The Golden Globe "snub" of two military themed movies has become a big f'ing deal for Fox News which has covered this faux outrage on three Fox News shows. Tuesday, the host of one of the shows, alleged news host Martha MacCallum, whined about how Unbroken, a movie about a former POW who embraced Jesus as a result of the Billy Graham crusade, was not selected for an award. She also whined that the plot ignored the hero's awesome conversion experience. Yesterday, Martha MacCallum not only continued that whine but provided a pulpit from which Billy Graham's son Franklin got to proselytize (for the second time this week), pimp a book available through his association, and say that accepting Jesus cures PTSD - a claim echoed by our erstwhile "news" anchor.
MacCallum recounted the story of the main character in Unbroken. After showing video, MacCallum described how the movie hero found Jesus at a Billy Graham crusade event. She noted that "some Christians" in the church of the perpetually aggrieved, are complaining about how "the faith part" of the movie is only briefly mentioned, even though Louis Zamperini says it was a "huuuuuge" part of his life. She did report that his son said that Zamperini had no complaints about the movie.
She introduced her guest, the anti-Islamic, anti-gay Franklin Graham who makes frequent appearances on Fox where he preaches how Jesus died for our sins and if we only embrace him, every little thing will be allright. Fox and Graham have a cozy relationship. Not only is he provided a pulpit from which to preach his gospel; but he was also provided with warm affirmation for his anti-Muslim comments which earned him a disinvite to a Pentagon Prayer Day service. (No wonder he thinks that God works through Fox News!)
After introducing Graham, she asked for his reaction "to the part that is left out." After praising Angelina Jolie for her general accuracy, he lamented how the faith experience wasn't included. He described, in detail, the circumstances of Zamperini's conversion and how it "transformed" his life. MacCallum gushed "it's such a moving part of the book." She mentioned how Zamperini suffered from PTSD; but when he encountered Bill Graham, "the PTSD" was gone. She said "that's what made him unbroken, right?"
Graham got into proselytizing mode: "When he put his faith in Christ, his life was changed." Graham described how, after the conversion, Zamperini's PTSD's symptoms disappeared. He noted that Zamperini then forgave his former captors. While Graham was sorry that the Billy Graham experience was left out of the movie, he said that viewers could learn all about it from a book and accompanying DVD about Zamperini which, coincidentally, is available through the Billy Graham association.
MacCallum did more gushing over how awesomeness of the book. The chyron reinforced the proselytizing: "Louis Graham's Life Changed After Attending Bill Graham's Crusade in 1949." She finished by reading the passage of the book that talked about how Zamperini was saved by Graham.
Given that Fox News panders to the religious right, it isn't surprising that Graham would be brought on to spread his radical right wing Christianity. But what was really insidious about this piece was that Martha MacCallum, a supposed "straight news" anchor, actually made the claim that PTSD, a psychological condition that must be addressed by intensive counseling, can be cured by embracing Jesus. Not only is this not fair & balanced. It is journalistically irresponsible. Wow, just wow...