In my book, The Lion, the Professor & the Movies: Narnia's Journey to the Big Screen, I devote a chapter to the boycott organized against Disney by members of the conservative Christian community and the smart decision on the part of one of its leaders, Richard Land, to end it. Although boycotts are as American as apple pie as far as I'm concerned, it simply made no sense for the Christian community to be boycotting the company that was turning one of its favorite books of all time, The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe, into a movie. When I was invited on Land's broadcast to talk about my book and a movie I'd produced, I was surprised to learn that he's a really serious film buff and has a Ph.D. from Oxford. In short, he doesn't fit the stereotype that we often have of leaders of the so-called "Religious Right."
Land has recently been facing accusations of racial insensitivity over comments he made about the Trayvon Martin case as well as accusations of plagiarism. He's apologized for the former and is being investigated for the latter. Here are my two cents: He's a radio talk show host and if he's going to have a radio show and comment on the issues of the day he should be allowed to speak his mind. With regard to the plagiarism charge, if he's a plagiarist he's one of the dumbest plagiarists on the planet, for after allegedly quoting somebody on his show without attribution, he promptly provided the attribution in the show's notes online.
If Land is driven from the public square it will be a sad day for the Christian community which sorely lacks smart spokespeople who can tell the rest of the country what's on its mind.