Televangelism

[[File:Jesse Duplantis in 2009.jpg|thumb|right|165px|Greazy]]
{{Christianity}} 
{{cquote|… make not my Father's house a house of merchandise.|||{{bible|John|2|16}}}}{{cquote|Jesse [Duplantis] and I and others, Keith Moore and [[Creflo Dollar|Creflo]], the world is in such a shape, we can't get there without this. The mess that the airlines are in today! I would have to stop—I'm being ''very'' conservative.|||[[Kenneth Copeland]] defends his private jet<ref>Bradford, Kenneth, [http://www.bipartisanreport.com/2016/01/01/televangelist-says-he-needs-private-jet-because-demons-fly-commercial/ Televangelists Say They Need Private Jets Because ‘Demons Fly Commercial’]<sup>(Not [[The Onion]])</sup>, Bipartisan Report, 1 January 2016.</ref>}}
{{cquote|[[Sex]] and power and money is the [[prayer]]ra of these priests /
They bribe their way past [[Heaven]]'s gates and steal a set of keys|||{{wpl|James (band)|James}}, ''God Only Knows''}}
'''Televangelism''' is the use of TV and radio to broadcast religious messages. '''Televangelists''' are [[greed]]y preachers who love bright lights, TV cameras and huge congregations that they never have to meet personally — unless, of course, that person is rich and/or powerful.  They often complain of the unholiness of [[liberal]]s while convincing [[Poverty|poor people]] to send in their life savings in the hopes of gaining eternal [[salvation]].  They tend to avoid the unwashed rank-and-file unless they can profit monetarily from the meeting.  They want '''everybody''' to be good [[Christians]], even though [[Jesus]] was poor and homeless and never wore a Rolex or a $2,500 Italian suit, drove a $500,000 Italian sports car, flew in a $20,000,000 private jet, or lived in a 10,000-plus square foot Los Angeles beachfront estate; all paid for by contributions from faithful victims who believe that every preacher is as honest and God-fearing as they are, even if the televangelists are thinly disguised [[Bible thumper|Bible-thumping]] [[sociopath]]s selling an overpriced a "Get Out of [[Hell]] Free" Card.

We are not talking "salt of the earth" here, people. It's more like [[Mercury|cinnabar]] or [[arsenic]].

==History==
The word ''televangelist'' is a portmanteau of "television" and "[[evangelist]]", used to describe the preachers on the TV.  The phenomenon really took off in the late 1970s/early 1980s, when preachers were on TV all the time{{cn|joke}} claiming direct links with [[God]], the ability to [[faith healing|lay on hands]], and even the ability to [[prophecy|prophesy]].  

However, many of the ones who claimed these [[supernatural]] powers turned out to be frauds, and even many of the ones who didn't were found to be utter [[hypocrite]]s who engaged in the very [[sin]] they told their watchers to avoid. [[Jimmy Swaggart]] and [[Jim Bakker]] were among the worst of the latter group, while [[Peter Popoff]] was one of the former, being publicly exposed as using [[hot reading|secret radio-transmissions]] from his wife to provide him information that he pretended came to him directly from God.<ref>Al Seckel, [http://casa.colorado.edu/~dduncan/pseudoscience/PeterPopoff.htm God's Frequency Is 39.17 MHz: The Investigation Of Peter Popoff]. Science and the Paranormal, 1987.</ref>

Televangelists (most notably [[Pat Robertson]], Mike Murdock, [[Rod Parsley]], Joyce "five mansions" Meyer, and {{wpl|T. D. Jakes}}) can still be found on both the '''[[TBN]]''' and '''DayStar''' religious networks, as well as some late-night local programming. [[Jimmy Swaggart]], despite being caught multiple times in seamy siutations with [[prostitution|prostitutes]], maintains a cable and satellite television network where he and his brood spew crap around the clock.

One who managed to redeem herself was Tammy Faye Bakker (later {{wpl|Tammy Faye Messner}}), who devoted her last years to the cause of [[gay rights]] and fighting [[homophobia]].

In what is perhaps an intriguing if not cynical example, the late Irish Catholic priest {{wpl|Patrick Peyton}} gained controversy when it was found out that his Family Rosary Crusades in Latin America were funded and, to some extent, directed by the [[Central Intelligence Agency]] who were intent on countering left-wing movements in the region. Peyton was eventually convinced by the [[Vatican]] to give up his CIA funding.<ref>Hugh Wilford, ''The Mighty Wurlitzer: How the CIA Played America'' [Cambridge and London: Harvard University Press, 2008], pp. 182–96 .</ref>

In 2015, talk-show host and comedian [[John Oliver]], as part of an episode examining televangelists and the [[prosperity gospel]], tried to start his own ministry called "Our Lady of Perpetual Exemption" to see if he could meet the [[IRS]]' requirements to become a [[church]] for the purposes of [[Section 501(c)|tax exemption]]. With help from a tax lawyer, he was able to get away with claiming his studio as a place of worship and his audience as his [[congregation|flock]], incorporating as a church in [[Texas]] despite living in [[New York]], and "having congregants silently meditate on the nature of fraudulent churches" as a form of ritual and worship.<ref>''Last Week Tonight with John Oliver'': [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7y1xJAVZxXg "Televangelists"]</ref>

Perhaps due to pervasive American influence and its status as a former colony, the Philippines also has its fair share of televangelists, from the likes of {{wpl|Mike Velarde}} and {{wpl|Eddie Villanueva}} whose business and political ventures are the subject of scrutiny and criticism, to over-the-top [[cranks]] such as [[Apollo Quiboloy]] who has the gall to claim himself as a supposed [[Messiah]] and cry persecution when criticised, and was later arrested after a widely-publicised legislative hearing-turned-[[Waco]]-style police raid at his estate. Televangelism isn't limited to just Christianity either; notorious Indian Islamic evangelist [[Zakir Naik]] gained notoriety and became a wanted fugitive in his native country for financial fraud.

==See also==
*[[Name it and claim it]] (or '''Prosperity Gospel''')
*[[Megachurch]]
*[[Con artist]]
*[[Trinity Broadcasting Network]]

==Further 
reading
 listening==
*Genesis, "Jesus He Knows Me", ''We Can't Dance'', Atlantic Records, 1992.
*Metallica, "Leper Messiah", ''Master of Puppets'', Blackened Recordings, 1986
*Ozzy Osbourne, "Miracle Man", ''No Rest for the Wicked'', Epic/CBS Records, 1988
*Ray Stevens, "Would Jesus Wear a Rolex", ''Crackin' Up'', MCA Nashville, 1987
*Suicidal Tendencies, "Send Me Your Money", ''Lights… Camera… Revolution!'', Epic Records, 1990.
*[[Frank Zappa]]:
** "Jesus Thinks You're a Jerk", ''Broadway the Hard Way'', Barking Pumpkin, 1989.
** "Texas Medley", 1988 tour.<ref>[https://wiki.killuglyradio.com/wiki/Texas_Medley Texas Medley], killuglyradio.com.</ref>
** "Lonesome Cowboy Burt (Swaggart Version)", ''The Best Band You Never Heard In Your Life'', Barking Pumpkin, 1991.<ref name=fzswag>[https://wiki.killuglyradio.com/wiki/Jimmy_Swaggart Jimmy Swaggart], killuglyradio.com.</ref>
** "More Trouble Every Day (Swaggart Version)", ''The Best Band You Never Heard In Your Life'', Barking Pumpkin, 1991.<ref name=fzswag />
** "Penguin In Bondage (Swaggart Version)", ''The Best Band You Never Heard In Your Life'', Barking Pumpkin, 1991.<ref name=fzswag />
*Iron Maiden, "Holy Smoke", "No Prayer for the Dying", Barnyard Studios, 1990.
*Depeche Mode, "Personal Jesus", ''Violator'', Mute Records, 1989.
*Bobby Bare, "Praise the Lord and Send Me the Money", ''Ain't Got Nothin' to Lose'', Columbia, 1982.
*Dire Straits, "Ticket to Heaven", ''On Every Street'', Vertigo Records, 1991.

==Further reading==
*James Morris, ''The Preachers'', St. Martin's Press, 1973. {{isbn|9781199227737}}
*[[James Randi]], ''The Faith Healers'', Prometheus Books, 1989. {{isbn|0879755350}}
*[[Jim Bakker]], ''I Was Wrong'', Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1996. {{isbn|0785271368}} (''In which Bakker explicitly renounces the "Prosperity Gospel" theology'' before taking up other televangelical scammery)

==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}

[[Category:Broadcasting]]
[[Category:Christianity]]
[[Category:Conservative deceit]]
[[Category:Media]]
[[Category:Prosperity gospel]]
[[Category:Scams]]
[[Category:Shysters]]
[[Category:Televangelists|*]]
[[Category:We're on a mission from God]]

Categories: Broadcasting, Christianity, Conservative deceit, Media, Prosperity gospel, Scams, Shysters, Televangelists, We're on a mission from God