Advice For The Glassy-Eyed
Non-Prophet has the inside scoop on a the Evangelical mega-church profiled by Jeff Sharlet for Harpers magazine. It seems the true believers aren’t quite ready for prime time according to this e-mail sent to the faithful by church Pastor Ted Haggard.
“If reporters want to interview you, talk with them, but use words that make sense to them. Speak their language. Don’t talk about the devil, demons, voices speaking to you, God giving you supernatural revelations, etc. Instead, tell your personal story in common sense language (I was a drunk but God changed me and now I’m sober, I’m grateful, etc.).”
What is interesting about this e-mail is that it seems to be working with a definition of what an average person is. This average person the message implies would be put off by the normal vocabulary and goings-on of this church. Being honest it also reminds me of advice given to Pagans when the reporters come around for their yearly Halloween article.
“If the media outlet is a visual one, try to get the person behind the camera to present you as a “normal” person. This means avoiding the stereotyped shot of some wacky-looking, jewelry-bedecked person in a robe, standing behind an cluttered altar and brandishing a wand or athame. This will be tough; Photographers are trained to look for interesting visual elements and Pagans try to make their altars visually interesting. Trust me: No matter how nice your altar, robes and jewelry look, they will look silly in print or on television.”
Modern Paganism however, as a minority religion, doesn’t make claims to representing the morals and values of a “majority” of Americans. Many conservative Evangelicals leaders do. It looks like we all got a peek at the man behind the curtain. Maybe some of the better reporters will too.
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