Here’s the latest from the crossroads of faith, media & culture: 02/28/25

Note to Self: You don’t have to agree with a politician just because he name drops Jesus. In an interview on last night’s edition of NewsNation’s Cuomo (weeknight, 8:00 PM ET), Democratic Texas state Rep. James Talarico told host Chris Cuomo this: “Jesus is the reason I’m in politics. My grandfather was a Baptist preacher in South Texas, and he taught me at a young age Christianity is a simple religion, not an easy religion, but a simple religion because Jesus gave us two commandments to follow, love God and love neighbor. That’s what this whole faith boils down to.” It was a part of an exchange which began at the 3:32 mark when the host brought up the subject of Christian nationalism and those who supposedly see President Trump as a “deistic figure” – which is a sort of a drive-by slur and, I believe, unfair and untrue characterization of Trump supporters who are well aware of his human flaws but agree with him on the issues.

Earlier in the conversation, he threw some cold water on the idea of school choice as a means of lifting poor children out of failing public schools – labeling private school vouchers as a scam. I don’t question his sincerity on the subject – and we should always be on the lookout for scams – but my personal opinion is that school vouchers are an effective tool for lifting poor children out of poverty and that it is special interests that are trying to thwart them. Name dropping Jesus – whether by the right or the left – can be a form of political manipulation. We all have a responsibility to think for ourselves to determine which policies actually align with our faith values. You can watch the whole conversation below.

Be on the lookout for…Michael Guillen’s Substack post on Jesus as the Ultimate ET, Karol Markowicz’s I Heart Radio interview with journalist Carrie Sheffield about her journey from dysfunctional religion to empowering faith (a subject she also discussed with me) and these…

The Mosaic Church (currently streaming)

The Last Supper (in theaters March 14th)

Centered: Joe Lieberman (in select theaters nationwide March 18th and 19th) 

ONE – Voices for Tanzania (multi-art anthem releases March 21st)

Also ahead…

Prime Video has just confirmed that Jamie Campbell Bower and Eddie Marsan have joined the cast of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power for the series’ upcoming third season that is currently in pre-production. The series will begin filming this spring at its new production home at Shepperton Studios in the UK. Bower will be a series regular while Marsan will appear in a recurring role. The globally successful series, which has attracted over 170 million viewers worldwide, continues to be one of the strongest drivers for new Prime membership sign-ups.

From Deadline: Monarch Media has secured the rights to A Walk to Remember, the seminal early aughts coming-of-age romance from Nicholas Sparks, with plans to develop a reboot alongside the original film’s producers Denise Di Novi and Hunt Lowry. An enduringly popular bestseller published in 1999, A Walk to Remember follows a rebellious high school senior who falls for a quiet, faith-driven girl after being forced to participate in a school play, discovering the transformative power of love, forgiveness and the beauty of living each day with purpose. 

John W. Kennedy is a writer, producer and media development consultant specializing in television and movie projects that uphold positive timeless values, including trust in God.