Evangelical Television and Why it Doesn't Work

Understanding Evangelical Media, the text by Quentin J. Schultze and Robert H. Woods Jr. is what we have been studying. It discusses evangelical media in all of its forms, which range from comics and merchandise to music and television. If I have learned one lesson throughout the text it is that evangelical media is behind the times. The medium I am still trying to understand is evangelical television and what it is trying to promote or provide for its audiences. Our TV stations copy mainstream programs such as American Idol and Late Night shows. Evangelicals are just as creative as the secular members of the media and yet we cannot think of an original program to save our stations. Evangelical television reaches mainly other evangelicals and is not even impacting all of them. Preachers like Joel Osteen of Lakewood Church ruin the name of evangelical TV. Joel Osteen preaches about prosperity and happiness and avoids the truth of the gospel. He avoids teaching about anything but the love and goodness of God, those are true and real attributes of God but so are sin, wrath and justice. When sin is left out of a pastors core beliefs something has gone wrong.
If we want a program to reach out to non-believers and what they see is Joel Osteen and his prosperity gospel then we have sent the wrong message. The message he sends is positive and charismatic but is wrong. God is not just good. Osteen was quoted in an interview with Byron Pitts on cbsnews.com saying “My message is a message of hope that God is a good God, and that no matter what we’ve done, where we’ve been, God has a great plan for our lives. And when we walk in his ways they can take us places we’ve never dreamed of." God does have a plan but Osteen preaches only that. Evangelical TV can be dangerous and does not have enough accountability.
A website on the history of Lakewood Church talks about “Star power” bringing people to church. Osteen knows that contemporary music will draw in a younger and affluent crowd. Evangelical media needs to know where it has gone wrong, and TV is where it begins. Evangelical TV needs to shape up and where it can begin is by making programs that will reach youth and families. Shows can be wholesome and funny and still promote a positive message. There are TV shows to rival those on youth stations such as MTV or VH1. Christians need to integrate themselves more into mainstream media. There does not need to be “evangelical media” and “secular media” there is just media. We should give media a better name by cleaning it up and implementing our morals and values into shows and programs on television. As a member of the evangelical youth I want to step it up and promote wholeness in my everyday living as well as if I ever do continue a career in media relations of any sort.

1 http://www.discernment.org/LeavenLakewood.htm