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Book Reviews / Pneuma 32 (2010) 123-175
Jonathan L Walton, Watch This!: The Ethics and Aesthetics of Black Televangelism (New York and London: New York University Press, 2009). xii + 283 pp., $75.00, cloth; $23.00, paper.
Historians, sociologists, philosophers, and theologians approach religious studies from various vantage points. Jonathan Walton wears all four disciplinary hats in his study on black televangelism and religious broadcasting. Using the prominent ministries of televi- sion broadcasters T.D. Jakes, Eddie Long, and Creflo Dollar as case studies, Walton engages us in a broad discussion of the historical, sociological, philosophical, and theological impli- cations behind black religious broadcasting.
As historian, Walton disabuses black invisibility in the current scholarship on American religious broadcasting. The first chapter discusses the prevalence of blacks preaching ser- mons on religious radio and recording religious race records that captured “the creative rhythmic ruminations and folk orality of southern religion that were then beginning to fi ll the storefront churches of the northern urban ghettos” (33). His most innovative historical contribution comes in the next chapter, in which he depicts the controversial television preacher Rev. Ike as the nexus between early twentieth-century rural southern Evangelical- ism and post-civil rights professionalism and technological savvy.
While many theologians and ethicists assess religious luminaries without serious com- mitment to empirical processes, Walton off ers a rigorous analysis of sermons, books, and broadcasts produced by his subjects. He utilizes an expansive range of sociological theory, borrowing from such classical theorists as Max Weber in discussing charismatic authority of spiritual leadership, and Emile Durkheim when presenting black religious broadcasting as a ritual of self-afirmation that nurtures the dignity of its participants. He alludes to contemporary cultural studies theorists like Stuart Hall when musing about the complex ways in which viewers decode television broadcasts to meet their specifi c needs, and he tacitly adopts theory of religious economy when explaining the appeal of black televange- lists for their keen skill at being able to “sing the recognizable songs of American cultural myths” (198).
As philosopher, Walton attempts to clarify how we conceptualize contemporary expres- sions of black Pentecostalism as it informs the high-tech, capitalist, megachurch formations of black religious broadcasting. He takes on scholars from the past who lumped varying expressions of the contemporary black Pentecostal experience under the rubric neo-Pente- costal. In contrast, Walton reserves the distinction of neo-Pentecostal for broadcasters with roots in classical Pentecostal denominations (for example, Church of God in Christ), and adds a new category, Charismatic mainline, to represent those who exhibit similar contem- porary expressions of Pentecostal tropes but have roots in mainline denominations (such as African Methodist Episcopal). Walton writes:
For instance, should we expect Bishop T.D. Jakes, who emerges from a Sanctifi ed tradition, to think about God and the role of the church in the same way as Reverend Jamal Harrison-Bryant, the son and grandson of A.M.E. bishops? We may determine that both are Pentecostal inspired in worship … but they are informed by divergent theological orientations, ecclesial traditions, and political sensibilities. The Sanctifi ed
© Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, 2010 DOI: 10.1163/027209610X12628362888234
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Book Reviews / Pneuma 32 (2010) 123-175
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tradition is diff erent from the black mainline tradition from which the A.M.E. Church extends. (76)
The latter postulation presupposes that black mainline churches share theological orienta- tions, ecclesial traditions, and political sensibilities — an assumption in tension with Walton’s critique of theologian Dwight Hopkins for ignoring the diversity that exists among Black Baptists. While one can easily question the effi cacy of Walton’s Charismatic mainline demarcation, he is the first scholar of any discipline to go to great lengths to clarify the diverse ways black Pentecostalism affects and infuses contemporary black religious expressions.
The latter three disciplines enhance Walton’s work, but he is most comfortable and adept as theologian or ethicist. Walton’s contribution is less about the nuts and bolts of black televangelism and more about a rigorous analysis of the theological underpinnings and the dominant themes and messages of prominent black religious broadcasters. While acknowl- edging the ways in which their messages empower, Walton critiques his subjects for blatant displays of sexism and for promoting disempowering myths of equal opportunity and arrant consumerism at a time when blacks suff er disproportionately the woes of a bad economy and continued racial injustice in America. He holds them accountable for pro- jecting myopic political visions and cultural misdiagnosis and presents us with a meticulous social and political critique of prominent black televangelists in general.
Walton’s bold eff ort is not without challenge. Firstly, he critiques various media scholars for ignoring African Americans in their studies on religious broadcasting, yet he principally overlooks black women himself. Such an omission sends out the message to those same scholars that black female invisibility is acceptable, while black male invisibility must be disabused. Secondly, in later chapters, Walton overextends his data to make assessments about black religious broadcasting in general. Generalizing would require a broader contin- gency of case studies to refl ect the expansive tastes and sensibilities of black voices on the airwaves so that popular Evangelical broadcasters like Tony Evans could be represented in his data. T irdly, as discussed above, Walton fails to make the case that neo-Pentecostals and Charismatic mainliners deserve distinction based on the theological, ecclesial, and political sensibilities he sets up as the basis for his reclassifi cation. Neo-Pentecostals like Jakes and Charismatic mainliners like Paul Morton both have strong Baptist and Pentecos- tal roots, which makes it dificult to fi t them neatly into one of his camps.
Tese minor quibbles aside, Walton off ers a signifi cant contribution to American reli- gious broadcasting that should inspire more scholars to utilize analytical tools and methods from various disciplines to interpret this important phenomenon. Walton’s eff ective role as a cultural critic with ethical concerns puts forward a new vision for how the fi eld of theol- ogy can unravel the social and spiritual complexities of our post-industrial media age.
Reviewed by Shayne Lee
Assistant Professor of Sociology and African Diaspora Studies Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
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