Richard King
Puritan Board Senior
Saw this is the Austin paper today...
Brokaw to Focus on Evangelical Movement
By FRAZIER MOORE
Associated Press TV Writer
"While attendance at traditional churches has been declining for decades," Tom Brokaw says, "the evangelical movement is growing, and it is changing the way America worships."
Consider New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Colo., which marks the Easter holiday with a full-scale staging of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ "” with a cast and crew of 750 mostly coming from the church's membership of 11,000.
The phenomenon of such an evangelical "mega-church" is part of Brokaw's focus on "In God They Trust," a one-hour NBC News special airing 8 p.m. EDT Friday.
Brokaw notes that evangelical Christians have become a powerful force in American culture, politics and the economy, and that, propelled by their faith, they're determined to spread the word.
But he also explores why so many Americans are turning to this expression of faith, and whether some evangelicals are going too far: imposing on others their spiritual beliefs not only for personal reasons but also for political reasons.
Brokaw talks with families at New Life as well as cadets at the nearby U.S. Air Force Academy. And he interviews Ted Haggard, president of the National Association of Evangelicals (which represents 45,000 churches) and New Life's pastor.
Haggard "believes that America is entering a new period of religious intensity that will alter both souls and society," reports Brokaw.
Attempting to explain the growth of the evangelical moment, Haggard says, "It's not political "” it's authentically spiritual renewal."
But Haggard, who speaks regularly with the White House, also declares that, although Americans live in a pluralistic society, "all of us have a responsibility to advance God's will through government."
Other shows to look out for:
_ "Rome," HBO's new drama, is under way, airing 9 p.m. Sundays. But for a different view of that ancient city, check out "Rome: Engineering an Empire," a History Channel documentary that chronicles Rome's rise to power through its masterful use of engineering and labor. Many of ancient Rome's technological marvels provided the blueprint for today's modern infrastructures, and this two-hour special employs digital recreations to showcase Rome's greatest engineering feats "” including sewers, running water and heated pools, as well as the Pantheon's domed ceiling, which, from its completion in A.D. 125 until 1958, was the largest unsupported concrete span in the world. "Rome: Engineering an Empire" airs 9 p.m. Monday.
_ The modern "cop film" evolved from rogue Harry Callahan ("Dirty Harry") to maverick Axel Foley ("Beverly Hills Cop") to superhero John McClane ("Die Hard") to troubled Alonzo Harris ("Training Day"). Meanwhile, society's view of law and order was evolving, too. An AMC documentary, "Precinct Hollywood," explores the link between motion pictures and current events as it investigates the development of movie cop stereotypes. The one-hour documentary, which airs 10 p.m. Monday, features interviews with prominent filmmakers of the '70s such as William Friedkin and Martin Bregman, and actors who became synonymous with the genre. Frances McDormand narrates.
_ Nick Jr. is giving Diego, the cousin of "Dora the Explorer," his own action-adventure series. The animated preschool show "” "Go, Diego, Go!" "” spotlights 8-year-old Diego, a bilingual animal rescuer and nature expert who can also talk to animals. The series will take preschoolers on interactive journeys inspired by the environments of Latin America and by the animals that make their homes in those habitats. Debuting on Nickelodeon 8 p.m. Tuesday, it will join Nick Jr.'s regular weekday lineup at 11 a.m. Wednesday. (Building up to Tuesday's prime-time premiere of "Go, Diego, Go!" the network will air a "Dora the Explorer" marathon from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.)
_ The Mexican and Korean children crowding Los Angeles' Hobart Boulevard Elementary School face long odds. They grow up in low-income households in a neighborhood beset by crime. Their school is underfunded and overcrowded. Even so, fifth-grade teacher Rafe Esquith leads his students through a rigorous program of English, math, geography and more: Each year, these kids perform a play by Shakespeare. This is the subject of "The Hobart Shakespeareans," a documentary that follows a year of preparation by the youngsters to stage a full-length production of "Hamlet." A presentation of "P.O.V.," it was produced and directed by Mel Stuart, the veteran documentary maker who also directed "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory." It airs 10 p.m. Tuesday on PBS (check local listings).
___
EDITOR'S NOTE "” Frazier Moore can be reached at fmoore(at)ap
___
September 4, 2005 - 11:30 a.m. CDT
Brokaw to Focus on Evangelical Movement
By FRAZIER MOORE
Associated Press TV Writer
"While attendance at traditional churches has been declining for decades," Tom Brokaw says, "the evangelical movement is growing, and it is changing the way America worships."
Consider New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Colo., which marks the Easter holiday with a full-scale staging of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ "” with a cast and crew of 750 mostly coming from the church's membership of 11,000.
The phenomenon of such an evangelical "mega-church" is part of Brokaw's focus on "In God They Trust," a one-hour NBC News special airing 8 p.m. EDT Friday.
Brokaw notes that evangelical Christians have become a powerful force in American culture, politics and the economy, and that, propelled by their faith, they're determined to spread the word.
But he also explores why so many Americans are turning to this expression of faith, and whether some evangelicals are going too far: imposing on others their spiritual beliefs not only for personal reasons but also for political reasons.
Brokaw talks with families at New Life as well as cadets at the nearby U.S. Air Force Academy. And he interviews Ted Haggard, president of the National Association of Evangelicals (which represents 45,000 churches) and New Life's pastor.
Haggard "believes that America is entering a new period of religious intensity that will alter both souls and society," reports Brokaw.
Attempting to explain the growth of the evangelical moment, Haggard says, "It's not political "” it's authentically spiritual renewal."
But Haggard, who speaks regularly with the White House, also declares that, although Americans live in a pluralistic society, "all of us have a responsibility to advance God's will through government."
Other shows to look out for:
_ "Rome," HBO's new drama, is under way, airing 9 p.m. Sundays. But for a different view of that ancient city, check out "Rome: Engineering an Empire," a History Channel documentary that chronicles Rome's rise to power through its masterful use of engineering and labor. Many of ancient Rome's technological marvels provided the blueprint for today's modern infrastructures, and this two-hour special employs digital recreations to showcase Rome's greatest engineering feats "” including sewers, running water and heated pools, as well as the Pantheon's domed ceiling, which, from its completion in A.D. 125 until 1958, was the largest unsupported concrete span in the world. "Rome: Engineering an Empire" airs 9 p.m. Monday.
_ The modern "cop film" evolved from rogue Harry Callahan ("Dirty Harry") to maverick Axel Foley ("Beverly Hills Cop") to superhero John McClane ("Die Hard") to troubled Alonzo Harris ("Training Day"). Meanwhile, society's view of law and order was evolving, too. An AMC documentary, "Precinct Hollywood," explores the link between motion pictures and current events as it investigates the development of movie cop stereotypes. The one-hour documentary, which airs 10 p.m. Monday, features interviews with prominent filmmakers of the '70s such as William Friedkin and Martin Bregman, and actors who became synonymous with the genre. Frances McDormand narrates.
_ Nick Jr. is giving Diego, the cousin of "Dora the Explorer," his own action-adventure series. The animated preschool show "” "Go, Diego, Go!" "” spotlights 8-year-old Diego, a bilingual animal rescuer and nature expert who can also talk to animals. The series will take preschoolers on interactive journeys inspired by the environments of Latin America and by the animals that make their homes in those habitats. Debuting on Nickelodeon 8 p.m. Tuesday, it will join Nick Jr.'s regular weekday lineup at 11 a.m. Wednesday. (Building up to Tuesday's prime-time premiere of "Go, Diego, Go!" the network will air a "Dora the Explorer" marathon from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.)
_ The Mexican and Korean children crowding Los Angeles' Hobart Boulevard Elementary School face long odds. They grow up in low-income households in a neighborhood beset by crime. Their school is underfunded and overcrowded. Even so, fifth-grade teacher Rafe Esquith leads his students through a rigorous program of English, math, geography and more: Each year, these kids perform a play by Shakespeare. This is the subject of "The Hobart Shakespeareans," a documentary that follows a year of preparation by the youngsters to stage a full-length production of "Hamlet." A presentation of "P.O.V.," it was produced and directed by Mel Stuart, the veteran documentary maker who also directed "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory." It airs 10 p.m. Tuesday on PBS (check local listings).
___
EDITOR'S NOTE "” Frazier Moore can be reached at fmoore(at)ap
___
September 4, 2005 - 11:30 a.m. CDT
R.
And the lack of solid teaching at too many megachurches.....the lack of real accountability.....no sense of community......
Michael Horton discussed this in one of his books.
And a second 
