Kathie Lee Gifford Reaching NonBelievers Through Film: 'We Haven't Loved Them into the Kingdom'

Steve Warren
10-07-2020

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Kathie Lee Gifford's latest film, "Then Came You", is part one of a five-part movie series on the power of redemption. 

Gifford, 67, has always been outspoken about her Christian faith. She told the Christian Post she feels the Lord has called her to reach nonbelievers. 

Fathom Events premiered "Then Came You" nationwide in theaters on Sept. 30 and it was also released across digital platforms on Oct. 2.  Gifford wrote, produced, and stars in the new romantic comedy.

Gifford told Studio 5 host Efrem Graham that she felt the Lord was saying to her, "Kathie, I want you to write a movie about two people who don't know yet that I love them. Because most of everything I do is about real people. I've tried to be faithful to the source material in everything I've written through the years. But this was totally out of my imagination."

"And I thought, I have so many friends, Efrem and I bet you do to, that don't know Jesus. They don't know God yet.  They love my relationship with him, they just haven't found it yet for themselves."

"'Then Came You' is the story of a lonely widow (Gifford) who plans a trip around the world with her late husband's ashes to visit all of the places they loved in their favorite movies. During her first stop in Scotland, she meets the innkeeper (played by Craig Ferguson) of the bed & breakfast where she's staying and he ends up changing her life forever with a second chance at love," according to the film's synopsis. 

According to the CP, the film features slight profanity and suggestive content, but Gifford said the movie is just one part of a story about transformation and finding faith.

"I hope people aren't disappointed that this is not your typical, this is not a faith-based film, in the terms that it's different than anything I've ever done before," she explained. 

Gifford said she thinks the church has failed nonbelievers over the years because we're supposed to love them, not condemn them. 

"I think the Church has failed nonbelievers in many, many ways through the years and one of the biggest ones is that we haven't loved them into the Kingdom," she told the CP.  "We have created an atmosphere of self-righteousness at times and an attitude of condemnation towards them. I don't think that's what Jesus ever planned; we're supposed to love people like Annabel and Howard (characters in the film), and just be a witness to them." 

Produced by Vertical Entertainment and directed by Adriana Trigiani, the film also stars Ford Kiernan, Phyllida Law, and Elizabeth Hurley.

Watch Efrem Graham's interview with Kathie Lee Gifford on Studio 5 at 9:30 tonight on the CBN News Channel.   

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About The Author

Steve Warren is a senior multimedia producer for CBN News. Warren has worked in the news departments of television stations and cable networks across the country. In addition, he also worked as a producer-director in television production and on-air promotion. A Civil War historian, he authored the book The Second Battle of Cabin Creek: Brilliant Victory. It was the companion book to the television documentary titled Last Raid at Cabin Creek currently streaming on Amazon Prime. He holds an M.A. in Journalism from the University of Oklahoma and a B.A. in Communication from the University of
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