The Old-Time Gospel Hour Explained

Presenter:Jerry Falwell
Runtime:59 minutes[1]
Country:United States
Language:English
Company:Thomas Road Baptist Church

The Old-Time Gospel Hour was a ministry program television broadcast from Thomas Road Baptist Church hosted by minister Jerry Falwell featuring the church's Sunday service.[1] Started in 1956[2] by Jerry Falwell, The Old-Time Gospel Hour gained a national following on both radio and television.[3] The series was a major fundraising source for Falwell, bringing in over $90 million dollars in the early 1980s.[4] The show's popularity continued through the 1990s, during which time it was still broadcast on hundreds of stations across the country.[5]

The television show as it was known ended in 2007 following the death of Jerry Falwell. His son, Jonathan Falwell, became the primary minister featured in the Sunday services[6] and eventually folded the show into the church's online video library and livestream website called Thomas Road On Demand.[7]

In popular culture

Bono of the band U2 mentions The Old-Time Gospel Hour in the 1988 live version of the song "Bullet the Blue Sky" on the album Rattle and Hum. Toward the end of the song, there is a spoken section where he says "...and I can't tell the difference between ABC News, Hill Street Blues, and a preacher on the Old-Time Gospel Hour stealing money from the sick and the old. Well the God I believe in isn't short of cash, mister."[8]

References

  1. Web site: POT 1335- Growth is still important .
  2. Web site: Old Time Gospel Hour (TV Series 1956–) - IMDb . .
  3. Web site: Reverend Jerry Falwell at Liberty University – Encyclopedia Virginia .
  4. News: Anderson . David . Jerry Falwell's Ministry Fined For Taking Role In Politics . 13 June 2022 . Washington Post . 10 April 1993.
  5. News: Turner . Darrell . Nashville station sues "Old Time Gospel Hour' . 13 June 2022 . Tampa Bay Times . 20 Oct 1990.
  6. Web site: Weekly TV Program .
  7. Web site: Thomas Road On Demand. watch.trbc.org.
  8. http://www.purelyrics.com/index.php?lyrics=qzsocqau U2 Bullet The Blue Sky Lyrics