The preaching is loud and earnest, the music is uplifting, and everything is ethereal. And in the finale, you are asked to “sow your seed,” a euphemism for giving your money away. Not to the Salvation Army, a soup kitchen, or Catholic Charities, but this particular teleministry. I guess sowing your seed is more palatable than asking to send your money in. Everyone on stage seems to have a (self-anointed) title: doctor, prophet, and bishop. They work a crowd that would be the envy of a pro wrestling manager.
It is called “seed faith” theology, and many people are strong advocates of it. Perhaps after giving away your money, or seed, you need to justify it having done it, maybe in the hoped of finally becoming rich, or trying to salvage some dignity for have given away so much money.
I don’t know how many unbelievers are turned off by this if they are tuning on for the first time, or how much these telecasts feed into the stereotypes of televangelists, or Christians in general. But I wonder how much money that is raised by these methods could have been more efficiently spent on giving them to missionaries, church planting, native ministers, soup kitchens, and medical clinics. Why does every mega ministry have to create their own empires? If you look at the lifestyle of these preachers, then you have your answer.
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