Dispatches from a TBN Viewer

Randall Stephens

I'm putting in some quality time watching Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN). Getting the low down on evangelical weight loss strategies, making more money with God's assistance, and finding out about the political details of the coming apocalypse. Dr. Carl Baugh's Creation in the 21st Century is one of my favorite programs. Tonight's episode was mostly about the moral and scientific implications of a global flood. Terrific graphics. And, better still, how many other science shows end with an altar call?

I was browsing around the TBN website when I came across a Christian documentary on Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson. Called Warriors of Honor, the film speaks "plainly about the Christian faith of Jackson and Lee," says pastor, author, and homeschooling kingpin Steve Wilkins. "It is a beautiful and accurate account of two great Southern leaders and of a war that forever changed our country." (See the Southern Poverty Law Center for more on Wilkins.) The site for the film proclaims: "Both [Lee and Jackson] were masterful generals, brilliant strategists and, above all, faithful Christians. The faith of these 'Warriors of Honor' governed their lives on and off the battlefield, and their legacies continue even today. 'God's will ought to be our aim, and I am contented that His designs should be accomplished and not my own.' - General Robert E. Lee."

Amazing. Brings back memories of those neo-confederate catechisms that Tony Horwitz described in Confederates in the Attic: Dispatches from the Unfinished Civil War. I think I'll need to order Warriors of Honor for my history course on the America South since 1865. Adds to what Paul posted below concerning the Arlington Confederate Monument.

Comments

Brad Hart said…
Pat Robertson talked about this "documentary" on the 700 Club as well. Sounds like a "must see."

By the way, did you catch any of David Barton's ilk while watching TBN? His shows ("American Heritage" and "Drive Thru History") are usually on there.
Randall said…
Brad, Hadn't seen him in this round. There's something odd about the on-line schedule not matching our schedule here in Boston.
Brad Hart said…
Well, just in case you don't get the "privilege" of watching Barton on TBN, here is a "classic" Youtube clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3hE8aQcMKg
Christopher said…
This is fascinating stuff, Randall. Do you have any idea how many viewers TBN attracts? Is it broadcast nationwide?

Alas, I don't get TBN through my local cable provider here in Utah so my religious programming options are limited to BYUTV (for Mormon content), EWTN (Catholic content), and KTMW (self-described "family-friendly" network that broadcasts an odd mixture of Perry Mason reruns, Jewelry TV, and outreach shows for Mormons, including my personal favorite, Polygamy: What Love Is This?, a show hosted by a former Fundemantalist Mormon woman turned evangelical Christian). Oh yeah, I guess I also get Fox News. :)

Hopefully I'll get TBN when I make the move to Virginia this fall.
jmleto said…
In response to Christopher: TBN is easily the most widely-watched and most successful religious broadcaster in America. TBN owns more TV stations than anyone except the big four broadcast networks, and airs programming around the clock. Also, TBN is very closely associated with the Pentecostal-like religious movement called Word of Faith. WoF is one of the fastest growing Christianities in America, and it fully integrates media, prosperity, and a unique brand of post-racism into its religious message. The whole movement is designed around what works on television, and TBN is a big part of that.

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