Kirk Cameron To Tackle Human Suffering in New Film Set to Release This Fall

Actor and producer Kirk Cameron is collaborating with Liberty University on a film project that is said to answer life's toughest questions about human suffering.

Cameron told The Christian Post in a statement on Wednesday that the film, set to be released this fall, "tackles the faith wrecking question that has turned Christians into atheists: 'Why does God allow bad things to happen to good people?'"

In the film, which is based on a true story, Cameron said he takes the audience "on a journey to view a child's funeral from the perspective of Heaven's balcony, gaining a 100,000-foot view of the world."

"This film answers a universal question that must be answered by every thoughtful person – both religious and secular," Cameron explained. "Young and old wrestle with suffering and death, and all are in need of hope, faith and love. So I'm making this movie for adults and teenagers, old and young. I want both my grandparents to be inspired and my children to be captivated by this exciting new film."

He describes the film as "beginning in the garden of Eden, where we witness the creation of Adam, the creation of Eve, and [later] Cain murdering Abel, Noah's flood, the birth of Israel, and Jesus' life, death, resurrection, and the destruction of the Jewish temple in A.D. 70."

Cameron says the project is the most personal film he's ever worked on.

"This film will be beautifully shot, scored, and edited to create a very unique and personal approach to this difficult topic. My desire is to bring hope, inspiration, and life to the faith of people everywhere," he commented.

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Colton Dixon Performs New Single on American Idol

Colton Dixon appeared on American Idol 2013 last night to perform his newly released single “Love Has Come For Me.” Colton’s performance on the Top 8 results show debuted his third single off his new album “A Messenger.”

The Bible's Success is Inspiring Religious Programming

Will the success of The Bible foretell a slew of religious-themed movies and TV projects? Hollywood Reporter is reporting that already in the works is Jesus of Nazareth, a six-hour, $20 million miniseries from production outfit MPCA.

“We believe the audience continues to have a hunger for life- and faith-affirming films,” says Michael Landon Jr., who is writing and producing the new version of Jesus of Nazareth with Brian Bird for Brad Krevoy’s MPCA. “The monumental success of Mark Burnett and Roma Downey’s The Bible just underscores that.”

The Bible’s March 3 premiere was cable’s most-watched telecast of the year, pulling in 13.1 million viewers, with its next two episodes holding strong at 10.9 million.

Meanwhile, Showtime is developing The Vatican, Lifetime has a hit reality series called Preacher’s Daughters, GSN is airing a Bible-themed game show, and several networks (TLC, Discovery, Nat Geo) have sparked to the Amish.

Krevoy said he doesn’t have a U.S. network commitment yet but is confident that will happen. “I’m very comfortable we’re going to get plenty of takers,” he said.

The plan is to cast multiple name stars, and Krevoy hopes that includes the role of Jesus. How Christ is portrayed will have a huge impact on how the miniseries is received because recent projects that have taken liberties with the story have come under fire. Another movie called Jesus of Nazareth, being developed by Dutch director Paul Verhoeven and based on a controversial book he wrote, has been lambasted by Christians and now is stalled.

Marion Rosenberg, who manages Verhoeven, denies that controversy or financing is the problem. She says it is “on a back burner” because they haven’t found the right writer.

Neither project is related to the 1977 miniseries by Italian director Franco Zeffirelli, which drew high ratings when it aired on a U.S. network, but Landon and Bird say they were inspired by that version. “That was a great piece of filmmaking,” Bird says.

Landon says their version “will be traditional in the sense we’re going to stay true to the gospel, but it won’t be traditional in the sense that our version is actually going to be made for the skeptic, not the believer.”

Says Bird: “We’re not looking to cause controversy to anybody. What we hope to do will be orthodox and faithful to the gospel and pleasing to whoever sees it. The idea of helping skeptics see Christ in a different way than they’ve ever seen him before, that’s not going to upset the choir.”

Adds Landon: “We’re going to be faithful to our favorite book of all time.”

Krevoy says development on their project began even before The Bible, though it only got the green light after the History mini became a hit.

“Every generation should have the chance to experience this story,” says Krevoy. “It’s perfect for today with all the things happening in the world. It’s great entertainment and educational.”

Austin-based Landon says the idea for this new version came to him about seven months ago on a Sunday when he was attending church. “I called Brian and told him my take, and it resonated immediately."

Bird, who is based in Los Angeles, worked five seasons on the inspirational CBS show Touched by an Angel (which in turn was inspired by Highway to Heaven).

They then brought the idea to Krevoy, with whom they have been working on When Calls the Heart, a period drama for the Hallmark Channel about a teacher from high society who get her first classroom assignment on the rugged Western frontier. In addition to the telefilm, which airs Oct. 5, the cable channel recently ordered 10 additional episodes.

Bird said that, like Highway to Heaven and Touched by an Angel, he expects Jesus of Nazareth to be inspirational for the audience. “I don’t know how you do the story of the most inspirational human being who ever walked the earth and not have it be inspiring in terms of the people around him who had their lives changed,” says Bird.

Colton Dixon and Angie Miller To Perform Together on American Idol Tonight?

 "American Idol" resumes again tonight with the results show from last nights performances.  Last night the Top 8 contestants sang classic hits from Motown and it served as a less than stellar night for some.

Angie Miller, who has been the darling and favorite by many for this season had an off night as well and the judges let her know about it. 

Idol judge Nicki Minaj who usually sings Millers praises seem irritated with her performance and if nothing else definitely gave her some tough love saying, "I don't think this has anything to do with whether you have undeniable talent, I think everyone knows that we feel that you do," an obviously exasperated Nicki launched into her critique. "And I don't think it has anything to do with the melody of the song. I think that you came out today to try to show a different side of Angie that didn't need to be shown.  You need to stop and enjoy that people are loving what you're doing. You don't have to try to be more overtly sexy, you don't have to try to be having fun.  Don't try to come out here and give us another side. We ain't asked for another side yet!"

Tonight, another popular American Idol alum will hit the stage, Colton Dixon.  Dixon was on Season 11 of American Idol and his career in Christian music has taken off since the show.  He released his debut record in January of this year and it has already generated two #1 singles, "Never Gone" and "You Are".  Colton Dixon will be performing his new single tonight.  He has kept the title of the song under wraps to build up to excitement for tonight.


There has also been buzz that Dixon and Miller will perform together tonight.  Miller sang Dixon's song, "Never Gone", a few weeks ago.

Colton Dixon Opens Up on American Idol, Phillip Phillips, and Switchfoot

BreatheCast recently interviewed Colton Dixon on a wide-range of topics.  Here are a few highlights:

How did it feel to see Angie Miller perform your song, "Never Gone" on American Idol?
"First of all, she did a phenomenal job.  I still can't believe that it all happened so fast, it really just felt like I was on the stage yesterday and now a new season already and someone is singing one of my songs, it's just crazy, I can't even wrap my head around it.  It's cool to see what God is doing with this record and the different avenues He has been plugging it in.  So stoked for Angie, she has been doing so well and yea, like I said, she absolutely killed it.  Excited to see what she will be doing in the future." 

Do you keep in touch with anyone from American Idol?
"Yea, we all keep in touch pretty well actually.  If someone has something going on, they will group text us and we will catch up every once in a while.  I'd say the person that I was closest to was probably Phillip just because we have similar interests.  He was a believer as well so we were able to connect on that level.  We were trying to do the same things just with different genres of music.  He was just a great, humble guy and we try to keep in contact as best as we can with our busy schedules.  Phillip actually just announced a tour with John Mayer, so I'm a little jealous right now.  I'm gonna be one of those guys begging for backstage passes (laughs).  They are all doing really, really great.  It's cool to see the different avenues that music is taking them."


If you could collaborate with one Christian artist and one secular artist, who would you choose?
"That is so hard.  Man, I would love to collaborate with Jon Foreman of Switchfoot.  I actually just met him not too long ago, he's such a rad dude.  He promised me a surfing lesson so I'm looking forward to that.  On the secular side (pause), I think doing something with Jared Leto from 30 Seconds to Mars would be amazing.  Doing something with Coldplay would be amazing too.  Man, so many good artists.  I would say between those two artists." 

10,000 Reasons (Bless The Lord) Is Golden

Matt Redman has yet one more reason to celebrate another crowning achievement for his worship anthem "10,000 Reasons (Bless The Lord)." After earning two GRAMMY® awards this past February, the incredibly popular song was recently certified Digital Gold by the RIAA. As the first No. 1 single for co-writers Redman and Jonas Myrin, the song made an admirable 16-week run at No. 1 on Christian Radio and remained at No. 1 on the Billboard Christian Songs Chart for an impressive four months. 

Redman is set to record a brand new, live worship album at Passion City Church's LIFT: A Worship Leader Collective, May 31-June 1 in Atlanta. Hosted by Louie Giglio and GRAMMY® winner Chris Tomlin, the gathering will bring together worship leaders from across the country to provide space to be in the presence of God without the constraints of leading others. In addition to Redman, Nathan & Christy Nockels, Kristian Stanfill, Crowder and others from the Passion Band will lead the worship leader collective.

'The Thorn' Plays to One Million

The acclaimed Easter stage show, "The Thorn," is extending its performance with a limited 2013 national tour. 
 
Nearly 1 million people have to date seen the unique live production, described by reviewers as "A Cirque du Soleil performance, meets The Passion of the Christ, meets a Broadway musical." 

"The Thorn" is a live, dramatic portrayal of the passion of the Christ, featuring live music, dance, special affects and aerial gymnastics. With unexpected features such as martial arts, live Taiko drums, overhead acrobatics, pyrotechnics and other special effects rivaling Hollywood, "The Thorn" is not a traditional church play production.

Paul Asay from the Gazette exclaims, "The Thorn is a local dramatic and musical extravaganza." Eric Gorski from the Denver Post remarks: "The Thorn rivals a Broadway production in scope and ambition."

Beginning in Colorado Springs, Colorado as a small regional play 16 years ago, "The Thorn" has grown to become the largest perennial, volunteer-based touring Easter production in the United States. Over the past 16 seasons, nearly one million people have witnessed this dramatic live event and more than 60,000 people are expected to see the 2013 version.

"The Thorn" this Easter season will make a multi-market tour to include Charleston, SC, Nashville, TN, Colorado Springs, CO, Denver, CO and Seattle, WA. 

National Geographic To Produce Killing Jesus

National Geographic Channel is set to adapt Bill O’Reilly's upcoming book Killing Jesus: A History, marking the third telepic partnering of the author, the cable network and Ridley Scott's Scott Free Productions.

The news comes on the heels of the big ratings of O'Reilly's Killing Lincoln in February. The scripted adaptation, starring Billy Campbell as the 16th president and Jesse Johnson as John Wilkes Booth, pulled a record 3.4 million viewers to the cable network. Nat Geo is also in pre-production on O'Reilly's Killing Kennedy: The End of Camelot.

O'Reilly, who will serve as executive producer on Killing Jesus, is writing the book with his researcher and partner Martin Dugard. Production on the film is scheduled to begin in the fall.

NGC president Howard Owens tells The Hollywood Reporter: "Killing Lincoln proved our audience's response to factual drama. The audacity of these books is in the way Bill thinks and tells a story. We think it fits really well with the history of the Bible, and we've had a lot of success in the religious genre."

Killing Jesus, as the title implies, follows the events leading up to the crucifixion. And the green light follows the current success of History's religion-themed miniseries The Bible, which has been pulling north of 10 million viewers every Sunday since March 3. Nat Geo's previous religious forays include 2006 special The Gospel of Judas.

BJ Thomas Returns with Duets Release Featuring Richard Marx, Keb Mo and Others

B.J. Thomas is one of music's most versatile voices of all time. He's had success with pop, gospel, A/C, and country over the years. So, it's no surprise that his influence has cut a wide path over each of those formats. His new disc, "The Living Room Sessions," features duet performances with artists from many different genres. Thomas told Billboard that the idea to re-record his hits was something that he has long resisted.

One cut that brings those feel-good vibes is the classic "(Hey Won't You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song," a No. 1 hit for Thomas from 1975 on the country charts as well as the Hot 100. For the new version, Thomas was joined by Richard Marx.

"He brought so much to the track. I think it was a song that meant something to him back when it was a hit. We told him to pick what he wanted to do, and that was his choice."

Another treat for Thomas was pairing up with Lyle Lovett for his 1969 signature song "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head." Thomas said the song really fit Lovett's style.

"I've known Lyle for years, and he's such an iconic figure in music, and also as a person. He's from Texas, and I am too. I think Sandy asked me if I would be interested in him singing on this project, and I said I would love for him to. I spoke to him on the phone, and he said he had done some music with Burt Bacharach, and I said ‘Why don't you do ‘Raindrops?' I think he brought a lot to it. He's a cool guy to work with. I hope we do some performances in the future."

The impact of "Raindrops" - originally from "Butch Cassidy and  the Sundance Kid" is one that the singer still feels over four decades later – though it almost didn't happen.

"That was a life-changing record for me."

Each cut brought back a wave of memories for Thomas, especially 1970's "Most Of All," which features the vocal stylings of Keb' Mo'.

All in all, Thomas told Billboard it felt great going back in time, yet adding a new wrinkle to his past hits. "It's been unbelievable. I don't spend a lot of time thinking ‘Oh, these guys like my music,' but everyone that is on here, I so admire them as musicians and singers. It's very rewarding."

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Survey: 69 Percent Learned Something New From 'The Bible' Miniseries

The History Channel's highly-successful miniseries "The Bible" has not only had record-breaking ratings, but it has also managed to teach the majority of viewers something they didn't already know about the Bible, according to a new Barna survey.

The survey, which was recently conducted by the Barna Group and commissioned by the American Bible Society, found that 69 percent of the viewers questioned claim that by watching the series, they discovered something new about the Bible that they didn't know before. The survey also found that of this 69 percent majority, less than 60 percent of those who answered described themselves as "active Christians," while more than 78 percent described themselves as "less-active Christians."

High school educated adults, non-whites, viewers ages 18-28, singles, and less-active Christians were among those more likely to answer that they had learned something new from "The Bible" miniseries.

The study, which questioned 615 adults throughout the U.S. via telephone interview, also asked questions relating to their awareness of "The Bible" miniseries, as well as viewership.

Nearly four out of five adults said they were aware of "The Bible" miniseries, while more than two out of five adults said they had watched an episode of "The Bible."

The Bible's Ratings Slip Slightly in Week 4

Both The Bible and Vikings were down a notch in their fourth airings, but overall the History series have demonstrated impressive ratings holds after their blockbuster premieres. Sunday’s installment of The Bible drew 10.3 million total viewers vs. 10.9 million last week and 10.8 million the week before. (The Bible‘s most recent demo tally was 3.9 million adults 25-54 and 3.4 million adults 18-49).

Destiny Child's Michelle Williams Proud of Her Faith

Michelle Williams, one third of the popular group Destiny's Child, is gearing up to release a gospel album, recently defended herself against criticism concerning her faith.

Williams, 31, has released gospel music in the past while performing secular music with the likes of her fellow group mates Beyonce Knowles and Kelly Rowland. Recently, the singer and actress spoke about some people having an issue with her balancing both her gospel roots and secular music.

In an interview with Philadelphia's Praise radio station 103.9, the singer questioned what types of signs people would need to witness in order to take her seriously as a Christian.

Despite some criticism that she has received, Williams said she believes that she is doing her part to be a witness for Jesus Christ.

"He places people in different parts (areas) for different reasons," Williams said on the radio station. "We know he's coming back soon and I am doing my part to make sure that people know about him."

The gospel singer spoke about her choice to partake in the genre despite the success of Destiny's Child in a previous interview with Billboard magazine.

"Some people will do gospel when their career fails, but I chose to do it at the height of the popularity of Destiny's Child," Williams told Billboard. "And I didn't want to do it because it was a fad. I wanted to do it because it's in me. It's in my heart."

American Bible Challenge Season 2 Premiere Down Slightly

The American Bible Challenge last night premiered at 1.152 million viewers. This is not as big as the 1.73 million viewers from the first season, but was the second highest-rated GSN show.

So why not as high as last time around? Likely because there was not as much promotion as last summer. Jeff Foxworthy appeared on late-night talk shows, news programs as well as other advertisements from the network in the first season.

Mr. Del to Release Faith Walka

Mr. Del is pleased to announce that his fourth solo album, "Faith Walka," will be released on June 18 via DMG and Universal Music Christian Group. A former member of the multi-platinum hardcore rap group Three 6 Mafia, Mr. Del is now widely recognized as an innovator in the Christian rap and hip-hop genre, both as an artist and a producer. 
 

As has come to be expected, "Faith Walka" features collaborations with other well-known artists. The first single, "Sunglasses," features Rod G. Newman, and a music video has just been released. Gospel artist Canton Jones also teams up with Mr. Del on the track, "Forgot to Forgive."

On previous projects, Mr. Del has collaborated with Grammy winner Kirk Whalum, Gospel artists Canton Jones and Lisa McClendon, Dove Award-winning trio Out of Eden and multi-platinum artist Salt of Salt-n-Pepa, among others.

"I feel like I am reintroducing my testimony and ministry to a new generation with a fresh sound and new spirit," says Mr. Del. "The past thirteen years have been a full circle ride in which I have not only grown as an artist, but as a man of God, and I pour out those lessons and emotions in this project. 'Faith Walka' is the testament of a man leaving the world of sex, drugs and hip-hop, and stepping out in faith."

Actor Greg Kinnear to Star in 'Heaven Is for Real' Movie

Actor Greg Kinnear is reportedly in the process of signing on to play a character in the upcoming movie adaptation of the New York Times best-selling book Heaven Is For Real: A Little Boy's Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back.

The book, which was released in late 2010, is based on the true story of a 4-year-old boy living in Nebraska who claims to have visited heaven while undergoing surgery for an emergency operation.

The young boy reportedly died temporarily during the surgery, and after awaking from his anesthesia, he claimed to have met his miscarried sister in heaven, as well as his great grandfather, divulging in family details which would have been impossible for him to have known.

The book is written by the boy's father, Todd Burpo, pastor of Crossroads Wesleyan church in Imperial, Neb., along with collaborative writer Lynn Vincent, who previously collaborated on Sarah Palin's book Going Rogue.

Although negotiation talks are still in the works, Kinnear may play the role of the young boy's father, Burpo, in the upcoming movie, which will be a Sony Pictures production, according to an exclusive by The Hollywood Reporter.

The movie will be produced by Joe Roth, who recently released "Oz the Great and Powerful," and Bishop T.D. Jakes of The Potter's House, along with director Randall Wallace, who previously directed "Braveheart" and "Secretariat."

"We are thrilled to have Randall Wallace at the helm of the film," Joel Kneedler, a representative for the film, said in a previous interview.

"He brings a wealth of experience as a writer and director and we are fortunate to have someone of his caliber overseeing the film," Kneedler added.

The release date for the film is set to be determined, although according to The Hollywood Reporter, Kinnear plans to make time for shooting the film while also starring in his new Fox pilot "Rake."

Passion Joins 5 Other Billboard Top 10 Debuts

Debuting at #4 on the Billboard 200 is the "Passion: Let the Future Begin" live album with 48,000 sold. Culled from the 2013 Passion Conference in January at Atlanta's Georgia Dome, the Christian album saw a significant chunk of its sales driven by pre-orders placed at the conference. The annual Passion event attracted 60,000 attendees this year and featured Passion worship leaders -- and recording stars -- Chris Tomlin, Kristian Stanfill and Matt Redman, among others. Those acts, and more, appear on the new Passion set.

It's the most top 10 debuts the chart has seen in four months. The last time there were more in a week was the Dec. 1, 2012 chart, when seven arrivals hit the region. 

Kirk Franklin Joins American Bible Challenge

Kirk Franklin will join GSN‘s The American Bible Challenge as musical co-host for the second season of the network’s breakout  studio-based game, in which contestants compete based on their knowledge of the Bible. Franklin, along with musical director Kris Pooley, will lead a choir that will be featured on the show. Season 2 of American Bible Challenge, hosted by Jeff Foxworthy, will premiere March 21. “The show is a fresh and fun approach to celebrating the Word of God, and being able to provide an element of praise, worship and honor is both exciting and humbling,” Franklin said. The series premiere last season delivered 1.7 million viewers, a record for GSN.

The Bible's Producers Call Controversy Over Satan's Resemblance to Obama Absurd

History Channel and The Bible executive producers, husband and wife Mark Burnett and Roma Downey, addressed the Obama-Satan controversy. “History channel has the highest respect for President Obama,” the network said in a statement. “The series was produced with an international and diverse cast of respected actors. It’s unfortunate that anyone made this false connection. History’s The Bible is meant to enlighten people on its rich stories and deep history.”

Burnett and Downey used stronger language in dismissing the connection, suggesting that the actor playing the Devil may have been simply type cast. “This is utter nonsense,” they said. “The actor who played Satan, Mehdi Ouzaani, is a highly acclaimed Moroccan actor. He has previously played parts in several Biblical epics — including Satanic characters long before Barack Obama was elected as our President.” Added Downey: “False statements such as these are just designed as a foolish distraction to try and discredit the beauty of the story of The Bible.”

The Bible's Ratings Rise in Third Week

History’s Sunday night was a historical cable powerhouse with both The Bible and Vikings up from the previous week. The third two-hour episode of the 10-part miniseries The Bible garnered 10.9 million total viewers, up from the 10.8 million the Mark Burnett- and Roma Downey-produced show received for its second episode March 10. While down in viewers from its massive March 2 debut, the mini again was the most-watched show on TV on Sunday night, topping AMC’s juggernaut The Walking Dead (10.8 million) and all other broadcast and cable competition in total viewers. Sunday’s episode was up in key demos as well, drawing 4.2 million in adults 25-54 (compared to 3.8 million the week before) and 3.5 million adults 18-49 (compared to 3.2 million March 10).

History's The Bible Slips in Week 2 But Still Smites the Competition

The second two-hour installment of History‘s miniseries The Bible on Sunday drew 10.8 million total viewers, 3.2 adults 18-49 and 3.8 million adults 25-54. That was down 18% in total viewers from the mini’s blockbuster opener the previous Sunday but still a massive turnout for a cable telecast. In fact, The Bible was the top program in all of television from 8-10 PM on Sunday among total viewers and 25-54, beating cable and broadcast competition.

Thousand Foot Krutch's Trevor McNevan's Back Injury

Thousand Foot Krutch frontman Trevor McNevan has been sharing details of his recent healing while on TFK's current "War Of Change" headline tour:

"A few weeks ago, after the Super Bowl, I was walking from my living room to my kitchen and out of no where, my back literally felt like it shattered. A few days later it was so bad I couldn't even move; it was the worst pain I've ever felt in my life. I tried to make it down the stairs to head to the hospital and blacked out. My wife had to call 911 and ambulance me into the hospital. It was crazy! They ran a bunch of testing over the course of a few days, and the doctor said I had an irregular case of degenerative disc disease. He said my 2 options were to stay on heavy pain meds and muscle relaxers for the rest of my life or to have a back surgery that in most cases resulted in a wheel chair. My wife and I were like 'what?!!' We believe in a big God, so weren't going to accept that. So we started praying. The band, our friends and family started praying. People around the world were praying (I sent out a tweet) - it was amazing. The next day I went for a ride somewhere with my wife, just to get out of the house, I was going stir crazy! On the way back, at a random moment, I was instantly healed! I felt all of my strength and energy come back in an instant; it felt like I could run a marathon! I turned to my wife and said, 'I think I was just healed...' It was amazing, man. So thankful! God's so good."

Word Entertainment to Release The Bible: Music Inspired by the Epic Mini-Series

Word Entertainment will release a musical companion to the History Channel's mini-series "The Bible" on March 12. The 12-track album highlighting themes from the mini-series features Christian  artists including Francesca Battistelli, Jason Castro, for KING & COUNTRY, Chris August, Big Daddy Weave, Group 1 Crew, Dara Maclean, Point of Grace, and Sidewalk Prophets. Superstars Wynonna Judd and Kenny Rogers also come together on the compilation for a special rendition of "Mary Did You Know?" The mini-series, which airs every Sunday through March culminating on Easter, drew in 27 million viewers this past Sunday making it the No. 1 cable telecast of the year and the No. 1 show in all of TV for the night.

"Roma and I are delighted that Word Entertainment and their talented Christian roster partnered with us on this project," commented producer Mark Burnett. "When we heard Francesca Battistelli's rendition of 'In Your Eyes' we immediately loved it. All of the artists' music fits beautifully with our vision of 'The Bible.'"


"The Bible: Music Inspired By The Epic Mini-Series" Track listing:
1. "In Your Eyes" - Francesca Battistelli
2. "Live Like That" - Sidewalk Prophets
3. "This Side Of Heaven" - Chris August
4. "Starting Line" - Jason Castro
5. "Love Come To Life" - Big Daddy Weave
6. "Crave" - for KING & COUNTRY
7. "Fearless" - Group 1 Crew
8. "What Love Means" - Everfound
9. "Home" - Dara Maclean
10. "Wash Me Away" - Point Of Grace
11. "Not For A Moment (After All)" - Meredith Andrews
12. "Mary, Did You Know?" - Wynonna Judd and Kenny Rogers

Will TV Get Religion?

Up until now, the year’s big cable-ratings story has been the ever-growing success of zombie drama The Walking Dead on AMC. Sunday night, though, History channel had the highest-rated scripted drama on cable for the year.

The first two hours of History’s Mark Burnett miniseries adaptation of The Bible scored 13.1 million viewers, more than any fiction cable show of the year–and, as the New York Times notes, dwarfing anything on NBC for the past month. (The biblical epic numbers did not quite match The Walking Dead in viewers aged 18 to 49, the demographic that determines advertising rates, but it did get a healthy 5.6 million.)

Those are the kinds of numbers that get TV executives’ attention, and “attention” in the TV business means copying. Last year, History pulled meganumbers with Hatfields and McCoys; now NBC is developing a Hatfields and McCoys series.  Does this mean we'll see more religious epics coming to TV?  Stories aimed, like The Bible miniseries, at believers?

One of the best recent examples was Friday Night Lights. Faith mattered to people in Dillon, Texas: they went to church, prayed on problems, played Christian rock in their garages. It didn’t magically fix anything, nor did it make the people of Dillon better or worse than people anywhere else, but the show took it seriously, and matter-of-factly, as a major part of its characters’ worldviews.

On network TV, some of the more interesting recent storylines about faith have been happening at the margins of The Good Wife–one of the more “cable-like” broadcast shows to begin with. The protagonist, Alicia Florrick, is an open atheist–even more of a rarity than an avowed believer on TV–and this became an issue recently when she refused to hide her disbelief to help Peter’s gubernatorial campaign. At the same time, her teenage daughter has been drawn to Christianity, and the way the show has handled Alicia’s reaction–not preachily, but as a story about a parent working to accept her daughter’s separate identity–has been exemplary without being showy.

These are still exceptions, though. (There are a few more depictions of the faithful in reality TV, especially on cable–Sister Wives, the Duggars.) The reason TV series should have religious characters and take them seriously is because it makes for better stories. People who believe things are interesting. People wrestling with the big questions are interesting. And TV shows that depict actual lived life–with characters who are specific rather than generic–are interesting.

Of course, programmers often read “interesting” as “dangerous,” especially when it comes to religion.

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The Bible: A Hit in Print And Now on TV

"The Bible," a 10-hour live-action miniseries that debuted Sunday night on the History Channel, is posting some heavenly Nielsen ratings, despite a poor response from the nation's TV critics.

13.1 million viewers watched the 8-10 p.m. premiere. This makes it the most-watched entertainment program on cable since the History Channel’s own “Hatfields & McCoys” wrapped its impressive three-night run in late May 2012 with 14.3 million for its initial airing.

No program on TV drew more viewers Sunday than “The Bible.”  CBS’ “60 Minutes” drew the largest audience on the broadcast networks (11.9 million).

Four more episodes of the miniseries will be broadcast each Sunday night this month.

The series was produced by actress Roma Downey, of "Touched by an Angel" fame, and Mark Burnett, producer of reality TV shows like "Survivor" and "The Amazing Race."

"We've been working on this project for the past four years now, and are deeply honored to be given this once in a generation opportunity to breathe new visual life into the Bible's profound stories," the couple says in a statement.