Walden Media, Micheal Flaherty, and Perry Moore: A Personal Statement

Some of my Walden, Flaherty, and Moore posts -- here, on WordPress, and on NarniaWeb -- have infuriated or confused some readers. So I think an explanation is in order.

First of all, I'm not anti-gay (people). But that doesn't make me pro-gay (activity). Sin is sin. You can love people and hate sin. That is possible. Why does everyone think that preaching against homosexuality makes you anti-gay? Is that part of the media brainwashing?

I think if I had met Perry Moore I would have liked him. Perry seemed like a nice person, even if he was openly gay. I felt grace and mercy toward him. I wanted to see him converted, in the fullest biblical sense, and married (to a woman). I believe all this was possible -- and a sign of prevenient grace from God. Yet Perry died before he could be saved. And I believe in my heart that he went to hell. You can't be gay and be a Christian. I've explained this elsewhere. People just don't understand. Does this make me anti-gay? No.

Yet I don't feel the same grace or mercy toward Walden Media President Micheal Flaherty. My attitude toward him consists instead of righteous indignation. And here's why.

1. Something about Flaherty in a February 2011 interview (YouTube) set off red flags. He acted shady and shifty, like he was trying to hide something. His countenance seemed dark. Fox rep Simon Swart acted much more normal in his interview. Call it a sixth sense or a woman's intuition.

2. I believe Flaherty lied about his Roman Catholic religious identity. In a December 2010 interview with Catholic Exchange, he talked about various elements of his Catholic faith. Yet in a February 2011 interview with The Christian Post at the Protestant Evangelical NRB Convention, Flaherty denied being Catholic, said people must have attributed it to his Irish name, and then said he was an Evangelical. Huh? The two interviews flatly contradict one another. Calling Flaherty a Catholic Evangelical doesn't explain this away!

3. Flaherty's reasons for wanting to make The Magician's Nephew as the next Narnia film smack of money rather than a love or respect for the franchise. [The Silver Chair should come next logically.] I and many others can say the same of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader as a film; it smacks of money. Of course money matters in film making. But it shouldn't be the only or highest reason for wanting to make a film. When you care about money most, you refuse to take risks. You try to play it safe. And the end result is a film that no one wants to watch twice.

I can't see myself watching VDT a second time. But I've seen LWW twice and loved it. I'd watch PC again tomorrow. Love for the Narnia franchise shined in both of those films. It doesn't shine in VDT. Walden seems to know nothing about sacrifices. You must lose some to win some. Numbers and money don't matter. Read Judges 7, 1 Samuel 14:6, John 12:24-25, 1 Corinthians 15:36, and "Aslan's Meditations: A Sweet Sacrifice" to see what I mean.

Even an evangelical motive seems lost. If Walden calls itself a Christian media company but isn't making films to glorify God or bring others to Him, what is it doing? Walden is wasting time, if you ask me. Who cares about storytelling? Anyone can tell a story. Only a Christian can tell a story that glorifies Jesus Christ. The greatest story ever told is the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. Is Walden telling people this story? They did obliquely in LWW. They haven't since.

I don't want to accuse Flaherty or others of ulterior motives, even embezzlement. That's a serious charge. Without proof it's slander. Yet I wonder what's gone wrong. What is happening behind the scenes at Walden Media? Only God knows. And I pray he uncovers it all.