Jeffrey K. Hadden

The Rise and Fall of American Televangelism

Religious broadcasting has been an integral part of American culture since the very beginning of radio. Over the decades, religious broadcasters have periodically generated considerable controversy as they have used the airwaves to transmit unorthodox spiritual and political messages. The decade of the 1980s has been the most tumultuous and political thus far in the history of religious broadcasting. Televangelists forged a coalition that provided critical electoral support for Ronald Reagan and George Bush while also playing a significant role in defining the social agenda of the decade. Toward the end of the decade, however, religious broadcasting appeared to self-destruct in the wake of financial and sexual scandals that rocked several major ministries. Still, religious broadcasting not only persists, but some ministries thrive and some televangelists continue to influence the American political scene. This article examines the rise and fall of televangelism and explores the prospects for the continuing influence of broadcasters in American religion and politics.

The Limits of Suburban Growth: A Comment

For more than two decades a small group of philosophical idealists who loved the hustle, bustle, dirt, beauty, and, most of all, the potential of the city decried the debasing consequences of suburban sprawl. In the 1970s, without confessing to having been Cassandras, a number of these scholars have quietly acquiesced to the inevitability of the continuing suburbanization of practically everything and, with this, to the passing of the dream of reshaping the decaying cores of central cities into the vital centers of urban culture they might have been. But almost as soon as these confessions have begun to appear in print, dramatic structural changes in our society have called into question both the inevitability and desirability of continuing growth at the outer fringes of metropolitan America. Rising costs in the construction of single dwelling units and the promise of ever-rising costs for energy, both for homes and automobiles, are cited as evidence against continuing sprawl. Indeed, so the arguments go, we can no longer afford this life style. Further, the &dquo;singles revolution&dquo; is creating demands for life styles which are more easily achieved in high density neighborhoods. If &dquo;maturing&dquo; middle-class persons faced with the empty nest in their suburban Beulah Lands during the 1950s and 1960s did not flock back to the central core to take

Responding to the Christian Right

“Virtually every mainline church body has experienced the emergence of conservative caucuses. In the late 60s, the conservatives cut off funds for liberal social programs. In the 70s, they fought back liberal resolutions. As we enter the 80s, there is an uneasy feeling that conservatives are either going to have things their own way or create unprecedented schisms…. We believe there is a potentially more effective strategy mainline church leaders could pursue. This would be to create a religiously-grounded alternative organization to the Moral Majority.”