Here are today’s dispatches from the crossroads of faith, media and culture.<\/p>\n
1. Lion King<\/em> devours Dolphin<\/em>.<\/strong> From Hollywood Reporter<\/a>: Disney\u2019s 3D re-release of The Lion King remained lord of the jungle in its second weekend, pulling off another surprise upset in beating a number of new players to top the domestic box office chart with $22.1 million. The 3D version of the animated classic has earned $61.7 million in its first 10 days of play at the domestic box office, exceeding all expectations. Overseas, where it rolled out earlier, the re-release has grossed $16 million for an impressive global total of $77.7 million. Defying the odds, Lion King trumped Sony\u2019s new Brad Pitt baseball drama Moneyball, which ended its opening weekend in a close race with 3D family offering Dolphin Tale, from Alcon Entertainment and Warner Bros<\/em>. 2. Faith-based TV to get a Bounce.<\/strong> From The Wrap<\/a>: When the country\u2019s first broadcast network focused on African-Americans <\/em>(launched yesterday, it did so) not with new, original shows, but with “The Wiz,” a 33-year-old “Wizard of Oz” update. The choice offers a hint at the largely safe, comforting approach of the new network, which counts Martin Luther King III among its founders. Bounce hopes to establish its identity with an early slate of films that includes old and new classics, inspirational stories, and showcases for African-American icons. It will also air specials, sports, documentaries and faith-based programs.<\/strong><\/em> 3. Thought-provoking Lino Rulli. <\/strong>The interview I ran yesterday <\/a>with Lino Rulli, host of The Catholic Guy<\/em> (airing weekdays on The Catholic Channel\/<\/a>SiriusXM 129) and author of the new book Sinner<\/a><\/em> (which I recommend), got me to thinking about my own thoughts on both the power of positive religion and positive media.<\/p>\n FLASHBACK: LINO ON GUILT<\/strong><\/p>\n LINO: <\/strong>You say the Church calls to you perfection and you never quite get there. Does that lead to guilt?<\/em><\/p>\n LINO: <\/strong>It leads to guilt but guilt\u2019s good thing.<\/em><\/p>\n JWK: <\/strong>Is it always a good thing?<\/em><\/p>\n LINO: <\/strong>Guilt is always a good thing.\u00a0 If I kick you in the groin right now and don\u2019t feel guilty about it there\u2019s something wrong with me.\u00a0 Something\u2019s wrong with my conscience.<\/em><\/p>\n JWK: <\/strong>Can there ever be too much guilt?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n LINO:\u00a0<\/strong>Well, everything can be brought to the extreme. Food is good, overeating is bad. Possessions are good, hoarding is bad. Guilt is good, obsessing about guilt is bad.<\/em><\/p>\n Comment:<\/strong> That’s good as far as it goes — and a fully-formed conscience is certainly a positive thing. I’m not disagreeing with Lino. But my emphasis is somewhat different —\u00a0 perhaps because I did suffer from some rather extreme religious guilt as a younger person. As I have accepted Christ’s forgiveness and my life has progressed,\u00a0 I have grown to believe in the importance of putting forth a positive faith that does not burden people with an overhanging feeling of guilt or impending guilt — but, rather, frees them from it.<\/p>\n Churches, in my view, help shape healthier and more productive Christians when they promote a forgiving and empowering God who calls us all to live lives of love, kindness and mercy. Love is what propels us forward, not fear of sin. A focus on guilt promotes timidity and a sense of fear that can hinder the ability to use the gifts God has so generously given us.\u00a0 It can also drive good people away from faith, or, at least, organized religion.<\/p>\n Now, anyone who listens to knows he Lino doesn’t promote an uptight approach to religion or faith. Quite the opposite, he’s a master of simultaneously exploring the humor and meaning of it all. But, because of my own past, I just don’t like the term “guilt is good.”<\/em><\/p>\n Lino and I also differed somewhat on whether TV executives resist putting faith-themed programming on television because they fear it won’t be popular or because they fear it will.<\/p>\n FLASHBACK: LINO ON TELEVISION<\/strong><\/p>\n JWK: <\/strong>Why does it seem faith-based projects have such a hard time getting past the gatekeepers in the media? I mean especially on television?<\/em><\/p>\n LINO: <\/strong>People in mainstream media \u2013 I guess I worked in it long enough to know\u00a0 that they\u2019re afraid that it\u2019s going to be boring.<\/em><\/p>\n JWK:<\/strong> <\/strong>Maybe they\u2019re afraid it going to be popular.<\/em><\/p>\n LINO: <\/strong>No!<\/em><\/p>\n JWK: <\/strong><\/strong>You don\u2019t think so?<\/em><\/p>\n LINO: <\/strong>I mean, at the end of the day, every media entity is in the business of selling soap. They\u2019re not afraid of being popular. Do you know any TV or radio executive who passes on a popular idea?<\/em><\/p>\n
\nComment:<\/strong> The results reveal that people still have a soft spot for the classic 17-year-old family film — and, perhaps, that Brad Pitt<\/a> and Morgan Freeman<\/a> should think twice before flapping their gums and alienating significant parts of their potential audience.<\/p>\n
\nComment:<\/strong> With the audience starved for positive programming, don’t be surprised to see Bounce bust out of its target demo<\/em><\/p>\n