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Saturday, November 13, 2004
Christian television: Mr. T and pink wigs
As most of you know, I spent a considerable amount of my teenager years employed by this same Christian Network. Also, I have made my lifes passion the pursuit of communication, even to the end of obtaining a Master's in it, and I must say, Ted's column is pretty much on-the-money....
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April 06, 2004
For my triumphant return to the world of media criticism, I will address one of the single most interesting topics a 24-inch television can provide—Christian television.
Like most Americans, I don’t watch Christian television often. The only time I usually view it is for the .08 seconds it takes to flip past it to get to something I do want to watch. But for this column, I decided to watch several hours of Christian television and try to view it as objectively as possible.
However, it would be impossible to begin such research without a few preset thoughts. For example: I expected Bible thumping, pleas for money, gaudy set designs and lots of enormous hair. In many ways, my preconceived ideas were confirmed, but I did find a lot of things that caught me by surprise.
My first surprise came literally with the first thing I watched. It was an interview with a man whom I have always viewed as an authority on theological issues—Mr. T.
Mr. T waxed eloquently about his faith, and unbeknownst to me, he was not the only celebrity of yesteryear that can be frequently viewed on Christian stations. All in all, Christian television has more washed-up celebrities than an Old Navy commercial.
That revelation was nothing compared to what I found on Saturday nights, when the shows geared toward youth air. They feature hosts dressed to the height of fashion, minus cleavage and midriffs, as they introduce very low-quality videos reminiscent of MTV in the early 1980s.
I enjoyed these shows most, mainly because they gave me a great idea for a drinking game: Watch the Christian youth programs and do a shot every time you hear the phrase, “Christians can have fun, too,” or “You’ll like this group; they sound a lot like Limp Bizkit.”
I was also caught off guard when I tuned in on Saturday morning. I watched a few Christianized “Barney” knockoffs and some ludicrously outdated claymation shows that I found to be downright disturbing. If children are actually watching these shows, the producers should be obligated to pay for the therapy that the children will undeniably need later in life.
One thing I expected to see was hellfire and/or brimstone. I can honestly say in all the hours I watched, I didn’t see anything that fit that description. Most of what I saw resembled self-help more than anything. It was like watching a Dr. Phil channel. That is, if Dr. Phil wore a pink wig.
Which brings up my next point. My expectation about gaudiness was more than accurate. One popular show broadcasts on a set designed to look like the inside of a palace. There was a pink wig and a cornucopia of toupees, in addition to some badly botched plastic surgery. The hosts conducted the show while sitting upon golden thrones flashy enough to have been stolen out of one of Saddam's palaces.
The pleas for money were pretty bad, too. On a telethon raising funds for one of the channels, I saw a man assemble a 15-minute argument about why sending money to the station would benefit the viewer more than the station.
The lowest point in the experiment came when I was given the opportunity to purchase a “Soaking Prayer Center Home Study Kit.” It only costs $99, plus $8.50 shipping and handling.
Truly sad.
I realize now why I’ve kept flipping past Christian channels all these years. Christian television reflects a Christian culture that most Americans, including me, cannot remotely relate to.
One unexpectedly positive thing I saw was James Robinson’s show, which was devoted to raising funds and awareness for orphanages. That is what people expect out of Christians.
My advice to the producers of these shows would be to stop acting like the used-car salesmen of faith and try to answer some of the hard questions people are asking today. Such as: Who do you think God is? Why do you think that? Why do you think other worldviews are wrong? And why the hell are you wearing a pink wig?
— Ted Satterfield is a professional writing graduate student. His column appears every other Tuesday. He can be reached at dailyopinion@ou.edu.
— Kudos to Paul for finding this.
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posted by Kevin at 11/13/2004 06:10:32 PM
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Friday, November 12, 2004
I Just Gotta Say,
Life has never been better.
posted by Kevin at 11/12/2004 09:56:32 AM
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Sunday, November 07, 2004
an Opportunity
Had the opportunity on Wednesday night to speak in the youth department to high schoolers. I was excited about the chance, but due to such a crazy workload the past few weeks I didn't have time to really prepare like I normally would.
The poor youth director was getting ulcers, I'm afraid, from my last-minute ways. He had never never heard me speak, has only known me for weeks, but yet gave me the opportunity to weave a message to his kids... 20 minutes worth.
I was SO excited and happy at the chance, but felt the weight of the week and importance of the moment weighing me down. And yet, it was God. It was He who forced me to rely on Him for the message of the evening. It was as if He spoke through me. I felt completely at ease and had a tremendously enjoyable evening. I love high schoolers, but they are typically a difficult audience to engage. They know enough to think they know it all, but are young enough to not really know how to handle their audience yet. It feels a little like Paul on Mars Hill. :) But I love it.
I love it because its a challenge. Its exciting to know that only God can break through that venere, I just have to allow myself to be used... and be myself... and speak.
I look back on the night and excite at the wonder of the evening. God moved. And I was there to experience it.
posted by Kevin at 11/07/2004 07:35:50 PM
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