Lacey Chabert Compromises Her Faith in Hallmark's "Groundswell"

Image:  Crown Media

Lacey Chabert Is a Hallmark A-Lister

Before Candace Cameron Bure left Hallmark for Great American Family, fans would good-naturedly spar over who should be crowned the network's Queen of Christmas--Bure or Lacey Chabert.  Starring in more leading roles on Hallmark than other actresses, both ladies seemed to retain a firm reign over the network, evidenced by their massive viewing audience.

All fans have their favorite Chabert movie, but there's no denying that A Christmas Waltz was the number one most watched original movie premiere in 2020, and in 2022, The Wedding Veil broke Hallmark viewing records by drawing in more than 3.3 million live viewers.  In fact, The Wedding Veil outperformed all of Hallmark's 2021 movies, proving Chabert's popularity shows no sign of waning.

Surprisingly, as many familiar faces left Hallmark for Great American Family, like Jen Lilley and CCB, Chabert not only stayed with Hallmark, but she also signed a 2-year deal that would give her the creative license to both star in and executive produce movies and other content across Hallmark's platforms.

Given that Hallmark has been infected with wokeism--a left-wing political ideology--it's unclear why Chabert, a person of faith, could remain with the network in good conscience.

Lacey Chabert Is a Christian

Being a Christian in the entertainment industry is often brutal.  Most Hollywood stars are far-left progressives who claim to be "tolerant" and "inclusive" but cancel and attack anyone with Biblically based morals and standards.

Why is this?  Simply put, sinners need Jesus, but many people want to be the "god" of their own lives.  They rebelliously refuse to surrender their lives to Christ.  When they encounter a Christian who is submitted to God and virtuously living out their faith according to Biblical values, it brings conviction to them, and they react with vitriol.  It's much easier for lefties to write off Christians as "judgmental people" than to confront their own sin and humbly admit their need for a Savior. 

Chabert once stated, Jesus is the center of my life, and I give God the glory for everything, for all my success. She isn't ashamed of her faith, even though it may have cost her larger Hollywood roles and caused her 2014 movie, Christian Mingle, to score meager reviews, all negative.

Costars gush about Chabert, often affirming how loving, caring, down-to-earth, and kind she is.  Fans lucky enough to meet her at Christmas-con share the same sentiment on social media.  Lisa Hamilton Daly, Executive VP of Programming at Crown Media had this to say when news of Chabert's Hallmark deal became public:

Lacey's warmth, talent, relatability, and creative sensibilities have endeared her to millions of Hallmark viewers for more than ten years, making her one of our most in-demand stars.......She inherently understands and embodies what our networks are all about--the transformational power of love and making people feel good--and we look forward to continuing our work with her to create heartfelt, compelling stories that will entertain, inspire, and touch our audience.

Chabert's good heart and radiant smiles sends warm fuzzies through the TV screen, and there's no doubt she's a wonderful and genuine soul, but her role in Groundswell indicates she's willing to compromise her faith for her career.

Chabert Caves to Wokeism in Groundswell

Why are scores of fans renouncing Hallmark and migrating to Great American Family?  They are turning to Hallmark for escapism entertainment and are being force-fed a political agenda they don't want to swallow.  

The most obvious woke element in Groundswell is the insistence on patching LGBTQ characters into the story.  According to a 2022 Gallup poll, only 7.1% of Americans identify as LGBTQ, yet Hallmark is saturating their newer movies with gay characters in a manner that isn't representative of our cultural demographic.  Hallmark ignores their large conservative fan base to pander to a miniscule sector of the population.  Is Hallmark afraid of the small but nasty mob who might otherwise cancel them for noncompliance to their agenda, or do they really believe in the worldview they are pedaling?  

Advocates for Hallmark's inclusion policy who always chant "love is love," "it's about time Hallmark entered the 21st century," "so glad Hallmark is showing the reality of more modern families," are happy with the network's drastic change in course.  Many are not.  Those who voice their disapproval based on religious convictions are called homophobes, racists, bigots, and judgmental hypocrites.  

LGBTQ supporters erroneously claim the Bible says nothing against this lifestyle and regurgitate the only Bible story they remember about Jesus stopping men from stoning the woman caught in adultery.  

No one is more inclusive than Jesus.  He died and rose again to conquer sin for EVERYONE.  Anyone who repents of sin and invites Him into their heart and lives will be forgiven and can spend eternity with Him.  The problem is members of the LGBTQ community are not repenting because they don't think they are sinning.  And yes, there are several places in the Bible that elaborate on the abomination of homosexuality.  As far as Jesus showing mercy, love, and kindness to the woman caught in adultery, He told her to "go and sin no more."  He didn't let her off the hook and act like it was fine for her to continue in her sexual sin.  

It doesn't matter how much our culture changes, and it is irrelevant what modern love looks like now.  God's Word doesn't change, and His design for marriage is still one woman and one man (yes, just two genders!).  Christians who say we just need to show them love, not judge are leaving out an important part of the equation:  Christians must continue to speak the truth in love.  Love and truth must walk hand-in-hand, otherwise, Christians appear to approve and sanction something God abhors, encouraging people to continue down the wrong path. 

Anyone who denies God's blueprint for living and calls truth-loving Christians names for standing in faith is lost.  It's not judgmental to share the truth. In fact, it's the most loving thing a Christian can do.  Souls are at stake.  Christians cannot, in good conscience, celebrate what God does not celebrate. It would be wrong for a person of faith to be unkind to a homosexual, but it's equally wrong for a Christian to pretend and even celebrate that type of lifestyle when it has damning consequences for all eternity.

In Groundswell, Ben's (Ektor Rivera) brother, Franky, is a gay man who shares with Emma (Chabert) how he found love with a pilot named Sebastian.  She sees the two of them together, embracing, and compliments Sebastian on his husband.  This is the point where Chabert compromises her faith.  Had she actually encountered a gay couple in real-life, the Christian thing to do would be to treat them with the kindness, dignity, and respect all people deserve.  However, this is a fictional movie.  Chabert knows she's Hallmark's darling, and her movies profit the network greatly.  She has clout.  Being true to her convictions, Chabert should have refused to be in any movie that endorses the LGBTQ lifestyle.  It adds nothing to the story and could have easily been altered.  Chabert's engagement with these gay characters places her personal stamp of approval on what God says is wrong.  Her endorsement makes gays feel good about their choices.

Omar Bustamante (pictured left) plays the gay brother of Ektor Rivera.  Image:  Crown Media 

It's ironic that Chabert's character, Emma, refuses the sweet deal of a lifetime offered to her by her ex-boyfriend and famous chef, Garrett, because she wants to be true to herself and be a success on her own merit.  Yet, Chabert seemingly accepts the temptation of Hallmark's 2-year contract and the creative control she gets to have, even though it means compromising her principles.  Candance Cameron Bure would have never caved, which explains why she moved on to a more family-friendly, faith-centered network.

It's debatable whether or not yoga is acceptable for Christians, even though many love it.  On one hand, the exercises are excellent at working the body, but on the other, yoga stems from the worship of Hindu gods.  For certain, Christians should not engage in the Buddhist meditation ritual of Zen.  It's a form of spiritism that teaches that salvation can be found from within. Emma practices Zen meditation before each attempt at surfing.  Again, as a Christian, Chabert should have refused to participate in this pagan ritual.  Emma could have gotten into the right state of mind through a host of other warm-up activities.

Image:  Crown Media

Finally, Hallmark is locked into diversity to an unbalanced degree.  While there is absolutely nothing wrong or sinful about biracial relationships, it's odd that we are seeing many movies in rapid succession featuring biracial couples.  Only 10% of Americans are in an interracial relationship, so Hallmark's casting is highly disproportional.  Programming should more accurately reflect the current demographic to be relatable to the highest percentage of the population.  So, although diversity isn't a bad thing, it's often a nice word for anti-white.  One would think Chabert would be politically aware enough to see the activism Hallmark is engaging in and avoid movies dripping with ideology.

Disappointing But Forgivable 

Conservatives could always count on Chabert's movies to be clean and safe to watch.  We trusted her to stand firm on her values, so it was disheartening to see her capitulate to secular culture in Groundswell.

Chabert is only human, no matter how much she may have been elevated to a pedestal by her faithful fan base. Chabert likes to make people feel good, perhaps to a fault. Let's hope, as a Christian, she will learn from this mistake and use the influence of her celebrity in future movies for good rather than bending her knee to the ungodliness Hallmark is extorting.

If Hallmark can't respect Chabert's faith, then Great American Family would be a wonderful new home for her talent.

Image:  Crown Media