Watch This!

by Walton, Jonathan L.

• ISBN13: 9780814794524
• ISBN10: 0814794521
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-02-01
• Publisher: New York Univ Pr

Summary

Through their constant television broadcasts, mass video distributions, and printed publications, African American religious broadcasters have a seemingly ubiquitous presence in popular culture. They are on par with popular entertainers and athletes in the African American community as cultural icons even as they are criticized by others for taking advantage of the devout in order to subsidize their lavish lifestyles.For these reasons questions abound. Do televangelists proclaim the message of the gospel or a message of greed? Do they represent the "authentic" voice of the black church or the Christian Right in blackface? Does the phenomenon reflect orthodox "Christianity" or ethnocentric "Americaninity" wrapped in religious language?Watch This!seeks to move beyond such polarizing debates by critically delving into the dominant messages and aesthetic styles of African American televangelists and evaluating their ethical implications.

Author Biography

Jonathan L. Walton is Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at the University of California, Riverside

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. vii
Prelude	p. xi
Invocation: Time to Tune IN: The Phenomenon of African American Religious Broadcasting	p. 1
We Too Sing America: Racial Invisibility, Respectability, and the Roots of Black Religious Broadcasting	p. 19
Something Within: The Cultural Sources of Rev. Frederick J.Eikerenkoetter II	p. 47
Standing on the Promises: Diversity and Change within Contemporary Black Christian Practices	p. 75
Come, Ye Disconsolate The Ministry of Bishop T.D.Jakes	p. 103
We Are Soldiers! The Ministry of Bishop Eddie L.Long	p. 125
Fill My Cup, Lord: The Ministry of Pastors Creflo and Taffi Dollar	p. 145
The Reasons Why We Sing: The Computing Rituals of Self-Affirmation and Social Accommodation	p. 167
Lift Every Voice: Authority, Ideology, and the Implications of Religious Broadcasting for the Black Church	p. 199
Benediction: Blest Be the Tie That Binds	p. 229
Notes	p. 235
Bibliography	p. 261
Index	p. 275
About the Author	p. 283
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