The power of repentance

Garrison Keillor, the former radio host of A Prairie Home Companion, defended himself anew this week from more detailed accusations of sexual misconduct.

Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) terminated its contracts with Keillor in November based on one of his employee’s complaint of “inappropriate behavior.” Many of Keillor’s fans criticized MPR for treating Keillor unfairly, and the host himself said the “misconduct” amounted to his inadvertent patting of a staff member’s bare back near her waistband.

In a lengthy statement this week, MPR CEO Jon McTaggart provided more information about the accuser’s claims: “In the allegations she provided to MPR, she did not allege that Garrison touched her back, but did claim that he engaged in other unwanted sexual touching. In a letter … the woman’s attorney described dozens of sexually inappropriate incidents directed at her client over a period of years,” including written requests for sexual contact and explicit descriptions of touching.

MPR News also reported this past week that numerous people who worked with Keillor said they knew of two workplace romances involving him and women who were not his wife. (Keillor married his third wife in 1995.) One of those women said Keillor offered her $16,000 to keep their affair quiet. MPR News also interviewed employees who described Keillor as a moody, frightening figure who openly talked about his physical attractions to women he worked with. In one documented incident, he wrote a limerick on a whiteboard at a bookstore he owned about a young employee whose “tiny blue kilt” was arousing. Employees said Keillor got angry when they later erased the offensive lines.

Throughout the ordeal, Keillor has denied any wrongdoing, saying in an email to MPR News, “I have worked happily with women for my entire life, have nothing to apologize for.” He called himself a “privileged person suffering disaster,” also promising to tell his side of the story fully once his business negotiations with MPR were complete.

Contrast Keillor’s response to his accusers, some of whom have evidence to support their claims and some who don’t, with that of TV producer Dan Harmon, who created the NBC sitcom Community. On Jan. 2, one of Harmon’s former employees called him out on Twitter for sexual harassment. He responded with a seven-minute apology on his Harmontown podcast. Harmon admitted his bad behavior originated with his own inappropriate attraction to Megan Ganz, a younger employee who wrote for Community. He said he was flirtatious, creepy, dishonest, and ultimately cruel when she did not return his affection.

“[I] said horrible things, just treated her cruelly, pointedly, things that I would never, ever have done if she had been a male and if I had never had those feelings for her,” Harmon said. Not only did he apologize, but he also cautioned other men to self-monitor their feelings and behavior: “The last and most important thing I can say is just, think about it. … You can cause a lot of damage that is technically legal and hurts everybody.”

Ganz responded to Harmon via Twitter, calling his confession a “masterclass in How to Apologize,” adding, “If any part of this process should be done in the light, it’s the forgiveness part. And so, @danharmon, I forgive you.” Whether Harmon has also confessed his sins to God we don’t know, but his exchange with Ganz imitates the path of confession, repentance, and reconciliation that was made perfect by Jesus, through whom God is reconciling all things, “making peace by the blood of His cross” (Colossians 1:19).

High drama, low history

On his podcast The Briefing earlier this week, Albert Mohler pointed out numerous historical inconsistencies in some of the hottest entertainment offerings right now.

Netflix’s The Crown and the movies The Post and Darkest Hour all embellish important real-life stories to dramatic—and misleading—effect.

Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and a member of WORLD News Group’s board of directors, offers this advice to Christian viewers: “Understand that Hollywood is communicating what it defines itself as psychological truth or emotional truth even when there are claims that what’s being depicted is historical truth. There’s likely to be some history in it, but the distortion field is also likely to be very wide.” —L.L.

Power player

CBS plans to reboot Murphy Brown, the politically charged sitcom about a broadcast journalist that aired from 1988 to 1998. Candice Bergen, 71, will reprise the title role, which drew admonition of then–Vice President Dan Quayle for its portrayal of single motherhood.

Despite being depicted in the media as Quayle’s archenemy, Bergen said in a 2002 interview that she didn’t entirely disagree with him: “His speech was a perfectly intelligent speech about fathers not being dispensable, and nobody agreed with that more than I did.” —L.L.

Retiring rockers

Elton John announced this week his next tour will be his last. The 70-year-old pop icon, who is married to a man and has two sons, said he wants to spend more time with his family. The tour, named Farewell Yellow Brick Road, kicks off Sept. 8 and will play around the world for three years. Also this week, Neil Diamond announced his retirement from touring after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. The 77-year-old had to cut short his 50th anniversary tour because of his health, but he says he plans to remain active in the music business. —L.L.

Honorable mention

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Big Little Lies, This Is Us, and Veep won top honors at the Screen Actors Guild Awards Sunday night. The telecast didn’t do so hot in the ratings, despite having current Hollywood darling Kristen Bell as host. —L.L.