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Great Readers Make or Break a Blog

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Whenever I go to other Christian blogs, one of the first things I notice are the reader comments.

Few such blogs have maintained the level of positive conversation as has Cerulean Sanctum. The readers and commenters here are without a doubt the best on the Web. The level of conversation here is an order of magnitude more gracious and thoughtful  when compared against what I find elsewhere. Whereas the commentary on many blogs is shrill, angry, and knee-jerk, I never see that here.

So thank you, readers, for being thoughtful, reasoned, patient, calm, and all those other qualities that mark mature, yet continually growing, disciples of Jesus. You folks are the best, and I mean that sincerely.

Thank you for keeping the joint classy!

A Blessed Christmas to Cerulean Sanctum Readers!

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Just wanted to say thank you to readers of Cerulean Sanctum for your readership and support.

Apologies for the light offerings this December 2013, as the Edelens have been battling colds and sinus infections most of the month, and we’re all just exhausted. Such is the nature of this time of year.

But God, as always, is good.

May your Christmas be virus-free and lively enough. Be with family. Play games. Socialize. Love life. Worship isn’t just on Sundays; it’s the thankfulness we show God in the way we live each moment of our existence here on earth.

That little child came to set us free, and what the Son frees is free indeed.

Have a blessed Christmas and New Year.

Dan Edelen
Cerulean Sanctum

 

TBN Founder Paul Crouch Dies

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Over the weekend, the Christian broadcasting world lost one of its most powerful leaders when Paul Crouch of TBN died Nov. 30 at 79.

Anyone who has read Cerulean Sanctum knows I am not a fan of TBN, largely because it was indiscriminate in who it gave airtime to. For every Jack Hayford or Kirk Cameron featured on its programming, there was Benny Hinn or T.D. Jakes.

And then there was all the garish opulence and money, much of which was spent in ways I’m pretty sure Jesus would not have condoned.

From a TV broadcasting standpoint, though, few can argue with the success of what Paul Crouch built almost singlehandedly. Some might contend that one did not need to be a broadcasting genius to blow through millions of dollars generated through prosperity gospel teachings, but still. In it’s prime, TBN was a force to be reckoned with, and despite some fall-off from its glory days, it remains the largest religious TV network of any kind. At one point, I used to watch TBN because it was the only place one could see Christian music videos. As a popularizer of the Christian subculture through media, Crouch and TBN were both shrewd and peerless.

What will be the legacy of TBN and Paul Crouch? I find it hard to say. Certainly, TBN put Word of Faith and its teachers in a bigger spotlight. Even if Oral Roberts had been the real forerunner in that regard, Crouch perfected it. Those unfamiliar with Pentecostalism got an eyeful and earful of it through TBN, and I’m certain that some of TBN’s broadcasting had an influence on African nations and the religious trends toward Pentecostal Protestantism both there and in South America.

For me, Paul Crouch is a conflicting character, and I don’t know what else to say about him and the television ministry he built. There really is no real contender for that Christian broadcasting throne, and with Pat Robertson hitting 83,  the last formidable challenger for Crouch and TBN may also be exiting center stage shortly.