Late Night Talk Show Hosts – Christianity’s Greatest Critics – Part 4

Friday, March 14, 2008

In November 2006, Ted Haggard was removed as the Senior Pastor of New Life Church in Colorado Springs after allegations of homosexual sex and drug use was made public by Mike Jones, a former prostitute.

Initially Haggard denied ever meeting Jones, but with the constant media attention, Haggard eventually admitted to using drugs and “sexual immorality.”

What’s interesting is not that we learned the facts of the case in the first place.

What’s interesting is that most of us either first learned them or were kept abreast of them by a late night talk show host.

Leno milked Haggard’s story for months, as did the rest of his late-night posse.

In the early 1900’s some of the most influential people in American culture were the editors of the New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal.

Now the heavy-weight sluggers of the post-Christian arena are Jay Leno, John Stewart, David Letterman, Bill Maher, Jimmy Kimmel and Conan O’Brien.

Why do these guys hold such sway over our culture and as a result have great influence of people’s perception of Christianity?

1. Late night talk show hosts combine humor with the distillation of really boring information. When was the last time Brian Williams or Katie Couric made you bust a gut?

2. With the onset of TIVO, it doesn’t matter when a show is aired, I can watch it anytime I like.

3. Leno, Letterman, and Stewart understand the power of sound bites. Sound bites sway public opinion. Sounds bites help people form opinions. A sound bite is a concise statement that can be easily repeated; emphasis on “repeated.” Unlike most pastors, including myself, these guys are masters at this. If we were, casting vision would be a cinch.

4. Late night talk show hosts aren’t afraid to tell the truth and tick people off just to get a laugh. Because of this people have learned that they are one of the few voices out there to turn to get unbiased news. Why do more people under 30 turn to John Stewart on Comedy Central to get their update on political developments than turn to traditional media outlets combined? People say CCN leans towards democratic candidates and Fox supports conservative republicans. Leno will make fun of both. To the average Joe, these guys are “equal opportunity offenders.”

5. Finally, cultural icons need late night talk show hosts to push their junk – music, books, TV shows, and movies. Because of this there is a built-in wave of good feelings towards these guys set in motion by the most visible and revered superstars in our culture. Over time this love fest towards the “gatekeepers” of access to the population at large infiltrates the perception of common folk like you and me. When the most popular kids in your school decided they liked someone, didn’t all the kids fall right in line?

One of HBO’s most popular shows is Real Time With Bill Maher.

Recently Maher went on a rant about religious belief in America. His humor was off the hook and his satire was biting. In fact, it was so vitriolic they removed it from You Tube right after I posted it! Here's another taste of Bill Maher's views on religion. BE WARNED -- THE LANGUAGE IS PRETTY NASTY.

Tell me if these guys aren’t the new Bertrand Russell’s of our time.



Read other posts in this series:
Christianity’s Greatest Critics – Part 1
South Park – Part 2
Stand-Up Comedians – Part 3
Late Night Talk Show Hosts – Part 4
Social Change Agents – Part 5