The news come out during the run up to the releas of The Nativity Story that the 16-year-old actress playing Mary, Keisha Castle-Hughes, was pregnant (and not through the immaculate way) with her boyfriend of three years.
The media waited expectedly for the soon-coming Christian backlash. The pregnancy news was met with a resounding silence.
The BP article says:
William Donohue, president of the Catholic League, said the secular media was deprived of the juicy story they were betting on when the Vatican and Catholic and Protestant groups throughout the world did not withdraw their support of The Nativity Story based on the lead character’s personal choices.
The story also includes a telling personal example from Richard Ross, co-founder of the national abstinence movement True Love Waits:
In the early moments of True Love Waits, I was invited to appear on the ‘Jerry Springer Show. They already had enlisted three teenage girls pregnant before marriage to appear as well. One of the producers called to say, ‘Rev. Ross, I am sure you’re infuriated by these girls that have been so immoral. I’m guessing you will want to call them sluts and other things on the broadcast.’
I answered, ‘No, I would never say such things. I love those young ladies even now. I will want to be gentle with them and tell them that God loves them and is ready to walk with them through what they are facing.
The mood of the producer quickly changed and he mumbled something about having to drop me from the show. The secular world expects Christians to be mean to Keisha Castle-Hughes and all the young [people] who make grave mistakes with their lives. But to do so is to ignore the model Christ set for His followers. With gentleness and grace we are to point those who stumble toward redemption, forgiveness and a God of second chances.
This is similar to the pseudo-controversy surrounding End of the Spear, where openly gay actor Chad Allen played the role of Christian missionary and martyr Nate Saint.
Just like with “Nativity,” you had fringe groups calling for boycotts, but the whole of Christianity embraced the film. Allen even became friends with the evangelical Christian son of Nate Saint, Steve.
Allen said, “We committed to taking care of each other and getting to know each other, and before we were done with the three-month shoot in Panama, Steve and I were great friends and were crying when we said goodbye to each other, just for the love that we formed for one another.”
Just like Donahue said of the situation surrounding Castle-Hughes: “Despite what some think, Christians do not turn their backs on unwed mothers; they provide services for them.”
