david@ssc-vax.UUCP (David Norris) (03/26/84)
[*] With all the hoopla about TV evangelism, I decided to conduct a rather unscientific experiment over the weekend. I sat through two such TV programs, selected at random from the TV guide (the first two I ran across). I took copious notes, and present them here with commentary. I'll state ahead of time that I am not a regular viewer of these programs; in fact, I've only seen one or two that I can remember, and these have been Christmas specials. The first was called "It Is Written", a show apparently put on by the Seventh- Day Adventists (SDA, for short). It appeared sunday morning, 4:30am. I. Introduction a. SDA Hospital in Loma Linda, CA b. interview with Dr. Leonard Bailey, heart surgeon c. George Vandeman (host of show) II. Biography of William Miller a. explanation of error in predicting Jesus' return b. origins of SDA church III. Send for free book (1-800-253-7077) a. "Cry of a lonely planet" b. information on 30 video cassettes (presumably not free) IV. Biography of Ellen G. White a. over 2000 visions b. emphasized 4th commandment (Saturday worship) V. SDA work in hospitals, schools VI. Invitation to Christ VII. Invitation to SDA church VIII. Adventists do not have exclusive claim to Christ IX. Prayer (accompanied by picture of Jesus) X. Closing (man does not live by bread alone...) It had become apparent that this was #3 in a 3 part series on the SDA church (no, I don't know what the others said). Two things impressed me about this show: NOT ONCE did anyone ask for money or contributions, and they said outright that they did not have an exclusive claim on truth (the reason they wanted you to attend their church was to experience the fellowship and love of the people there). On the other hand, the show tended to drag somewhat (even though it was only 1/2 hour), as Dr. Vandeman spoke rather slowly at times. I suppose this was for clarity's sake. The second experience, I must admit, was not as pleasurable. It was entitled "The Old-Time Gospel Hour" by Rev. Falwell. Rather than type in the outline, I'll simply state that, out of 60 minutes of air time, approx. 20-25 minutes was spent requesting either 1. Become a faith partner and begin donating 2. If you are a faith partner, increase your donation He specifically asked for 2,500 people to give $100/month, 10,000 to give $25/month, and 25,000 to give $10-$15/month. (The number was 1-800-446-5000, if you want it. I did not call it, but got the impression that they would ask for money if I did). For "The Old-Time Gospel Hour", it seemed very little time was spent in the Gospel, although they did take the time to quote John 3:16 and a verse from Romans. :-( I do not mean to put down this show. I have been told that the particular show I watched was not a "normal" show, and that for the most part the show usually consists of Dr. Falwell preaching at a Baptist Church. I got the impression that the show was directed to Christians, not an evangelical outreach to non-Christians. But the show did leave a bad taste in my mouth. (As a side note, I myself sent off for two free "Jesus First" pins, only because I was desparate for tie-tacs. I was never asked to donate anything; that was over three years ago). So what conclusions can we draw from my little unscientific experiment? I do not think we may conclude that all TV evangelists are out for money (the best I could say is that 1/2 of them are out for money, but then my sample size is not very large). Nor may I conclude that TV evangelists are only interested in speading the gospel; the number of times Dr. Falwell asked for $ was, in my opinion, disgusting. From a Christian point of view, however, I do feel that one soul saved is worth all the riches in the world. So from that perspective, I have no right to condemn Falwell's ministry. Also, he does seem to be doing some good in his other ministries; mention was made of his "save-the-baby" crusade for pregnant teenagers (anti-abortion issue, I think), campus ministries (Yale, Dartmouth, etc.), alcoholic and prison ministries, and testimonies from former drug addicts, etc. whose lives have been changed by accepting Jesus after hearing the good news through Falwell's ministries. Personally, I came away with the knowledge that perhaps the complaints about Falwell (at least, as an individual who needs the money in order to tell more people that he needs the money) are not as unfounded as I once thought. On the other hand, the generalizations about TV evangelism are drawn way out of proportion; Dr. Vandeman & company seemed to really care about the audience as people, without interest in their money. I make no claim to defend anything I've presented here, just relating the experience. -- David Norris :-) -- uw-beaver!ssc-vax!david