you've never been one. The boycott, alone, speaks volumes.
GCB showed a woman who had wronged all of these other ladies, but they found a way to invite friendship and forgiveness back into their lives. It makes me sad and angry that a group of Christians went after the show (which might have led to its cancellation) for not showing people living the way they think they should. If they would stop acting like the older brother in the parable, they could see GCB as a way to discuss the Gospel. Personally, my Christian mother (who graduated from Seminary, teaches Sunday School, volunteers at a women's shelter and with a hospice group weekly, and regularly goes to a Bible study) and I have had many a great chat about GCB and its lessons. We both loved it not only for its comedy, but for what it represented.
Please One Million Moms, I beg of you. Make sure you actually view content before organizing into something hateful. I can tell you first-hand that talking about a TV show with someone whose faith is non-existent or different from mine has lead to great theological discussions. Don't base your judgment on a series title or your assumption of what you think it is. I think if Jesus was walking amongst us now, he would love GCB. He would applaud the use of storytelling that helped people understand bigger ideas and the use of characters who taught us about God and ourselves.
Because of GCB's cancellation (in part due to One Million Moms?), I'll never get to find out if Amanda falls in love with the church pastor (a godly man who is much better than the jerk who cheated on her in L.A.). But, I'm thankful for GCB's existence. It showed that even though sometimes, Christians can be bitches, if we are open to it, we can have a lot of love in our hearts. And, despite One Million Mom's claims, I think that's what true Christianity is. A bunch of fallen people who can know Love because of Christ.