Kirk Cameron and Coffey Anderson Team Up for Book Reading: ‘Fighting For The Hearts And Minds Of Children In America’
By Movieguide® Contributor
Actor Kirk Cameron teamed up with country star Coffey Anderson for a special reading of the actor’s latest book As You Grow.
Cameron read from the book at Georgia’s Chatham County Public Library, while Anderson performed his hit song “Mr. Red White and Blue.”
“We are so excited to be with Mr. Red White and Blue and hundreds of enthusiastic parents who are fighting for the hearts and minds of children in America,” Cameron said of the reading.
When asked about why he decided to join Cameron’s reading, Anderson replied, “Growing up in central Texas, patriotism was taught to me. My mother was a schoolteacher, my dad’s an Air Force veteran, so I think that it has to be handed down. What better way to support Kirk, the mission, the statement and Brave Books than to come out and sing it?”
Cameron also shared that this reading is just the next step in an exciting plan he and Brave Books have in the works.
“This is the very beginning of a nationwide tour that’s leading up to something very exciting in the summertime,” he revealed.
Cameron continued, “Parents are outraged at the moral state of the union right now, which is why they’re turning out in droves. If we don’t return to being one nation under God, we will be a nation gone under. Our hope isn’t coming from Hollywood or Washington—it’s in the power of God working in the hearts of people.”
Movieguide® previously reported on Coffey’s faith:
Independent music star Coffey Anderson and his wife Criscilla—who has danced on stage with Snoop Dogg, Britney Spears and Rihanna—provide an intimate look into their faith, family and hardships in their new Netflix series, COUNTRY EVER AFTER.
“The cool thing about this is that this is a digital scrapbook, on video, of a certain point in time in our family’s life that the world gets to share it with us,” Coffey, 42, told Movieguide®.
The series also features the country music singer/songwriter and the hip-hop dancer’s three children: their son Ethan, 9, and their two daughters Emmarie, 6, and Everleigh, 3.
The series also gives an honest look into Criscilla’s battle with cancer.
“The biggest challenge we are facing right now is my health. So far I’ve had seven rounds of chemo,” Criscilla, who was first diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer in 2018, said in the trailer.
Coffey said that he struggled at first with the idea of filming Criscilla’s lowest moments in her fight with cancer. However, his wife encouraged him to show people the reality of their lives.
Through their faith in God and Coffey’s earthly father’s example, he wants to exhibit what real care and love look like during trials and tribulations.
“A husband’s role is to preach, protect and provide. And I had to let those walls down. So that we could teach, protect and provide information to the masses, and not protect what she looks like or what that situation was like,” Coffey said. “Because now there’s a whole lot of people that have been affected by cancer directly or indirectly. We have to tell that story so they can look at us as an example or as a guide on how to handle it and how not to.”
Coffey says that Cricella’s health really forced them to live out their marriage vows to each other.
“When you say I do, you gotta mean it. better, for worse in sickness and in health. You got to mean it. So hopefully, this is going to encourage other people that if one person can be, you can do it. And it’s gonna take a little bit of work, but can we do it together? Absolutely,” Coffey said.
It’s not just marriage the family values, though. They inked a deal with Roma Downey’s Lightworkers to create a show that would be appropriate for people of all ages.
“There’s no other show, right now that you can watch from two years old to 102 years old, and not worry about the content whatsoever,” Coffey added.
The show features prayer, Bible verses in Anderson’s home, and parenting that Coffey said is grounded in God’s word.
“I think you have to have a yard for people to play in and live in. The yard that we try to raise our children in is the Bible,” Coffey explained. “I’m preparing them for not only self-responsibility, but also saying no matter what other people look like, I have my boundaries, which is what we’re going to use, which is the Bible.
“I think that that personal responsibility is a big deal,” Coffey continued. “And so having the scripture that leads us and gives us those guidelines, I think that actually gives you freedom.”
Coffey is candid about the difficult circumstances for his wife and his family. However, Coffey says that shining God’s light through his independent music business, how he parents his children and every moment in between is what sustains him.
“What keeps me going is relationships… I love people. And when did we stop saying ‘hi’?” Coffey questioned. “I love what Roma Downey says, ‘it’s so much easier to light the candle in darkness than curse the dark.’ Can we be a light? When did we stop being a light? Jesus went out to the desert and had 5,000 people following him. He had 5000 followers before Instagram. Are you somebody that people want to be around? Are you the light? Are you the candle? Be the candle, be the light, say ‘hi.’”
Anderson says if people want to see more family-friendly content on Netflix, they have to let the platform know.
“You got to realize, a lot of people look at Netflix as a whole and say, ‘Oh, well, they came up with CUTIES’ or ‘they came out with other shows that don’t really reflect those things.’ Netflix is a conduit of the content people want to watch. We have to have more people, hit the thumbs up on shows like ours,” Coffey said. “The algorithm is undefeated… So don’t just watch something and say, ‘Oh, that was nice.’ Hit the thumbs up. Because that lets the powers that be know that the masses want this type of content.”
COUNTRY EVER AFTER is now available on Netflix.
