- Jahrgang 68 (2023)
- Vol. 68 (2023)
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- Ausgabe 1
- Nr. 1
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- Seiten 75 - 96
- pp. 75 - 96
Televangelist Tranquility: Joyce Meyer, Joel Osteen, and the Management of Negative Emotions
Seiten 75 - 96
DOI https://doi.org/10.33675/AMST/2023/1/7
open-access
This publication is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons License Attribution - NonCommercial - NoDerivatives 4.0.
Stepping away from more conventional analyses of televangelist messages as either right-wing political propaganda or instances of the prosperity gospel, this essay seeks to contribute to a fuller understanding of the functions of various televangelist discourses in the context of their implications for the daily lives of their audiences. Specifically, this essay presents a reading of recent televangelist sermons as discursive tools geared toward encouraging viewers to consciously manage their emotional responses to outward stimuli. The desired effect is the acquisition of an emotional state of tranquility in response to the variegated pressures faced by the viewers. This goal is also shown to inform the behaviors and daily habits recommended in televangelist sermons. The analysis focuses on a selection of sermons delivered by Joyce Meyer and Joel Osteen from 2010 to 2021.
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