Skip to main content

Mere Orthodoxy exists to create media for Christian renewal. Support this mission today.

Send Hilary to Jail

March 28th, 2006 | 1 min read

By Matthew Lee Anderson

For sale:  star in a children's book and send Hilary Clunkton to jail.  WorldAhead Publishing, a local conservative political publisher, is selling the opportunity to be featured in one of their hit "Help! Mom!" books.  It's a fascinating opportunity; the possibilities are endless   "Have lunch with Michael Jordan!"  "Watch Barry Bonds take steroids" (okay, that's a low blow). "Be in a movie with Nicole Kidman!"

In all seriousness, this is an intriguing marketing and money-making strategy and I sincerely hope people take notice.  It would be interesting to see movie makers put plot decisions up for the most amount of money so that fans could vote with their dollars.  If the show had a strong enough cult-following, like Firefly, my hunch is that people would pay to have their voice heard.  In  business, cultishness generally equals an evangelistic zeal and more money, so engendering a sense of slavish devotion is crucial.  In a savvy move, WorldAhead Publishing may have taken a step toward doing that.

Matthew Lee Anderson

Matthew Lee Anderson is an Associate Professor of Ethics and Theology in Baylor University's Honors College. He has a D.Phil. in Christian Ethics from Oxford University, and is a Perpetual Member of Biola University's Torrey Honors College. In 2005, he founded Mere Orthodoxy.