Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, November 13, 1993 TAG: 9311160266
SECTION: RELIGION PAGE: C4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ALAN SAYRE ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: NEW ORLEANS LENGTH: Medium
A.C. Nielsen Co., the overseer of television ratings, says not only have the number of religious shows dropped sharply since 1988, but the number of homes reached by evangelists' broadcasts has gone down.
But don't believe that televangelists are a thing of the past, says a communications professor who has extensively studied not only the recent video preachers, but those who go back to the pioneer days of radio.
``One of the characteristics of America is that we're disinterested in history,'' said Quentin Schultze of Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Mich., and author of ``Televangelism and American Culture.'' ``We tend not to learn the lessons of history as well as we should.''
Evangelists have always carried their share of baggage in the minds of some. Aimee Semple McPherson was accused by critics of staging her own kidnapping in the 1920s. Father (Charles) Coughlin's anti-Semitic and anti-New Deal broadcasts were squelched by the Catholic Church during the 1930s.
The latest round of scandal went like this:
Bakker went to federal prison for mishandling his followers' contributions.
Swaggart was connected with prostitutes and sued for defamation by a rival Louisiana evangelist who claimed that Swaggart was afraid of his planned TV competition.
Roberts turned off many with his claim that God would kill him if he didn't raise enough money.
Just last month, Robert Tilton, fighting ABC-TV, the Texas attorney general and numerous unhappy contributors in court, pulled his television shows off the air amid allegations that, among other things, requests for prayers were tossed in the trash can after the checks were deposited.
``The fact that Tilton was so successful on the heels of the other scandals shows that people don't learn anything,'' Schultze said.
Schultze sees a ``very bright future'' for televangelism. For now, the scandals have hurt and an economic recession has further dried up the flow of checks.
According to A.C. Nielsen, the number of regularly scheduled religious programs shown on over-the-air television dropped from 55 to 39 between 1988 and early 1993. Those carried by at least 100 stations fell from nine to six.
But many televangelists are now buying cheaper time on cable television, where they can target a more-specific audience, Schultze said.
Why is there still a market for televangelism?
``There is a tremendous religious ignorance in the United States,'' Schultze said. ``There are a lot of people who believe in God, but they have a poor understanding of doctrine and the Bible. We have a religious culture, but a high degree of religious ignorance. I'm not saying stupidity, but a high degree of just not knowing.''
Schultze also said Americans love personalities, whether they are entertainers, sports figures, news anchors or preachers.
``People are less interested in ideas than they are people,'' he said. ``Televangelism tends to be personality oriented.''
Then there's a tendency to believe that the solution is in technology, Schultze said.
``This is one of the principal appeals of televangelists,'' he said. ``They say they are going to save the world by getting their message across the world.''
Of course, not all religious programs can be painted with the same brush, Schultze said. He points to ``Day of Discovery,'' a top 10-rated religious show that alternates hosts.
``They have never asked for money on a single program,'' Schultze said. ``That defies the logic of these people who assume you have to use hucksterism and have a personality cult to raise money.''
Schultze puts evangelist Billy Graham in a class by himself. Graham's television through the years has been limited to broadcasts of his crusades.
``He doesn't fit the description of a televangelist because he doesn't have a regularly scheduled program,'' Schultze said. ``As far as I'm concerned, that's one of the smartest things he ever did.''
by CNB