Evangelical TV

In "Understanding Evangelical Media", Kathy Bruner speaks about “tribal TV”, which is evangelical TV. Although some in the Christian faith are drawn to this pleasantly packaged faith, I find it lacking much substance. For all that Bruner brings out in her essay, I think the biggest and most important point is that Evangelical TV is directed at people who are already saved. Unfortunately, it is the common point of view in human nature to think that what is true for me is true for you. In reality, this is not true. Different types of people are reached in different ways. If there was a formula for faith, surely we would have found it already. I find that in evangelical TV there is little incentive to be creative about the way one shows God because they are preaching to the choir. Bruner points out that there are significant constraints on creativity because of this. If people are paying to see what they want to see, you have no choice but to give it to them or you lose their “generous contributions”.
In effect, this means that the people out there that do not believe what evangelicals do or do not know the bible as they do lose out on hearing the gospel. Many times, the programs assume that the viewers already know about the birth, life and death of Jesus when for some this has never really been explained. I have found that people I know who do not have faith often have never had the basic principles of Christianity explained to them. I feel that if evangelical TV were to reach nonbelievers in the secular world, it needs to change its aim from “preaching to” to “preaching about”. In this I mean that they need to tell the world who Jesus is, what He has done for them and then how to change their lives.
Another huge issue with evangelical TV is its financial hypocrisy. Televangelists look to their viewers to provide backing for their shows and sometimes, this leads to some hidden corruption. In 2007, Sen. Chuck Grassley sought financial information from evangelical TV ministries like Randy and Paula White, Benny Hinn, Joyce Meyer Ministries and Kenneth Copeland Ministries for “alleged lavish spending” says the Washington Post. The questionable fund raising paints evangelicals in a poor light, showing the hypocrisy of some of those who call themselves Christians. The people who stand on stage, professing that they are servants of God drive home at night in Lamborghinis while the audience sits in their trailers eating Ramen Noodle. These typically white, high school educated people give to televangelists because they think they are doing the right thing. However, where this money goes is often unaccounted for.
Overall, evangelical TV may have had its heart in the right place in the beginning, but as I see it today, there is a great deal of problems with it. The financial, ethical and realistic properties seem to bend towards a medium that simply isn’t working.

Torrey Conference 2008 - Becky Tirabassi and Teen Alcoholism

The very colorful Becky Tirabassi was the hit of this year’s Torrey conference. With a joyous energy and a passionate nature, she strode across the stage exclaiming “I’m so on fire for God, I’m the kind of Christian other Christians hate!” Despite her very interesting ideas on chastity, what was so enrapturing about Becky Tirabassi was her testimony. At fifteen year old, she became an alcoholic the moment she took her first sip of alcohol. Coming from a family of closeted alcoholics, she didn’t admit she suffered from alcoholism until she was twenty one years old. Interestingly enough, her conversion came with the help of a church janitor, after drinking too much landed her in the bed of a man she didn’t know who wasn’t her boyfriend. Although Tirabassi’s alcoholism ultimately lead her to God and Christianity, many alcoholics are not so lucky. The New York Times defines alcoholism as drinking alcoholic beverages at a level that interferes with physical health, mental health, and social, family, or job responsibilities. While alcoholism in adults is detrimental, teenagers who drink alcohol heavily before the age of 16 are 60 percent more likely to become alcoholics later in life, according to a study by The Institute of Child Health. A big problem is how little parents know their children are drinking.
In a study described in the NYT, 591 teenagers were interviewed about their drug and alcohol use, then compared with what the parents of the teenagers thought they were using. 54.4 percent of the adolescences reported drinking alcohol at least one, whereas only 30.5 percent of the parents thought their child had ever drank alcohol. 23.6 percent of teenagers said they had been drunk and only 8.1 of parents thought their child had. In a different study, NYT reports that “47 percent of those who begin drinking alcohol before the age of 14 become alcohol dependent at some time in their lives, compared with 9 percent of those who wait at least until age 21.” Interestingly, the same study found that the teen brain is more damaged by alcohol than the adult brain. In a study done in the UK and reported by BBC, “One in seven 16 to 24 year olds have had unprotected sex when drunk, while one in five had sex they later regretted. One in 10 have been unable to remember if they had sex the night before and 40% believe they are more likely to have casual sex after drinking.“ With such staggering statistics, it is no wonder that teenagers are becoming pregnant and having abortions. What I took most from Becky Tirabassi in the realm of sex was that sexual promiscuity is like Russian roulette – eventually you’ll get shot. The links between sex and alcohol use is obvious. Alcohol decreases your ability to make decisions wisely and making those decisions without careful consideration can land you in an unwanted pregnancy or an STD hot box.

Community Blog

Three extremely important issues in the current 2008 elections are the economy, the military and the issue of race and gender. For the first time in US history, a black man and a white woman are fore runners in the presidential and vice presidential race. The economic plans of Barrak Obama and John McCain must be considered when voting, just as military background and military plans should be as well. Interestingly enough, even though McCain has more military experience, “U.S. soldiers have donated more presidential campaign money to Democrat Barack Obama than to Republican John McCain” states USA Today. USA Today also reveals that “troops serving abroad have given nearly six times as much money to Obama's presidential campaign as they have to McCain's.” (Comment Section)

a Matter of Faith, Biden Says Life Begins at Conception by KATE PHILLIPS

In the 2008 Presidential election, many things are changing. Besides an African American running for President, and a woman is running for VP, candidates are changing traditional party views. In the New York Times article, “As a Matter of Faith, Biden Says Life Begins at Conception,” Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr. declared his beliefs about abortion, which differs greatly from his party doctrine. Sarah Palin is highly praised for taking her pro-life beliefs seriously enough to have a child with Down syndrome, but Biden is cheering for the same team. In the NYT, Biden says “I’m prepared as a matter of faith to accept that life beings at the moment of conception.” Republicans and democrats have a hard choice ahead since party lines are beginning to blur on the issue. While he does not condemn abortion, Obama does concede that it is a moral issue. However, he believes that the choice should remain with the parents. Obama said in the NYT, “I don’t think that the government criminalizing the choices that families make is the best answer for reducing abortions. I think the better answer… is to figure out, how do we make sure that young mothers, or women who have a pregnancy that’s unexpected or difficult, have the kind of support they need to make a whole range of choices, including adoption and keeping the child.” While morally, I am opposed to abortion, I am also opposed to young women dying in botched attempts to rid themselves of a pregnancy. In countries where abortions are banned, almost 68,000 women die every year by either trying to do it themselves or in back alley clinics, says the UK publication, The Guardian. McCain has long expressed his belief in abstinence-until-marriage only sex education in schools. While this is admirable goal, it is not realistic. As much as we would like the American youth to wait until marriage to have sex, many don’t. In fact, in 2005 at least one third of women under the age of 20 experienced a pregnancy, as reported by Kaiser Family Foundation. While the correlation between sex education and abortion is sometimes difficult to see, we must realize that they directly affect each other. It is my experience that women without a basic knowledge of sex aren’t prevented from having it. At twenty years old, every single one of my peers should know how to use birth control, and how the male and females body work sexually. Time and time again I have been coerced into explaining things that should have been taught in the early stages of puberty. Sexual education needs to continue if only to prepare men and women for lives after marriage. If they learn that sex is a dirty word and forbidden to talk about it, they will never ask what they need to or if they do, it could be to the uninformed. Can you blame someone for having sex when they did not know what it was or how it was performed?