Kristin Chenoweth Responds to ABC's 'GCB' Controversy

Despite going through a title overhaul, ABC's new "GCB" has been shrouded in controversy over how it depicts Christians.The show originally was titled "Good Christian Bitches," after the Kim Gatlin novel that inspired it, then renamed to "Good Christian Belles" and finally to the text-friendly acronym. But its over-the-top depiction of Dallas society and its church ladies still might worry detractors."I think people should give it a chance," Kristin Chenoweth, who plays high school outcast-turned-queen bee Carlene Cockburn, tells "The Hollywood Reporter." "You just can't judge a book by its cover. I certainly wouldn't do anything that would make fun of my own faith. This is just chocolate cake, and it's actually a love letter to Dallas."Having grown up Christian in Oklahoma, the Tony-winning actress and singer says she relates to the series' portrayals."I think it's really funny," she says. "I remember growing up, it was always the same woman who got the solos in the church choir. And there's always the woman at the bake sale or the church dinner who wanted to outcook everyone. The thing is, just because you're a Christian doesn't mean you're perfect.""We all are human," she goes on to say. "And so this show shows the humanity of it, and I love it. I'm one of them. I grew up in that world. It could take place in a temple, in a community, but we just set ours in a church." The Hollywood Reporter