Christianity's Carnival Barkers



I haven't walked the midway of a fair for several years. Are there still carnival barkers hawking the show behind them in a tent? The barking technique I remember is to create excitement, to exaggerate the performance and sell tickets. I see the term carnival barker is in Wikipedia. 

A large swath of Christianity is carnival barkers in front of an imaginary tent bragging about what goes on in the show behind them and selling tickets. Today a technique that is decades old but apparently still a money maker is shouting about Planned Parenthood. "Planned Parenthood is why there are abortions. Send me money and I will shut it down. Planned Parenthood is evil. I fight evil...." This carnival barker is a mega church preacher in California, Mark Driscoll. He never points out Planned Parenthood exists, not because of evil, but because women want abortions and pay for them. It is women he should call evil. But that will not make him any money.   

Benny Hinn is a carnival barker who heals sick people with the wave of his hand. Oral Robers made a mint doing the same thing. There are prosperity preachers who tell viewers, "Send me you last dollar and you will prosper." One famous one is Robert Tilton. A lite version of this technique if Joel Osteen. His is the second generation TV preacher. His son, the third generation, says his father believes these ideas sincerely but he, himself, is unable to carry on the family business because there is no proof it brings prosperity. 

Carnival barking has to include using religion to demonize of selected groups in order to make money and score political points. Gay marriage was the business practice for several years. It has been replaced with trans. Just now, President Trump has named a group to "defend religious liberty." It's first report named trans as a threat to our national security. Trump and other Republicans are hawking tickets in front of the tent right now. 

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