Today I came across Martin’s TBN Watch. He does a much better job than I could at conveying just what TBN is like, and with a suitably mocking tone. Scroll down to the bottom of the page for the actual articles. “TBN is always dumb but most definitely never boring”, he writes. It is indeed very entertaining, and whenever it is on at work we all stand around laughing at it. Of course, it’s not all harmless amusement for sensible people. From the article on Benny Hinn:
The belief in faith healing, of all of the kooky beliefs fundies tend to hold, is the one that has been shown to have the direst consequences. Recently, a spate of deaths, mostly among young children whose parents chose to pray rather than seek medical attention for illnesses which were not particularly life-threatening in most cases, has made the news, and in at least one incident, one dead child’s parents were charged with outright homicide for their neglect. We can applaud the sagacity of law enforcement for cracking down on this kind of nonsense, but we can only groan at the fact that ludicrous numbers of people still go to see Benny Hinn. For Benny, or anyone, to continue to champion faith healing–and, in Hinn’s case, to make a career out of pretending to do it–when helpless children are dropping like ninepins ought to have the public rioting in the streets. But what is the public doing instead? Lining up to see Benny Hinn, that’s what.
Exposing TV Evangelism also contains articles about religious TV in general. Interestingly, it gets the number one spot on a Google search for “tv evangelism”, above all the pro-TV evangelism sites! This is significant because of the way Google works. Apart from that, there seem to be far too few people pointing out how stupid TV evangelism is. To paraphrase Martin Wagner, TV evangelists are funny, that anyone at all takes them seriously is profoundly sad.
Real Time: Sun Oct 27 15:30:06 2002
Have you ever called to make a “love Gift” or called acting like you were going to give money. The number to call is always posted, and there is always someone ready to answer the phone no matter what time it is. I call and ask to speak with the lady who has the pink hair. I then ask where my money is going, and if it will be used to buy the pink haired ladies makeup. They usually hang up. But then if you call back and ask who pays for their huge electric bill, and fancy decorations because you were going to make a very large cash donation to help out with the cost You’ll have to call and ask it’s to good to spoil. I thought I was The only person who thought these people were crazy. Have you counted how many times they talk about making a donation? It’s scary
Real Time: Tue Oct 29 11:29:59 2002
Hehe, that’s pretty funny! I’m pretty certain none of the money goes towards helping starving children. They sometimes talk about helping starving children but it always turns out they mean you should _pray_ for them…
As for how many times they they talk about making a donation, I think it’s just one huge advertisment for making donations. It really is a buy yourself into heaven thing. _Very_ scary.
Most of the teachings are false and people are
now calling them “The Beast Network” for their
false doctrine.Alot of stuff going on TBN isn’t
right.By the way Jan Crouch the lady with the pink
hair used to be real good friends with Tammy Faye
Bakker.Everything you hear on TBN has something
to do with money in some way or another.
By the way have you taken a closer look, not only is the lady with the pink hair asking for money as you say “all the time”, but she is going into war torn poverty stricken countries for example HAITI, to buld a hospital,& UGANDA were my friend is working in right now, in another hospital and giving out food and clothing and also in LATIN AMERICA were i am head of an orginization that helps young mothers who have been either selling themselfs to feed there kids and also have been rejected by there own families and thrown out with the baby, and just guess who is helping us out with the MONEY???? Yep! TBN the lady with the pink hair. Its easy to redicual and sit back and mock and look for all the negative things in so called crazy bible bashers on TV. but while your mocking some 1 some were is having an abortion coz theres no hope that she could be a mother in A shit area and country she is a prisoner in. Some 1 is thinking of commiting suicide coz they have tryed all the drugs, booze,sex,and anything else but 1 day they switch on the TBN show and jus maybe after watching the funny looking lady with the pink hair they can laugh and say life aint to bad after all. And worst of all they might get what it really means to be BORN AGAIN rather than joining another fanatical religon. But hay STAY IN THE MATRIX & wait for 666.
One of my friend is a firm believe in Benny Hinn. I felt so sorry. Benny Hinn is obviously a fraud to me. I have not seen a worst TV evangelist as worse as him. His preaching has no substance, he shows no knowledge of the Bible. Just mumblings. I wish our legal authority would bring him to court for lying to people and stealing money.
i think some of the comments made are harsh we are all entitled to an opinion but simply mocking and speculating about the going’s on on these channels isnt wise they bring many people to christ and help encourage and motivate people
hello sir,
My name is anthony michael,i am a christian i attended the redeemed christian church of God, tog (throne of grace )opp cam salem police station moloney obalende lagos island Nigeria.
I am seventeen years of age, and i am out of secondary school since last year.i am in the teen church as an instrumentalist i can play (drumset,conga drum, mouth organ and piano) and i am a good singer as well.
the day you came to nigeria for the three days crusade at the holy ghost congress ground i was presently there,and i was willing to get your contact and during your ministration i heard somethings i had never heard before and how life and future were affected. immediately, i was touched by the holy spirit how much more if i am presently there sir you are a true man of god that the wisdom of God is dwelling with .
I also listened to your testimony during your crusade for the american indians and i saw how people were healed from any form of dieseases.oh iam so happy that God is using somebody like you. sir i wish to be presently there in the crusade you want to do next but i have nobody to help me to be there.sir if you can help me to be there i promise i am going to minister with my mouth organ.
sir, i am willing to see you face to face but i know by the grace of god i shall see you in that crusade.please sir i dont have your contact that is why i contact you through this way.
sir please i know you can take me there.please dont forget me.
sir i really wish to be with you.
pls mail me back as soon as possible.
thanks
michael.
A fool so born every minute. Benny hinn is not anything he claims to be. He takes your money and instead of spending it on hospitals etc. He buys a multimillion dollar ritzy house in southern California. He once spent over $100,000 to go swimming in Hawaii. Not to mention his mercedes collection, Does a so-called man of God need that?
He wanted to go, so chartered a fancy jet and sent his security staff on ahead. Just to go swimming!
If his mother in Florida wants to send Hinn cookies he’ll send the jet for them. I $40,000 cookie.
I know this because I worked for him and saw this abuse of his followers money every day. I finally could not stand any more.
Send your money to good causes, not to Hinn or his ilk.
It’s amazing how all these blog writers are so psychic that they not only KNOW all this dirt on people but that this knowledge was given to them and to no one else.
Let’s face it…Benny Hinn is no more confused or misinformed or over-confidently sure of himself than anybody else in this “I-ME-MINE” world we all live in. The only difference between him and us is we don’t broadcast our mistakes and erroneous assumptions all over the world three times a day. Benny Hinn is a human being (believe it or not), and human beings are never right all of the time (or every some of the time). Benny needs to be in a small church somewhere teaching his notions instead of on worldwide telvision.
However, I’ve said too much already………
This is my first time at this blog. I’ve no idea what beliefs the blog owner has…
Most *Christians* do not like TBN or most of its programming.
Some of the strongest critics you will find of TBN on the web are Christians. We’re particularly disgusted by the blatant greed of the tele-evangelists.
We are also put off by the odd behavior, weird hair styles, and so on, of many of the hosts and tele-evangelists on TBN.
I should probably post this at the original guy’s blog too, but “Fundies” (fundamenalists) are not into faith healing and all the other features of the “Prosperity Gospel.”
~Usually, it’s your Neo-Pentecostals who are into that stuff.
Baptists, Methodists, and so on, find the pink- haired lady just as strange as many Non-Christians do.
In addition, Baptists (as well well as other conservative denominations), find all the church services that have hyper-active, kooky-acting members (e.g., who bounce around, wave their arms, and scream “Amen!” a lot, etc.) to be weird.
I was raised as a Baptist, and out of all the Baptist church services I attended as a kid, and the ones I’ve been to as an adult, have been quiet, serious affairs with none of the hopping around and screaming that you see on TBN.
Christian network “Day Star” also carries many of the same shows as TBN, so we Christians find them objectionable as well.
Having said all that, there are *some* decent shows/ pastors on the Christian networks, such as Charles Stanley’s “In Touch” program, “Love Worth Finding,” and “Drive Through History.”
This is my first time at this blog. I’ve no idea what beliefs the blog owner has…
Most *Christians* do not like TBN or most of its programming.
Some of the strongest critics you will find of TBN on the web are Christians. We’re particularly disgusted by the blatant greed of the tele-evangelists.
We are also put off by the odd behavior, weird hair styles, and so on, of many of the hosts and tele-evangelists on TBN.
I should probably post this at the original guy’s blog too, but “Fundies” (fundamenalists) are not into faith healing and all the other features of the “Prosperity Gospel.”
~Usually, it’s your Neo-Pentecostals who are into that stuff.
Baptists, Methodists, and so on, find the pink- haired lady just as strange as many Non-Christians do.
In addition, Baptists (as well well as other conservative denominations), find all the church services that have hyper-active, kooky-acting members (e.g., who bounce around, wave their arms, and scream “Amen!” a lot, etc.) to be weird.
I was raised as a Baptist, and out of all the Baptist church services I attended as a kid, and the ones I’ve been to as an adult, have been quiet, serious affairs with none of the hopping around and screaming that you see on TBN.
Christian network “Day Star” also carries many of the same shows as TBN, so we Christians find them objectionable as well.
Having said all that, there are *some* decent shows/ pastors on the Christian networks, such as Charles Stanley’s “In Touch” program, “Love Worth Finding,” and “Drive Through History.”
Does that mean that if I get a loan and get big pink hair I can have gold plated chairs and a 5 million buck house….where do I sign up? But I would rather wait and get my real and lasting rewards in heaven. Everything earthbound is doomed to decay…