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News Link • Religion: Believers

Disney Introduces First Explicitly Christian Character in Almost Two Decades

• by Cassandra MacDonald

The show's first episode, which aired on Disney+ on February 19, features "eight different characters as they each prepare for their big championship softball game," according to the show's description.

The Christian character, Laurie, bows her head in prayer to ask for strength during the big game.

"Dear heavenly Father, please give me strength. … I just want to catch a ball or get a hit," Laurie says. "I promise I'll be good, and I, uh, won't do that thing again."

In another scene, Laurie prays, "Please help me be good. I'm gonna train so hard."

"I played softball growing up," said Carrie Hobson, director and executive producer of the series. "Inspired by that experience, we felt fast-pitch softball was the perfect backdrop for the show. There are so many facets to playing sports that I love—it can bring out the best and worst of a person, the calmest person can lose their temper. And when it comes to winning and losing—the consequences are nothing, and yet, they're everything. We really felt like it was the best arena for the themes we loved."

Laurie is the first openly Christian character since the 2007 film "Bridge to Terabithia" and the first Christian prayer from Disney since 1996's "The Hunchback of Notre Dame."

The Blaze reports that multiple LGBT websites have expressed "concern" about the inclusion of a Christian character and what it means for the woke hold that has been on Disney in recent years.

The Blaze reports:

PinkNews claimed, "The introduction of an explicitly Christian character is fairly innocuous on its own standing, but the context surrounding the show — and Disney at large — has left some LGBTQ+ TV lovers a little uneasy."

"While Laurie's Christian beliefs aren't depicted as being anti-trans, and Christian characters aren't incongruous with trans characters — of course, someone can be both religious and transgender — some viewers feel the two conjunctive decisions are indicative of Disney moving back towards a more traditional, conservative worldview," the outlet added.