Read ‘Televangelism in America today’ by Tim Dowling at www.guardian.co.uk

Then answer the following questions and discuss them in pairs:

  1. How does Prosperity Theology ‘fit’ the needs of American society?
  2. How do you think programmes such as the examples given would be received in the UK?
  3. Critics of religious market theory claim that televangelism only ‘preaches to the converted’. Do you think this is true?
  4. The writer takes a rather jokey view of televangelism. Find two examples in the article that confirm this.