Chris Pratt takes heat for partnering with Catholic, pro-life Hallow app

Actor Chris Pratt, best known for Parks and Recreation, Jurassic World, and Guardians of the Galaxy, is facing backlash for his partnership with the Catholic, pro-life prayer app, Hallow.

Key Takeaways:

• Actor Chris Pratt has been active on the Hallow app and recently promoted the Lenten prayer challenge in which he is participating.

• He was immediately hit with backlash as social media users and others called him "the worst."

• Despite disliking his connection to Hallow, most social media users were not surprised by it.

• Commenters made inaccurate comments about human development and complained about pro-life prayers on the app read by Live Action Founder Lila Rose.

• A unique human life begins at fertilization, regardless of whether certain Christians or Christian groups choose to believe it.

The Details:

Chris Pratt recently spoke on Instagram about the Lenten prayer challenge he is leading on the Hallow app this year, along with actor Mark Wahlberg and Jonathan Roumie of "The Chosen" (who spoke at the 2023 March for Life).

"Mark and I will be leading us through weekly fasting challenges to make sure that we make this Lent our best one yet," he said. "You know the power of prayer. Join me and millions of others praying every day."

The Christian Post reported last year that Pratt previously found the Hallow app and began listening to Scripture with the "Bible in a Year" podcast, which he said "gave me a deeper, more comprehensive understanding of the Bible. It totally strengthened my walk with Jesus. It was amazing.”

He added, “I thought, if I partner with Hallow, maybe I can amplify what is ultimately a really beautiful thing...."

Creating controversy

On the podcast, There Are No Girls on the Internet with Bridget Todd, Todd and her producer, Mike, spoke about Pratt's (and Wahlberg's) association with the Hallow app. They also discussed Gwen Stefani's partnership with the app, for which she was strongly criticized late last year. Some of Stefani's fans claimed they were "disappointed" in her, saying, "Gwen-DON'T SPEAK. Please take your own advice on this one," and “Honestly never thought that you would be anti-abortion."

Todd and her producer misrepresented the cost of the app's subscription and neglected to note that there is a free version of the app. They also claimed that "nobody is surprised this week to find that Chris Pratt made an ad for this prayer app."

And yet, they decided to complain about something even less surprising: the fact that the Catholic prayer app is pro-life — which they equated to being "mean." Todd stated:

“They [Hallow] also have, I guess I would describe them as almost sort of mean prayers, specifically targeted at people who have gotten abortions. These prayers are read by people like anti-abortion activist Lila Rose. One of the prayers is, 'Jesus, we pray for every woman who is considering abortion and in a special way for those who are pregnant from acts of rape or incest. May every woman know the goodness, gift and beauty of her own life, and so be able to receive the gift of her child's life.' What I find interesting about this is that Alex Jones, the CEO of the app was like, oh, we're not even targeting people who are religious. This is just like content.

It's interesting to me how when convenient, this is able to sort of be couched as non-political, not even necessarily overtly religious. Then you get into the app and it's like, these abortion-having women — just have the baby. Am I right, people?"

Mike responded, "Yeah, funny how they always just like kind of sneak that in.”

But there's nothing sneaky about it.

The Catholic Church is unapologetically pro-life and Hallow is a Catholic app. In 2023, CEO Alex Jones stated that Hallow “proudly and unequivocally” supports “the pro-life stance of the [Catholic] Church and the USCCB’s affirmation of [the end of] abortion as the preeminent priority.”

Todd also accused Pratt of acting like "a victim for these [conservative] stances" and said she "can't stand" that Pratt's "politics are very clear" — despite the fact that she doesn't seem to be bothered by the overt politics of those in the entertainment industry who oppose Christian beliefs.

The social media pile-on

Social media users also went after Pratt for working with an anti-abortion company. One person commented, "How disappointing." Another said, "I'll be praying I never have to see your commercial again."

Yet another said, that "loser men tell women what to do with their bodies."

Meanwhile, a Reddit user referred to Pratt as a "s***ty person doing s***ty things."

Many said that the partnership with Hallow confirmed Pratt as "the worst Chris."

Another took the opportunity to bash Christians as people who don't care for those who have "been born," claiming, "When exactly life begins is still up for debate among different sects of Christianity," and that "a clump of cells gets more love and attention than a two month old in ICE detention or a 3 year old in Gaza."

Commentary:

It is absurd for non-Christians to make assumptions or accusations about what Christians do or don't do based on what they see in the heavily anti-Christian media. Here are some facts:

• The Catholic Church is the world's largest non-government provider of education, healthcare, and social care.

• Every day around the globe, the Catholic Church is feeding the hungry, housing the homeless, and caring for the poor and sick.

• Practicing Christians are 40% more likely to donate to charity than non-Christians

• Those who attend church are 75% more likely to donate than those who don't, according to a 2021 State of the Bible study.

So it appears that Christians can and do care for those who have "been born" as well as those who are still growing in their mother's wombs. It is more than possible to do both — and Christians do it every single day.

In addition, the idea that "when exactly life begins is still up for debate among different sects of Christianity" is misguided at best. Science has confirmed that a new, unique human life begins at fertilization, and it's getting impossible to continue to claim ignorance about the development and humanity of preborn babies. Whether or not certain Christian groups believe it or not does not change science.

A Never-Before-Seen Look at Life’s First Moments | Baby Oliver

Abortion benefits abusive men and men with bad intentions. It is often used as a way to cover up the crimes of sexual abuse and avoiding responsibility for the children conceived during their sexual activity. It allows ill-intentioned men to readily use women for sex and then abandon them. When women refuse abortions, sometimes they are even killed for it. Homicide is a leading cause of death among pregnant women.

The idea that men who stand up for the children and take care of their families are the "losers" shows how distorted today's culture has become.

The Bottom Line:

Pratt, who is married to Katherine Schwarzenegger, daughter of Maria Shriver and Arnold Schwarzenegger, hasn't responded to the backlash; however, he previously told The Christian Post, "If I care enough about Jesus to take a stand, even if it cost me. It could cost me everything, but I don't care. It's worth it to me because this is what I'm called to do, it's where my heart is."