The BBC and an American 'Faith Healer': The Making of a Folk Devil?
Morris Cerullo is an American healing revivalist who came to public attention in the UK during the 1990s. The paper looks at the portrayal of the controversial 'faith healer' and his 1992 Mission to London revival by the BBC's religion documentary series Heart of the Matter (HOTM). Th...
Main Author: | |
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Format: | Electronic Article |
Language: | English |
Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
Journals Online & Print: | |
Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
Published: |
Carfax Publ.
[2002]
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In: |
Journal of contemporary religion
Year: 2002, Volume: 17, Issue: 1, Pages: 39-59 |
Online Access: |
Volltext (Resolving-System) |
Summary: | Morris Cerullo is an American healing revivalist who came to public attention in the UK during the 1990s. The paper looks at the portrayal of the controversial 'faith healer' and his 1992 Mission to London revival by the BBC's religion documentary series Heart of the Matter (HOTM). The evidence suggests that HOTM's coverage contained the key elements which are associated with 'moral panic' reporting: exaggeration and distortion, prediction, and symbolism. While the question of whether a panic over Cerullo was generated has been considered elsewhere, the focus here is narrowed in order to examine the BBC's role in labelling the evangelist as a contemporary 'folk devil'. The paper explores how and why this occurred and why it is problematic. |
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ISSN: | 1469-9419 |
Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal of contemporary religion
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Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1080/13537900120098156 |