Every time I point out what a big and growing business Christianity has become, I invariably get a deluge of responses from Evangelicals and the like defending their faith� as if somehow acknowledging the fact that a lot of churches now have a Starbucks in them somehow demeans their beliefs. No folks, it's the act of putting it there that demeans your beliefs, not the discussion of it.
So to all of you in denial about what a massive money-making endeavor religion is these days, take this: Hollywood Reporter says 20th Century Fox is launching a new division called FoxFaith, a label designed specifically to market faith-based DVDs to god-fearing audiences. Fox isn't in the business of not making money, like all mega-corporations they know a cash-cow when they see it.
Though DVDs are FoxFaith's primary focus, they'll also give 6-12 of their faith building films theatrical releases. The first one will appear as soon as October 6th this year, a movie called Love's Abiding Joy by Michael Landon Jr. It's the story of a frontier family based on a series of novels I will never ever read. The film is expected to be supported by a $5 million marketing campaign and get released in as many as 240 screens in 90 markets. For those keeping track, that's about $5 million and 100 more screens than Fox gave Idiocracy. Mike Judge, you just got owned by Jesus.
All I ask in all of this is that I get some sort of warning before we start the whole mandatory worship thing. Oh come on, it's coming and you all know it. Just give me some sort of advance notice before we're all forced to do it so I can have time to squeeze in one last drinking binge. I think that's reasonable.
