My story about the Gaithers and crack is always helpful when explaining how bizarre, foreign and trippy the whole Gaither or TBN (Paul and Jan Crouch, Benny Hinn et al) "culture" is to many. I usually bring it up (and this) when teaching on cross-cultural issues:
He stroked his goatee
pensively, and offered:
"Hmmm...well,It's kind of like being on crack."
He wasn't trying to offend (he did); he was simply responding to the question,
"What do you think of the Gaithers?"
I'll never forget the look on the Gaither fan's face. She assumed he meant something like it was a downer, or a "bad trip."
But what he meant was:
"That whole culture..the Gaithers and other TBN type music and studio sets..it's just so foreign to me that the only analogy I have for entering such a parallel universe is being on crack."
The TBN experince can indeed be addicting in the sense of intriguing.
And some of it can be downright sickening.
(Someone..you'll guess who in a minute once said,"I reject wolesale the gospel of prosperity, primarily on the grounds that I'm pretty sure it makes Jesus throw up a little but every time he thinks of it").
Some of the memories my wife and I have of catching fleeting glimpses of TBN and other Christian TV include crack-like moments like (Tammy Fae (PTL Club) Bakker interviewing an armless woman...and asking her how she putrs on her makeup; and Robert Tilton (who makes a delightful appearance in this classic Steve Taylor song, "Cash Cow") spouting out "Someone is called to give a million dollars to this ministry;don't think about it, don't pray about it...just call in!"...followed by a long outburst of tongues to confirm the word.
I have a hard time with many of these shows; but I have to dare to believe God is using some (all?) of them, even if the personalities are crazy, sick, fake..
...or on crack.
-link
But if one rumor is true...that in the video below Benny Hinn is passing a crack pipe to his staff...
that might explain a lot about TBN culture.
Maybe they're all on crack on that channel.
JUST KIDDING, Steve.
I hope so, anyway
Hinn is no stranger to scandal, twice predicting Jesus's coming (the dates have passed),
prophesying babies were designed to be born through the mother's leg...
and onto more serious stuff (drug busts and the mysterious death of Carman's brother). Here are couple links:
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Hey, thanks for engaging the conversation!