Document: /pub/resources/text/breakpoint: BPT.94.04.07.TXT ---------------------------------------------------------- Note: Prison Fellowship has recently asked that email transmission of the BreakPoint commentaries be suspended until they decide how they wish to proceed with that matter. However, I have been given permission to email special noncommentary items like fact sheets and urgent announcements. Write me for the recent posts about transmitting BreakPoint over email. You have my permission to forward these posts ONLY if you are being sensitive to and respectful of the recipients' views and you KNOW that these posts will not be a threat to or abuse of their ideals, only if the copyright notice (if present) is retained, and only if there is no profit involved. If you've missed a post, you may get it from the USENET newsgroup bit.listserv.christia. This is an UNOFFICIAL transcript made from the radio broadcast. Mistakes in it are mine, not Mr Colson's nor Prison Fellowship's. Comments, corrections, questions are welcome; send to . * <> Thursday, April 7, 1994 BREAKPOINT with Chuck Colson Teaching school with pigs squealing in the school yard isn't a skill you pick up a teacher's college. But for Christy Huddleston it was part of the job description when she began teaching at a mission school in the Smoky Mountains. Millions of people have read the story Christy in the classic novel by the late Christian author Catherine Marshall. Now, you can tune in for the television version tonight on CBS. The series was kicked off on Sunday with a film based on the novel. And tonight CBS begins a 6-part series. Both the film and the series star Kelly Martin as Christy, a young woman who at the turn of the century who heeds the call of a missionary to leave her sheltered city life and teach school in the Appalachian mountains. A dozen bare-foot mountain children, the sons and daughters of moonshiners, become Christy's pupils. The plot is simple, but it was enough to attract millions of views for the premier last Sunday. Christy captured the fifth highest rating for the week scooping up a hefty 29-percent share of the viewing audience. Even jaded critics waxed enthusiastic. The San Francisco Chronicle called the movie "bedrock family drama." USA Today described it as a "story that warms the heart without turning the brain to mush." Family values, it seems, has taken prime time by storm. The fact that such an overtly Christian series is hitting the airwaves confirms what film critic Michael Medvid describes as an industry-wide shift towards family entertainment. As Medvid puts it, "Hollywood has finally gotten the message Americans want television that reflects their own traditional values"; values that have much more in common with Christy than with the likes of Beavis and Butthead or Bart Simpson. And traditional values are just what Christy specializes in. The young teacher engages the mountain people in serious discussions about sin and God's grace. She is shown praying for divine guidance. In one touching scene, after vandals have destroyed the school house, a ragged little boy reminds Christy that God tells us to love even "them who done this." This is what I call quality programming. If you and I appreciate quality entertainment, we need to make our voices heard. Christy producer Ken Wales says the series is a test case of the public's willingness to support prime time Christianity. When the 6-part series ends, CBS will decide whether Christy will be renewed in the fall, or cancelled. Well, Christians ought to be lining up to make sure the series stays on the air. Many of us have participated in boycotts of the sponsors of offensive programming, but we ought to take this opportunity to exert a positive influence in Hollywood as well. Why not gather the whole family and settle down with some popcorn to watch Christy tonight. Then, take a minute to call or write CBS and the series sponsors. Tell them how much your family appreciates their support for this inspirational, new series. You can call us here at BreakPoint and we'll tell you who to contact. And then, enjoy what good TV can do. Watch Christy walk the green hillsides of the Appalachians, chase off the squealing pigs, and put her faith into action. BreakPoint is copyright (c) 1994 by Prison Fellowship. To talk with Prison Fellowship about emailing BreakPoint write or call: Prison Fellowship (800) 497-0122 PO Box 17500 (703) 478-0100 Washington, DC 20041 (703) 834-3658 fax BreakPoint (800) 995-8777 The unofficial BreakPoint FTP site is ftp.cs.albany.edu:/pub/ault/bp ----------- David S McMeans amUous Mind Puzzles Dayton, OH BreakPoint with Chuck Colson