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The Clay Sanskrit Library
Early American Places
The American Literatures Initiative
NYU Press
838 Broadway, 3rd Floor
New York, New York 10003
1-800-996-6987
Tel: 212-998-2575
Fax: 212-995-3833

Paperback: $23.00
ISBN: 9780814794524
Release Date: 2/01/2009
320 pages, 5 illustrations


Also available in Cloth



Religion, Race, and Ethnicity
Watch This!
The Ethics and Aesthetics of Black Televangelism
Jonathan L. Walton

Through their constant television broadcasts, mass video distributions, and printed publications, African American religious broadcasters have a seemingly ubiquitous presence in popular culture. They are on par with popular entertainers and athletes in the African American community as cultural icons even as they are criticized by others for taking advantage of the devout in order to subsidize their lavish lifestyles.

For these reasons questions abound. Do televangelists proclaim the message of the gospel or a message of greed? Do they represent the "authentic" voice of the black church or the Christian Right in blackface? Does the phenomenon reflect orthodox "Christianity" or ethnocentric "Americaninity" wrapped in religious language?

Watch This! seeks to move beyond such polarizing debates by critically delving into the dominant messages and aesthetic styles of African American televangelists and evaluating their ethical implications.




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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jonathan L. Walton is Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at the University of California, Riverside.