Televangelism Reconsidered: Ritual in the Search for Human Community

By closely examining four television programs—Falwell's "The Old-Time Gospel Hour," Robertson's "700 Club," the Bakkers' "PTL Club," and the telecasts of Jimmy Swaggart—this work considers the attraction of televangelism for its conservative Christian audience. It argues that televangelism, as ritual performance, both legitimates the beliefs of viewers and at the same time adapts other beliefs of its viewers to the broader culture.