Today's Classified Ads
Ministers sell religion, comedy on public-access TVBy Jeffrey Bair, Associated Press writer
Mix a little Oprah with a touch of Jerry Seinfeld, throw in a dash of Billy Graham and -- voila! -- you have the idea behind "Real People."
The low-budget show, aired six times a week on a public-access cable channel in Peters Township, Pa., is the brainchild of two Presbyterian ministers who believe religion needs a dose of good humor to keep the pews filled.
The show is an opportunity for the Revs. Rus Howard and Robert Kopp to advertise their churches in Peters Township, an affluent Pittsburgh suburb, and partly to give themselves someplace to ham it up.
This is not Must-Pray TV. The half-hour typically includes at least one baldness joke or a crack about Howard's colorful socks. Howard has to remind the long-winded Kopp to introduce the guest. Kopp reminds Howard to stop asking so many questions about sex.
They're constantly trying to force each other to be the straight man.
"We wouldn't work on religious television. We'd be too caught up in promoting ideologies," Kopp said. "You have to get folks laughing and stick that knife in and twist it before they realize what is happening."
They are among dozens of ministers and lay people who have taken to cable television to spread religion. There's "Working for the Man Upstairs" in Brooklyn Park, Minn.; "Testimonies of Praise" in Milwaukee; and "The Singing Priest" in Los Angeles.
"In the past, you've seen this happen with preachers in their storefronts. Well, this is their storefront," said Michael Moynihan, assistant director of the Milwaukee Access Telecommunications Authority.
Religious shows comprise 25 percent of programming on Milwaukee's public-access Channel 47, up from 15 percent five years ago.
Howard and Kopp's "Real People" profiles community figures such as church and Boy Scout leaders.
They say they do not shy away from controversial guests. It's just that they have trouble finding any in Peters Township.
"I had my evaluation from the parish council, and they asked, 'Are you still doing that show?"' Howard said. "There was some misunderstanding about what we're trying to do. I think they thought it was going to be more prayer-oriented."
But the council hasn't complained, said Kopp, 46.
The ministers say they want to promote religious harmony by introducing other theologies and traditions. A Roman Catholic priest has been on the show to explain annulments.
"We have everything, Indian chiefs, Hindus, bottle washers, even lawyers," Kopp said in an interview. "We do not have an ideological or theological agenda other than showing a few faithful fellows can have fun and not ram their passions down other people's throats."
Howard made an elderly scoutmaster's jaw drop when he asked what was being done to keep child molesters out of the Boy Scouts' ranks. Kopp asked two female ministers whether male parishioners make romantic advances toward them.
"They hedged," he said. "They probably were afraid some of the viewers were parishioners."
"They do say some amazing things," said one guest, the Rev. Pamela Powell of Finleyville. "I think what they're trying to do is reach out to people in the community who may be watching and who think that we all lack a sense of humor."
The hosts' rapport is rooted in more than two decades of friendship. Kopp and Howard landed at churches in the same township after bouncing around the Presbyterian church early in their careers.
"If I weren't a pastor and lived anywhere south of Pittsburgh, I'd go to hear him preach on Sundays," Kopp said of Howard. "I'd die for him. I know he'd die for me."
The ministers are currently hawking their tapes at Pittsburgh TV stations and arehoping to land a spot to fulfill a community-programming requirement.
"We're trying to put a human face on Christianity. We want to break through the exclusive image of the church," Howard said. "I think there are just so many Christians who do not have fun. You can have fun and still be serious about your faith."
|  |
____________ T O D A Y 'S N E W S
Local
Almanac
____________
|
| -Top- | -Home- | -Top Stories- | -Headlines- | -Staff- |  |