--:-- [Upbeat music fades out]
--:-- John Bickley: This episode is brought to you by LifeLock. Between two-factor authentication, strong passwords, and a VPN, you try to be in control of how your info is protected. But many other places also have it, and they might not be as careful. That's why LifeLock monitors hundreds of millions of data points a second for threats. If your identity is stolen, they'll fix it. Guaranteed or your money back. Save up to 40% your first year. Visit LifeLock.com slash podcast for 40% off. Terms apply.
--:-- [Music transitions to a gentle Easter Sunday theme]
--:-- John Bickley: A version of today's episode ran last week on Morning Wire. We decided to share it with you again on Easter Sunday. Faith-based content has exploded with American audiences. Films such as Jesus Revolution outperform expectations at the box office, while podcasts like Bible in a Year and apps like Halo consistently rank at the top of the charts. We speak to some of the people behind the popular religious media about why the content is resonating with so many. and discuss the spiritual direction of our nation.
--:-- Georgia Howe: I'm Daily Wire Editor-in-Chief John Bickley with Georgia Howe. It's April 9th. Happy Easter, everyone. This is your Sunday edition of Morning Wire.
--:-- [Producer Brandon chimes in]
--:-- Brandon: Hey, guys. Producer Brandon here. You deserve the perfect balance of quality and convenience to kickstart your morning. Stock up on cans of Black Rifle's ready-to-drink coffee at blackriflecoffee.com or grab an ice-cold can from a convenience store near you. For a more explosive energy boost, try Ready to Drink 300, available in caramel vanilla, rich mocha, salted caramel, or vanilla bomb flavors. Go to BlackRifleCoffee.com and use promo code WIRE for 10% off your purchase. That's BlackRifleCoffee.com, promo code WIRE. Black Rifle Coffee, America's coffee.
--:-- John Bickley: Here to discuss the rise in religious content is Daily Wire reporter Amanda Prestigiacomo. So Amanda, tell us about some of this faith-based content and the viewership numbers this content's actually bringing in.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: Yeah, it seems from films to podcasts to apps to television series, whichever medium you turn to, faith-based content is moving into the mainstream and climbing the charts. So let's get into these numbers. We've spoken in the past to creator Dallas Jenkins about the success of The Chosen. This is a multi-season series following the life of Jesus and his followers. It's one of the highest-grossing crowdfunded entertainment projects of all time, bringing in $10 million from donors. And so far an estimated 100 million people worldwide have seen seasons one and two with total views topping more than 440 million
--:-- John Bickley: That's incredible. And then we have Jesus Revolution This was a film released this year about Christian pastor Greg Laurie starring actor Kelsey Grammer That was a box office success, grossing more than $50 million.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: There's also Catholic meditation and prayer app Hallow that made history on Ash Wednesday by landing at the number three spot on the Apple Store overall. The Hallow app has connected literally millions of people in prayer, scripture, and meditation, and has facilitated more than 175 million prayers worldwide. There's also the Bible in a Year podcast. This features priest Mike Schmitz reading and discussing scripture. Schmitz launched the podcast in January of 2021 and within 40 hours skyrocketed to the number one slot on Apple Podcasts. Schmitz managed to amass half a billion views and has consistently ranked number one in Apple Podcasts subgroups.
--:-- John Bickley: So why is all of this faith-based programming gaining traction now?
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: I think the most obvious surface-level reason is that it's good content. People who have followed faith-based content know that that hasn't always been the case. But some of this new content is pulling more secular viewers because it's competitive in quality with other content out there. High quality and good storytelling tend to attract people no matter their religious background or lack thereof. There's also a large untapped audience of hundreds of millions of American Christians who want this content and haven't had many options, at least not from Hollywood, which used to be a gatekeeper of content creation. What we're seeing now is that independent production houses are cropping up outside of Hollywood, and they're focusing on faith-based content. But there may also be aspects of our cultural moment that are drawing more interest for this content.
--:-- John Bickley: I spoke to Father Mike Schmitz of the wildly popular Bible in a Year podcast. He told me that the state of our culture has a lot of people searching for answers right now. What I recognize is that we have in our culture, we've lost a, what you might call a biblical worldview. Now we have some of the remnants of that, where obviously Western civilization is based off of Judeo-Christian principles and Judeo-Christian worldview. And yet, I don't know that a lot of us really, truly understand, not just where that comes from, but what that means ultimately. And I think there's this sense of hunger in people that says, not only do I want to understand life, I want to understand reality, but also I want to understand what God has to say about this.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: I asked about the type of faith content people are craving and clinging to including his own podcast I think that the chosen and hallowed and you know the stuff that Ascension puts out the Bible in the Year and other things I think those are done excellently So there is a certain level of excellence that is being brought to this content. At the same time, I think that there is also a level of maybe rawness or authenticity. It's not I'm trying to win you over or convince you or distract you away from the source of the thing. I'm trying to bring you to the source of the thing. I think that when it comes to the chosen, it's like, no, here's just the source of the thing. Here's what it probably would look like for Jesus to walk around 2,000 years ago. The Halo app is all about, how can I pray? And not like you pray for me, but like, okay, how can I pray? And then same thing with the Bible. And it's just that sense of, well, here it is.
--:-- John Bickley: Now, it's been decades since a faith-based film went mainstream. I'm thinking specifically of The Passion of the Christ in the early 2000s.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: Yeah, exactly right. This was released back in 2004, and it broke all sorts of records. Coincidentally, just days ago, the trailer for the Passion sequel for the film was released online, so that'll be coming down the pike soon.
--:-- John Bickley: Our own Megan Basham spoke to the film's director and co-writer, Mel Gibson, about what made the Passion so special, and it seems to align with Father Mike's assessment about the type of content that's doing so well today. Why did it resonate well? I mean, it was a pretty powerful story. I think I was just trying to be as true to the Gospels as I could. yet interpret them with my eye and through the eyes of art that I'd witnessed over the years and music and everything else. So I think it was a very potent story and seen from an aspect that I don't think anyone ever saw before was the degree of suffering. And the willingness to do that which is again total humility So it worked on that level because I think it gave people a new understanding of what they were involved in when they go to worship or when they think about God
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: I also spoke to Alex Jones, the co-founder and CEO of Hallow, an app focused on prayer, scripture and meditation. He talked to me about some of the feedback he's received from people who use the app. We get these notes from people who are really lost, people who have been addicted, abused, who are struggling, who are suicidal, who are in a really negative, really dark space. Young women who have body image issues, older men who have addiction issues. And they write to us and say, hey, I'm, you know, God changed my life through this.
--:-- John Bickley: Jones found that people turning to prayer was most pronounced during the pandemic. I think we're all really hungry for it and we're all in a deep need of it. And I think COVID showed us that, you know, with the depths of pain, anger, frustration, loneliness, depression, anxiety, grief, we can kind of distract ourselves from God in our normal day-to-day life when nothing crazy happens. But in those kinds of moments, you just realize how deep of a need you have. And the only thing that can really fill it is faith in God.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: He added that New Age approaches to handling grief and adversity are falling short. Jones told me about a friend who recently experienced the loss of a child when his wife had a stillborn son. They had to give birth and then bury their son the same day. And there's just nothing. You know, you can say, hey, go for a run or try to focus on your breath for a while or, you know, try to journal or whatever it is. But there's just nothing that can speak to that deep of a wound. All of that seems silly when you're talking about someone who lost their kid or when you're talking about someone who's been struggling with addiction for 10 years. I mean, only God can speak to the depth of that.
--:-- John Bickley: While religious content is witnessing a boom, it's still true that the U.S. is more secular than ever. A recent poll from the Wall Street Journal showed that just 39% of Americans say their religious faith is important to them. That's down from 62% back in 1998, the first time the poll was conducted.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: I asked Father Mike about where he thought our nation was headed spiritually. I really do think that these are signs of hope. These are signs that God's not done. He's not done with our culture. He's not done with our country. and he's having with us. And that, yeah, that gives me a lot of hope.
--:-- John Bickley: Well, a really interesting trend. And I think this says a lot about our cultural moment. Amanda, thanks for reporting.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: Anytime.
--:-- John Bickley: That was Daily Wire reporter, Amanda Prestigiacomo. And this has been a Sunday edition of Morning Wire.
