How a Church of Christ minister ended up on the set of racy TV show ‘GCB’

New on The Christian Chronicle’s website, Jonathan Storment shares the bizarre series of events that resulted in his walk-on role in the ‘GCB,’ a controversial TV show that premiered on ABC March 4. Storment preaches for the Highland Church of Christ in Abilene, Texas.

When I got to the Disney studios, I discovered that the  film wasn’t a new “Annie,” featuring Christian Bale as Daddy Warbucks. It was, instead, a TV show called “Good Christian Belles” that had been booked by a friend as a favor to a woman named Annie. …
The assistant director informed us that “Good Christian Belles” — even before a single episode had been shot — had been banned by the American Family Values Association. The show’s name has since been changed to “GCB” and the previews insinuate that the “B” stands for something much worse than “Belles.” (Remember, I thought this was “Annie.”)
As more and more details came out, I learned that the scene we were shooting wasn’t in a restaurant but in a bar, one modeled after a restaurant that is famous for demeaning women and serving good chicken wings — or so I’ve been told.

The first episode of the series can be seen online. After perusing it (an act for which I will have to “go forward” on Sunday morning) I found a scene at the bar in question about two-thirds of the way through the episode. I didn’t see the minister, but I may have blinked and missed him. He may have wound up “on the cutting room floor” as they used to say in Hollywood. (The modern equivalent is, “He may be relegated to DVD ‘bonus content.'”)
The Abilene Reporter-News has a cleverly-titled retelling of the story, “Leaping Lizards! Abilene minister had no idea he was going to be cast as extra on racy ‘GCB’”

Highland hired Storment two years ago when he was only 29, a young age for a minister at such a well-known church that had been served by some of the Church of Christ’s biggest names, such as Lynn Anderson and Mike Cope.
Storment, who is married and has two children, earned a bachelor’s degree from Harding University, a Church of Christ-affiliated school in Arkansas. He now is completing a master of Christian ministry degree at Abilene Christian University.
The fact that Highland hired Storment to step into such a major pulpit shows the church’s willingness to think outside the box. Even so, Storment worried that appearing on “GCB” might be a little too far outside the box.
He was pleased and relieved to see the church’s response. And, the church liked the bold step its young minister took.

• Feedback
  Unfortunately you can’t be too careful, and we have all made mistakes.

  Gary Hatmaker

  March, 5 2012

  I really like the showGCB,The meaning not so much,but it fits!

  Cynthia

  March, 5 2012

  I watched the first episode of GCB and it was terrible!! I’ll NEVER watch it again. I’m glad to say that NONE of the women who attend my church and are my Christian sisters act like the ones on that show. I never heard it called Good Christian Belles. We ALL know what the “B” REALLY stands for and it rhymes with witch. I think all Christians should boycot it!! It certainly does NOTHING to help spread the gospel or make someone WANT to become a Christian. In fact, it does just the opposite!

  Laura

  March, 6 2012

  There is a reason American Family Values called on Christians not to watch this show. Hollywood hates Christians. You’d never see a show called Good Muslem B*tches. Everyone should boycott this show–you only have to watch a commercial about it to see that Christians are portrayed as anything but Christlike. I’m not sure what to think about the preacher being on the show; he seems to be proud of what he’s done when I think he was just used. Christians need to stop watching television shows and movies that glorify sin.

  Lynne

  March, 7 2012

  A Church of Christ minister is at a bar, eating wings and participating in subversive conversations. I need some help here. How does this help the world to know Christ?

  Kenneth Morvant

  March, 11 2012

  Christian…a believer…a follower of Christ! And, how did that happen? Do we ever look around and see the vastness of the universe and heavens…the beauty and magnificence and complexity of it all? None of it can be totally measured. Man is a filthy rag in a cesspool at best compared to God. That is why we needed Christ. That is why he left His riches in heaven, placed Himself thru the process of becoming a man thru Mary’s womb, entered into the world as a baby Jesus, left his riches to live in poverty, so that we may have wealth untold. How could Hollywood be so disgusting? Not too far into the future, each of us will be faced with an idenity to determine our eternal future. My tv channel will not stop on blasphemy to God our Father, Christ our Saviour, and the Holy Spirit living within Christian hearts here on earth. May God bless America and the world. Let’s give Satan a black eye every day as he works thru Hollywood, the world, and throughout our lives to take us down. This is one show that will look good with minus zero ratings.

  V Gray

  March, 12 2012

  Maybe God placed Jonathan at that place at that time so he could have that conversation with Allison and possibly show her the love of God. God cares so much more about one lost soul than He does about whether a bunch of religious people get offended.

  Jan

  March, 12 2012

  The Spirit took Philip to the eunich while he was traveling in a chariot. Not when the eunich was attending to the wives of the king while they were bathing in their inner chamber. I think that there is an appropriate time and place to present the Gospel. Apparantly he was acting out lines which according to the description were subversive in nature in a bar. I don’t think that is the place to do it. We do have to stand for something or we fall down and fail.

  Kenneth Morvant

  March, 12 2012

  I have watched the program for the last 2 sunday nights. What a wonderful hour of satire. JR Ewing, move over. this is an excellent show that the message to me is , no matter how rich, how much plastic surgery, your hypocrisy will slap you down.

  dell

  March, 13 2012

  The gospel is the power of God unto salvation. Not fame and public acclaim. Consider that Christ gave testimony that the works of the world are evil and that the world hated him for this very thing. The minister has no place on this show. The minister did not confess Christ but that the works of the world are entertaining to some.

  john watson smith

  March, 17 2012