1. Examination of Texts of Televangelists by Viewers LA VONDA JAMES

2. ABSTRACT Televangelism had its beginnings in 1940 but has now developed into a burgeoning institution throughout the United States and other countries, gaining millions in revenue for televangelists. Televangelists have been successful in retaining consistent viewer support even when the media have revealed that they have engaged in practices contrary to Christianity such as adultery and the misappropriation of ministry funds. This presentation will focus on the level of motivation of viewers to research the Christian text for the purpose of discovering whether televangelists’ messages synchronize with the Christian text. In this way, it seeks to explore one of the factors that may explain the fidelity of viewers towards their respective televangelists.

3. WHAT TRULY IS A TELEVANGELIST? *Merriam-Webster Dictionary  Tele-:  television  Evangelize:  to preach the gospel to  To convert to Christianity  Gospel:  the message concerning Christ, the kingdom of God, and salvation

4. BEGINNINGS OF TELEVANGELISM  1940:  ROMAN CATHOLIC ARCHBISHOP FULTON J. SHEEN

5. CASE MODELS

6. JIM BAKKER 1988  ADULTERY  MAIL AND WIRE FRAUD

7. JIMMY SWAGGART 1988  ADULTERY WITH PROSTITUTE 1991  ADULTERY WITH PROSTITUTE

8. AMERICAN CONFIDENCE IN ORGANIZED RELIGION

9. VIEWER EXPRESSION OF APPROVAL MONETARY CONTRIBUTIONSSUPPORT

10. RESEARCH QUESTIONS PART 1  R1: If a televangelist confesses to allegations of misconduct via media, will the confession cause an increase in the solidarity (contributions and support) of his/her most committed viewers, will the confession cause a decrease in the solidarity, or will it remain the same?  R2: If a televangelist denies allegations of misconduct via media, will this denial cause a decrease in the solidarity (contributions and support) of his/her most committed viewers, will the denial cause an increase in the solidarity, or will it remain the same?  R3 :If a televangelist denies allegations of misconduct via media that are subsequently confirmed by the media, will the media confirmation cause a decrease in the solidarity (contributions and support) of his/her most committed viewers, will the media confirmation cause an increase in the solidarity or will it remain the same?

11. PSYCHOLOGICAL MODELS

12. A PSYCHOLOGICAL MODEL OF TELEVISION EFFECT salience act = salience / repertoire X arousal

13. SALIENCE EQUATION salience = past consequences + (perceived consequences X perceived reality)

14. A PSYCHOLOGICAL MODEL OF TELEVISION EFFECT salience act = salience / repertoire X arousal

15. RESEARCH QUESTIONS PART 2  R3: How often do committed viewers of televangelists read the bible after viewing televangelists?  R4: How often do committed viewers of televangelists refer to the bible in connection with the respective televangelist’s messages to confirm that the encouraged action is congruous with the text and in context?

16. RESEARCH IMPLICATIONS  WILL BENEFIT RESEARCHERS  INCREASED UNDERSTANDING AND INCREASED BREADTH OF STUDY  WILL BENEFIT TELEVANGELISTS  EFFECTIVE MINISTERS  WILL BENEFIT VIEWERS  WISE AND EDUCATED

17. WORKS CITED  Horsfield, P. (1984). Religious Television: The American Experience. New York: Longman.  Hughey, M. W. (1990, Autumn). Internal Contradictions of Televangelism: Ethical Quandaries of That Old Time Religion in a Brave New World. International Journal of Politics, Culture, and Society, pp. 31-47.  Korpi, Michael F. et al (1986, December). The Uses and Effects of Televangelism: A Factorial Model of Support and Contribution. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion Vol. 25 No. 4, pp. 410-423  Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). "evangelize" "gospel" "tele". Retrieved December 12, 2014, from Merriam-Webster: http://www.Meriam-Webster.com  Saad, L. (2012, July 12). U.S. Confidence in Organized Religion at Low Point: Catholics' confidence remains significantly lower than Protestants. Retrieved April 22, 2015, from Gallup: http://www.gallup.com/poll/155690/confidence-organized-religion-low-point.aspx  Skill, T. (1994, Spring). The Image of Christian Leaders in Fictional Television Programs. Sociology of Religion, pp. 75-84.