Watching the news channels, they appear to have another catastrophe to focus their attention on in reference to the Tsunami that happened in Asia. Seeing the news coverage, it reminded me greatly about the news coverage we saw when 9-11-01 happened. When I mentally compared and contrasted the news coverages of 9-11-01 and the tsunami, I remembered something that took place that made many televangelists very angry.

Christians shifted their charitable dollars from the televangelist to relief agencies and local ministries helping people in need.

I remember when the televangelists got angry when their donations dropped and the relief agencies got the money. James Dobson threatened to cut back. Beverly LaHaye wrote a letter explaining that donations had dropped 56% because of the 9-11-01 attacks and that their mail (and their money) was held up in a Washington DC post office because of anthrax screenings (it was the same post office that delivered anthrax laced mail to Senators Leahy and Dodd). Lahaye threatened to “resort to drastic measures, including taking our daily radio program ‘Concerned Women Today’ off the air entirely in major markets and even laying off valuable staff members.” I found it very insensitive that people have died from this disease called anthrax and all she cared about was the money!! and not the souls who died?

Will they do the same stuff again?

I am afraid that the answer is leaning towards a “yes”. Even though the 700 Club has pushed Operation Blessing on their shows and many Christian radio stations have pushed Samaratian’s Purse, the mindset of not discussing the tsunami on Christian television is paralleling the 9-11-01 tragedy. The televangelists can call the Christian relief agencies their ‘brothers’ in front of the cameras sitting on their imitation Gold furniture, However, behind the scenes, they are the fiercest competitor of the almighty dollar.

Another reason to ponder is that if the televangelists offered to take up money for relief efforts, would this go diametrically oppoiste to their theologies of a tsunami happening because of secret sin, lacking faith, disagreeing with a mega-pastor, and not putting enough money in the offering plate? In their mindset, why help a people who do not profess to be Christian because in their eyes, the tsunami is those people’s fault due to a direct result of not being Christian? They tell American Christians that 9-11-01, hurricanes, tornadoes, and other realms of human suffering happened because of someone’s secret sin, Hank Hhaanneeggrraaff (spelling sarcastic pun) book Christianity in Crisis, lacking faith, the gays, disagreeing with a mega-pastor, the democrats, and / or not putting enough money in the offering plate.

In the upcoming days, we will see the evangelists complain that their money is down and they need more money to more mismanage or God will either ‘take them home’, curse Christians who hear the pleas and do not give, or they will have to go off the air because of the tsunami. In the future, we may even see a Barna report documenting that giving increased to local ministries and relief agencies like they documented in early 2002 when they monitored giving in the wake of 9-11-01

The pattern repeats once again.