Believers baffle TV networks (7/94)
    The following is from Christian Crusade Newspaper, P.O. Box 977, 
    Tulsa, OK 74102, in its 42nd year of publication. We can
    be E-mailed on America On Line as Christcrew, on Compuserve 
    at 72204,541, and via the Internet as Christcrew@aol.com .

by Keith Wilkerson, editor
       A recent episode of the obnoxious situation comedy "Roseanne" 
on ABC-TV showed the family's young son struggling to understand 
his own spiritual emptiness and his need for some kind of faith. 
       He was disturbed by his family's lack of religious commitment.
       So, how did his TV family react in the episode?
       The boy was met with ridicule. It is as if network TV just cannot 
grasp that Christian faith is an important part of most Americans' 
everyday lives, says Los Angeles media critic Gregory Coiro. "In most 
programs, we never see families going to church. We never see them 
saying grace before meals or showing any kind of devotion. If a TV 
character is facing some sort of crisis, there are millions of real-life 
people who, in that situation, the first thing they would do is pray."
       Indeed, television journalist Bill Moyers says "something is 
happening in America" that reflects a growing, grassroots religious 
movement among the people of this nation.
       However, the masses' yearning for God is ignored by the media, 
says Moyers, who adds that the absence of religion on TV is 
particularly disturbing, since television has become "our all 
encompassing environment" shaping modern culture.
       "Just about every other human endeavor is the subject of 
continuing coverage by the media even to the point of saturation," 
Moyers said. "Economics, politics and government, business, foreign 
policy, sports, sex, cooking, consumer interests, physical fitness, 
movies and entertainment, war, crime, even wrestling." Nevertheless, 
in the media there is "no room in the inn" for religion as a "crucial 
force in American life," Instead, religion receives coverage only when 
scandals or violence are involved. The unspoken theme of such stories 
is that religion is "irrational and hypocritical." 
       Most upsetting is how the media has chosen to ignore that 
"millions of Americans are searching for some clearer understanding 
of the core principles of religion and how they can be applied to the 
daily experience of living as well as to humanity's common destiny 
and concern," said Moyers. "The most interesting stories of our time 
are emerging in the intersection between the secular and the spiritual 
-- between God and politics. Something is happening in America that 
is worthy of the sharpest reporting and analysis." 
       But the news media can't even understand what is going on. 
       So, it cannot cover the phenomenon.
       The entertainment side of TV does seem to be experimenting 
with inserting a little Christianity -- just to see if it will generate more 
advertising dollars than sex and violence. "Christy," a weekly TV series, 
tells the story of a young teacher in Appalachia. The show has actually 
found a home on TV after its Christian producer's 20-year quest to 
turn the popular Catherine Marshall novel into a movie.
       How did "Christy" manage to get onto the air? Well, it is being 
used only as a summer substitute. It is not on the fall line-up.
       Nevertheless, the fact that the program was aired at all 
demonstrates that "something's happening out there," says L. Brent 
Bozell, chairman of the Media Research Center.
       In a 1993 study, his organization found religion to be nearly 
invisible on network shows. It was mentioned or dealt with just 116 
times in more than 1,000 hours of entertainment programming in 
1993. Believers were depicted negatively 68 percent of the time.
       But "I think reality is hitting Hollywood," Bozell says, "in the sense 
that Hollywood can't escape society and the devastating condition of 
society."
       Networks, fending off criticism over TV violence, also are seen as 
eager to move toward what Bozell deems "family values" programs 
that embrace morality. 
       However, Bozell says the television industry is so wrapped up in 
its own view of the world, that it is having real difficulty with 
programs such as "Christy."
       Bozell recalled complimenting one network executive on a show's 
episode that had actually treated a religious theme respectfully. Bozell 
says he mentioned to the executive a study showing that 91 percent 
of Americans believe in God.
       Alarmed, "Look, we're not talking God here --we're talking 
religion," the concerned executive replied.
       Believing in God, he says, "is not a controversial position," Bozell 
says, "but for Hollywood it is."

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            Although Dr. Hargis no longer travels, editor-in-chief 
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