Speaker: Dr. Febe Armanios (Philip Battell and Sarah Frances Cowles Stewart Professor of History, Middlebury College)
Moderator: Dr. Elyse Semerdjian (Robert Aram and Marianne Kaloosdian and Stephen and Marian Mugar Chair of Armenian Genocide Studies; Professor, Department of History)
This presentation will provide an overview of the history of Christian television in the Middle East. Specifically, it explores the rise of the region’s first Christian television station, which was established in war-torn South Lebanon in 1981. In collaboration with a local Christian militia and Israeli political leaders, eschatologically minded Americans funded and operated this channel, believing that their evangelism would hasten Christ’s Second Coming. Over nearly two decades, the terrestrial (and later satellite) channel would introduce millions of viewers to wholesome American family programming, American sports like professional wrestling and football, and a specific style of Arab televangelism heretofore unfamiliar in the region. The talk will relate the role of local interlocutors in promoting this station, explore the messianic vision of its backers, and consider the political and religious perspectives of its supporters and detractors.
Reception to follow.
Sponsored by the Friends of the Robert Aram and Marianne Kaloosdian and Stephen and Marian Mugar Professor in Armenian Genocide Studies
