Trinity Broadcasting founder dead at 79

I am not a believer, but over the years I have been entertained by Trinity Broadcasting. I don’t seek out any particular program, but rather I linger for five or ten minutes while changing channels. My favorites have been Benny Hinn and gruff-voiced Joyce Myer. But sometimes the most fun is just watching the casual chat on the in-house program that they call ‘Praise the Lord.’ Founder Paul Crouch’s wife Jan is a hoot, with her thick mascara and her bouffant wigs that are sometimes pink or purple tinted. Paul would characterize himself in an aw-shucks way as “this old German,” and liked to wear gold-filigree suits.

TBN has always featured Pentecostal-style preachers, Caucasian in the early years and of late increasingly African-American. I’ve seen Bishop TD Jakes on many times. He especially attracts a black female audience.

I have noticed that Rev. Crouch wasn’t looking too healthy lately. They often had him sitting on a sofa instead of standing. The last decade or so he developed into what I like to call a “big-bladdered man,” by which I mean he carries a lot of fat in a pouch just above the groin.

This evening I tuned in and they were saying to watch an upcoming “Remembering Paul Crouch” special, so I checked on the Net to see if Rev. Dr. Crouch had passed on. Indeed he has, at age 79, from heart disease:

http://www.latimes.com/obituaries/la-me-paul-crouch-20131201,0,3333095.story#axzz2mldS0Q00

Originally posted by Paul Dirac II
I am not a believer, but over the years I have been entertained by Trinity Broadcasting. I don’t seek out any particular program, but rather I linger for five or ten minutes while changing channels. My favorites have been Benny Hinn and gruff-voiced Joyce Myer. But sometimes the most fun is just watching the casual chat on the in-house program that the ...[text shortened]... e:

http://www.latimes.com/obituaries/la-me-paul-crouch-20131201,0,3333095.story#axzz2mldS0Q00

God rest his soul.

I never watched Trinity Broadcasting much, even though I had a teacher for 7th grade social studies who was involved with our local station. I'm not that attracted by all that glitz and "old-tyme religion" stuff. Never thought the Baptists (or the Pentecostals, for that matter) were wrapped too tightly.

Originally posted by Suzianne
I never watched Trinity Broadcasting much, even though I had a teacher for 7th grade social studies who was involved with our local station.

Our music minister and his family sang as guests on the local affiliate (channel 21 in its black & white days in Phoenix) back when I was a lad in the early 1970s.

It may have been the 1990s when they used to have Arthur Blessitt on air now and then. He pulled a wooden cross behind him on shoulders of roads around the world. The cross had caster wheels at the bottom so that it rolled.

I have not seen Jesse Duplantis in more than a year, but he injected a lot of humor into his sermons, even to the point of doing impersonations of other preachers on TBN. I remember him praying that God would give him his own personal business jet so that he could fly around the world to preach the gospel, bless his heart.

TBN ran a special on some facility they have in either California or Texas. It was dripping in gold statues, staircases, and furniture. It also had a bookstore for the public to buy literature and mementoes. I recall they were proud of a big poster they sold depicting Pastor Benny Hinn in one of his Spirit-filled moments. He is one of those who "slay people in the Spirit" by raising his arms dramatically and talking in unknown tongues, such that the people fall over backward, with an usher standing behind to catch them.

Nearly all the regulars on TBN over the years have been blessed with looks, I have noticed. Looks probably help the charisma factor.

Paul and Jan's sons have been active--though I only see one of the sons these days--and even some of the grandkids are starting to show up. I presume some of the grandkids will inherit official paid positions in TBN someday.

Originally posted by Paul Dirac II
Our music minister and his family sang as guests on the local affiliate (channel 21 in its black & white days in Phoenix) back when I was a lad in the early 1970s.

It may have been the 1990s when they used to have Arthur Blessitt on air now and then. He pulled a wooden cross behind him on shoulders of roads around the world. The cross had caster whe ...[text shortened]... to show up. I presume some of the grandkids will inherit official paid positions in TBN someday.

"... back when I was a lad in the early 1970s."

Quite amazing and worthy of note, how experiences when we were young and impressionable imprint indelibly.

Originally posted by Grampy Bobby
Quite amazing and worthy of note, how experiences when we were young and impressionable imprint indelibly.

Yep. I even remember a few words that were spoken on that broadcast, because it was the first time I had seen people I knew on TV. The host of the show asked the music minister from our church about his salvation experience. The minister said he had been kind of wild in his youth.

"But you have turned over a new leaf now?"

"Well, I don't like that expression, because it sounds like such a fleeting thing if you put it that way."

Originally posted by Paul Dirac II
Yep. I even remember a few words that were spoken on that broadcast, because it was the first time I had seen people I knew on TV. The host of the show asked the music minister from our church about his salvation experience. The minister said he had been kind of wild in his youth.

"But you have turned over a new leaf now?"

"Well, I don't like that expression, because it sounds like such a fleeting thing if you put it that way."

Memory Storage and Timely Recall are also incredibly effective sans conscious effort. Yep, the truism is true: "The way the twig's bent the tree grows" (.... unless there's a little timely, judicious pruning: snip, snip.... Snip, Snip... Whack). lol