{"id":39825,"date":"2024-07-16T16:40:27","date_gmt":"2024-07-16T20:40:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/?p=39825"},"modified":"2024-11-07T21:44:21","modified_gmt":"2024-11-08T02:44:21","slug":"the-dehumanizing-of-donald-trump-disciples-in-the-moonlight-imagines-dystopian-world-where-the-bible-is-banned","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/2024\/07\/the-dehumanizing-of-donald-trump-disciples-in-the-moonlight-imagines-dystopian-world-where-the-bible-is-banned.html","title":{"rendered":"The dehumanizing of Donald Trump + &#8220;Disciples in the Moonlight&#8221; imagines dystopian world where The Bible is banned"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3><strong>Here&#8217;s the latest from the crossroads of faith, media &amp; culture: 07\/16\/24<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><iframe title=\"Jimmy Fallon messes up Donald Trump&#039;s hair\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/GMsW-fY7v1A?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>It was on September 15th, 2016 when Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon had the audacity to humanize Donald Trump by playfully mussing the then GOP presidential candidate&#8217;s hair. <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfgate.com\/politics\/article\/Donald-Trump-Jimmy-Fallon-hair-messed-up-video-9227056.php\">Fallon quickly came under (figurative) fire for having the audacity to humanize the man<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/culture\/2017\/may\/17\/jimmy-fallon-trump-interview-tonight-show\">soon found himself whimpering to the media that &#8220;I didn&#8217;t do it to humanize him.&#8221;<\/a><\/p>\n<p>I was always brought up to believe that we must never forget the humanity of our opponents &#8211; even in war time.\u00a0 Somehow, that day, during that campaign, the rules changed &#8211; except they really didn&#8217;t. The moral principle remained the same. Unfortunately, it was the failure to maintain that principle in our politics and in our media that appears to have led to the attempted assassination of the former president this past Saturday, as well as the heroic death <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2024\/07\/14\/politics\/corey-comperatore-trump-shooting-victim\/index.html\"><strong>Corey Comperatore<\/strong><\/a> and the critical wounding of two others. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=hHL2eV4ebZw\"><strong>Pennsylvania&#8217;s Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro<\/strong> speaking movingly and appropriately about the victims<\/a> while <strong>Melania Trump<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MELANIATRUMP\/status\/1812492817068945437\">posted to <strong>X<\/strong><\/a> the words what our culture needs to internalize:<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph-primary-core-light\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/clylocgpn000j3b6lqnelboh0@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\" data-analytics-observe=\"on\"><em>I am thinking of you, now, my fellow Americans.<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph-primary-core-light\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/clylocgpn000k3b6l5dd2d4t2@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\" data-analytics-observe=\"on\"><em>We have always been a unique union. America, the fabric of our gentle nation is tattered, but our courage and common sense must ascend and bring us back together as one.<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph-primary-core-light\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/clylocgpn000l3b6lk1we89o5@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\" data-analytics-observe=\"on\"><em>When I watched that violent bullet strike my husband, Donald, I realized my life, and Barron\u2019s life, were on the brink of devastating change. I am grateful to the brave secret service agents and law enforcement officials who risked their own lives to protect my husband.<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph-primary-core-light\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/clylocgpn000m3b6lgv6crbjb@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\" data-analytics-observe=\"on\"><em>To the families of the innocent victims who are now suffering from this heinous act, I humbly offer my sincerest sympathy. Your need to summon your inner strength for such a terrible reason saddens me.<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph-primary-core-light\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/clylocgpn000n3b6lpqkra5wt@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\" data-analytics-observe=\"off\"><em>A monster who recognized my husband as an inhuman political machine attempted to ring out Donald\u2019s passion &#8211; his laughter, ingenuity, love of music, and inspiration. The core facets of my husband\u2019s life &#8211; his human side &#8211; were buried below the political machine. Donald, the generous and caring man who I have been with through the best of times and the worst of times.<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph-primary-core-light\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/clylocgpn000o3b6ls0hsp4xe@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\" data-analytics-observe=\"off\"><em>Let us not forget that differing opinions, policy, and political games are inferior to love. Our personal, structural, and life commitment &#8211; until death &#8211; is at serious risk. Political concepts are simple when compared to us, human beings.<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph-primary-core-light\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/clylocgpn000p3b6l75r12tzc@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\" data-analytics-observe=\"off\"><em>We are all humans, and fundamentally, instinctively, we want to help one another. American politics are only one vehicle that can uplift our communities. Love, compassion, kindness and empathy are necessities.<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph-primary-core-light\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/clylocgpn000q3b6l2vjyk9rl@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\" data-analytics-observe=\"off\"><em>And let us remember that when the time comes to look beyond the left and the right, beyond the red and the blue, we all come from families with the passion to fight for a better life together, while we are here, in this earthly realm.<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph-primary-core-light\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/clylocgpn000r3b6lbvsjkgz3@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\" data-analytics-observe=\"off\"><em>Dawn is here again. Let us reunite. Now.<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph-primary-core-light\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/clylocgpn000s3b6l8f3d7gt0@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\" data-analytics-observe=\"off\"><em>This morning, ascend above the hate, the vitriol, and the simple-minded ideas that ignite violence. We all want a world where respect is paramount, family is first, and love transcends. We can realize this world again. Each of us must demand to get it back. We must insist that respect fills the cornerstone of our relationships again.<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph-primary-core-light\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/clylocgpn000t3b6lgciy1fp2@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\" data-analytics-observe=\"off\"><em>I am thinking of you, my fellow Americans.<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph-primary-core-light\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/clylocgpn000u3b6l2ef7npe4@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\" data-analytics-observe=\"off\"><em>The winds of change have arrived. For those of you who cry in support, I thank you. I commend those of you who have reached out beyond the political divide \u2013 thank you for remembering that every single politician is a man or a woman with a loving family.<\/em><\/p>\n<p data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/clylocgpn000u3b6l2ef7npe4@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\" data-analytics-observe=\"off\"><strong>IMHO: <\/strong>Out of this great tragedy, we have an opportunity to dial things back and never again allow ourselves to be manipulated by media pundits or anyone else into denying the humanity of those we disagree with politically. America deserves better.<br \/>\n_____<\/p>\n<p><strong>The Varvel cinematic universe. <\/strong>Ever since he was five,<strong> Brett Varvel<\/strong>, the son of a world-famous cartoonist <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Gary_Varvel\"><strong>Gary Varvel<\/strong><\/a>, prayed to become a filmmaker. His prayers answered, the successful actor (whose credits include the faith-friendly films <em><strong>American Underdog<\/strong><\/em> and <em><strong>Running the Bases<\/strong><\/em>) and founder of his own faith-based production company called <a href=\"http:\/\/www.houseofgracefilms.org\/\"><strong>House of Grace Films<\/strong><\/a> . His latest film <strong><em>Disciples in the Moonlight<\/em><\/strong>, which he produces, directs and stars in (off a script by Christian screenwriter and co-star <strong>Josh Strychalski<\/strong>) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fathomevents.com\/events\/disciples-in-the-moonlight\/?utm_campaign=Disciples%20in%20the%20Moonlight&amp;utm_source=Fathom&amp;utm_medium=PressRelease&amp;utm_content=2024_disciplesinthemoonlight_fathom_pr_pressrelease\"><strong>hits theaters tomorrow<\/strong><\/a>. The film offers a dark vision of a not-too-distant future in which the government has banned <strong>The Bible<\/strong> for \u201coffensiveness\u201d and replaced it with a government-approved version. It then tells the story of a small group of rebels, pursued by a ruthless federal agent, who work to smuggle the <strong>Word of God<\/strong> to underground churches throughout the Midwest. You can check out the trailer below.<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Disciples in the Moonlight | OFFICIAL TRAILER - In Theaters Starting July 17\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/uyfY-S2cdwU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><em>John W. Kennedy is a writer, producer and media development consultant specializing in television and movie projects that uphold positive timeless values, including trust in God. <\/em><\/p>\n<div>\n<p><strong><em><span class=\"st\">Encourage one another and build each other up &#8211; <\/span><\/em><span class=\"st\">1 Thessalonians 5:11<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Here&#8217;s the latest from the crossroads of faith, media &amp; culture: 07\/16\/24 It was on September 15th, 2016 when Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon had the audacity to humanize Donald Trump by playfully mussing the then GOP presidential candidate&#8217;s hair. Fallon quickly came under (figurative) fire for having the audacity to humanize the man and&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":225,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12820,9,10,12778,22,24,3586,1],"tags":[17073,17067,17082,17076,17064,17079,17070,14358],"class_list":["post-39825","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cancel-culture","category-christianity","category-current-events","category-freedom-of-speech","category-media","category-movies","category-religious-liberty-2","category-uncategorized","tag-brett-varvel","tag-corey-comperture","tag-disciples-in-the-moonlight","tag-gary-varvel","tag-gov-josh-shapiro","tag-house-of-grace-films","tag-melania-trump","tag-tonight-show-host-jimmy-fallon"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>The dehumanizing of Donald Trump + &quot;Disciples in the Moonlight&quot; imagines dystopian world where The Bible is banned<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/2024\/07\/the-dehumanizing-of-donald-trump-disciples-in-the-moonlight-imagines-dystopian-world-where-the-bible-is-banned.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The dehumanizing of Donald Trump + &quot;Disciples in the Moonlight&quot; imagines dystopian world where The Bible is banned\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Here&#8217;s the latest from the crossroads of faith, media &amp; culture: 07\/16\/24 It was on September 15th, 2016 when Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon had the audacity to humanize Donald Trump by playfully mussing the then GOP presidential candidate&#8217;s hair. Fallon quickly came under (figurative) fire for having the audacity to humanize the man and&hellip;\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/2024\/07\/the-dehumanizing-of-donald-trump-disciples-in-the-moonlight-imagines-dystopian-world-where-the-bible-is-banned.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Faith, Media &amp; Culture\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-07-16T20:40:27+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-11-08T02:44:21+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"John W. Kennedy\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The dehumanizing of Donald Trump + \"Disciples in the Moonlight\" imagines dystopian world where The Bible is banned","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/2024\/07\/the-dehumanizing-of-donald-trump-disciples-in-the-moonlight-imagines-dystopian-world-where-the-bible-is-banned.html","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The dehumanizing of Donald Trump + \"Disciples in the Moonlight\" imagines dystopian world where The Bible is banned","og_description":"Here&#8217;s the latest from the crossroads of faith, media &amp; culture: 07\/16\/24 It was on September 15th, 2016 when Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon had the audacity to humanize Donald Trump by playfully mussing the then GOP presidential candidate&#8217;s hair. Fallon quickly came under (figurative) fire for having the audacity to humanize the man and&hellip;","og_url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/2024\/07\/the-dehumanizing-of-donald-trump-disciples-in-the-moonlight-imagines-dystopian-world-where-the-bible-is-banned.html","og_site_name":"Faith, Media &amp; Culture","article_published_time":"2024-07-16T20:40:27+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-11-08T02:44:21+00:00","author":"John W. Kennedy","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/2024\/07\/the-dehumanizing-of-donald-trump-disciples-in-the-moonlight-imagines-dystopian-world-where-the-bible-is-banned.html","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/2024\/07\/the-dehumanizing-of-donald-trump-disciples-in-the-moonlight-imagines-dystopian-world-where-the-bible-is-banned.html","name":"The dehumanizing of Donald Trump + \"Disciples in the Moonlight\" imagines dystopian world where The Bible is banned","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/#website"},"datePublished":"2024-07-16T20:40:27+00:00","dateModified":"2024-11-08T02:44:21+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/#\/schema\/person\/e5d5ef9caeb6b01bcbf08ca6de6591c2"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/2024\/07\/the-dehumanizing-of-donald-trump-disciples-in-the-moonlight-imagines-dystopian-world-where-the-bible-is-banned.html#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/2024\/07\/the-dehumanizing-of-donald-trump-disciples-in-the-moonlight-imagines-dystopian-world-where-the-bible-is-banned.html"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/2024\/07\/the-dehumanizing-of-donald-trump-disciples-in-the-moonlight-imagines-dystopian-world-where-the-bible-is-banned.html#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The dehumanizing of Donald Trump + &#8220;Disciples in the Moonlight&#8221; imagines dystopian world where The Bible is banned"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/","name":"Faith, Media &amp; Culture","description":"Beliefnet Voices - John W. Kennedy","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/#\/schema\/person\/e5d5ef9caeb6b01bcbf08ca6de6591c2","name":"John W. Kennedy","description":"John W. Kennedy is the founder and Dir. of Development of The Creative Universe Entertainment\u2122, a media consultation and development company focusing on the creation, development and support of high-quality mainstream entertainment that upholds positive timeless values, including trust in God. Current projects include \"Bryant Park\" (an uplifting romantic-comedy) and \"Photo Finish\" (an award-winning sci-fi TV pilot). He has written over 100 children's novels based on episodes of the Cartoon Network series \"Ben 10\", \"Ben 10: Alien Force\", \"Ben 10: Ultimate Alien\", \"Ben 10: Omniverse\" and \"Generator Rex\" among others. He also writes Beliefnet\u2019s \"Faith, Media &amp; Culture\" blog. Previously, he has produced successful news and talk programming for CNN, Fox News, Pax TV and SiriusXM. Specialties: Script Writing, Movie\/TV Novelizations &amp; Adaptations, TV Content Creation and Development, Creative Consultation, Producing and Booking News and Talk shows. He can be reached for writing, producing and consulting services at 516-640-1182.","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/author\/jkennedy"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39825","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/225"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39825"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39825\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":42742,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39825\/revisions\/42742"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39825"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39825"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39825"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}