Abuses in Televised Religion In the late 1980's, several scandals emerged wit

The practice of televangelism has a long and interesting history. Even before there was evangelism on television, there was evangelism on the radio. With the rise in popularity of television in the early 1950's, some radio evangelists began turning their attention to the new medium. Television was an exciting concept for those evangelists because it provided an opportunity for them to spread their message to the masses in a way that was never possible before. The first television evangelist to make a name for himself was the Catholic Bishop Fulton Sheen. Sheen's program was scheduled on prime time, and it was a great success during the years that it was run. Soon after Sheen started his television program in the early 1950's, other aspiring televangelists followed. Rex Humbard was the next television preacher to become known in America. In 1953, Humbard began acquiring national fame by "broadcasting his local church service in Akron, Ohio." Oral Roberts, Billy Graham and Jerry Falwell were three other televangelists who became popular during the 1950's.

During the 1960's and 1970's, the televangelism industry became increasingly popular among American viewers. Some of the television preachers tried new gimmicks in order to win the viewers over. For example, Robert Schuller of California began his television ministry by preaching in an abandoned d

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n, a televangelist from Texas, has built his career around the use of this tactic. In his televised sermons, Tilton openly claims that donations to God through his ministry will help the viewer to receive more money, a new car, a new house, a new job, and other material benefits, in addition to "salvation." Many people have criticized the "prosperity gospel" as being a deceitful practice which misleads followers. It is claimed that the tactic is misleading because it encourages followers to believe that they can purchase miracles rather than attaining them through the grace of God. Beyond the claims of wrongful tactics, many people are disturbed by the scandals which have occurred among televangelists. 1987 was the year that many of these scandals first began coming to light. The first TV preacher to receive critical attention during that year was Oral Roberts. Roberts announced to his followers that they needed to come up with $8 million in funding or else God would "call him home." In other words, Roberts claimed that God would kill him if his followers did not provide the money. Hadden and Shupe have noted that this "gimmick" was the first time in the history of televised religion that God was "involved in holding a ho
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