The Decline Of Dr. D. James Kennedy's Personality Cult TV & Radio Empire (Wizbang Pop!)

At one time, Dr. James Kennedy amassed a large $37 million a year profit political empire using his Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church to promote his own personal political causes over the airwaves. He once aired his radio and TV messages to 200 nations. These mainly political messages were wrapped in a paper-thin veneer of God as some justification for whatever personal views that Kennedy himself held. It was like bait-and-switch Christianity. You expected to hear a sermon about God, but instead you hear another Kennedy political speech. But, it all has gone to waste after a 2006 heart attack, and 2007 death of Kennedy. Today, most radio and TV stations have dropped his program, and his church membership has sharply declined from a 10,000 member peak down to around 1800 to 2200 members. Side political groups established by Kennedy have also folded.

If anything, the rise and fall of the D. James Kennedy empire was proof positive that most members of his church or radio and TV listeners weren't there for God in the very first place, but drawn to the political personality cult of Kennedy himself. It's a pretty good sign that the church members put God second, if at all in their lives, and mainly thrive for the socially conservative politics that Kennedy once preached. If Kennedy wanted to go into politics, then he should have run for political office, not hijacked a church to further his politics. But Kennedy did what he wanted, and up to 3 million viewers with little spiritual discernment or true love for God followed this televangelist for many years.

D. James Kennedy had great potential to leave a lasting faith mark on the world. He went from a dance instructor, to gaining several important degrees in theology. He was a deeply intelligent man, but his love for politics rather than God became his fatal spiritual flaw. Despite an excellent speaking style, he would always leave wary viewers with a deep sense and mistrust. Asking viewers to send him in $500 for some political group like his "President's Club", made him a subject of scorn and ridicule by some. Kennedy might have been another Billy Graham is only he had more faith. But politics, not God, was his first love.

A church really based on faith in God should have withstood any change in pastors. But a personality cult with a man at the head blows away in the wind. Such is the case of the crumbling Dr. D. James Kennedy empire, a once powerful presence in televangelism broadcasting. Coral Ridge Church isn't likely to make way for an apartment building anytime real soon, but things sure aren't good.

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Comments (3)

Not sure which D. James Ken... (Below threshold)

1. Posted by Jason | August 3, 2010 12:18 AM | Score: 2 (2 votes cast)

Jason

Not sure which D. James Kennedy you watched, but his sermons were all primarily about God. He certainly injected some politics sometimes -- usually in the form of contrasting the role religion played in our country's history compared to today -- but it wasn't anything like you portray it to have been. It would be nice if you could cite some specifics, but I doubt that's going to happen.

Posted on August 3, 2010 00:18

Seems some of your informat... (Below threshold)

2. Posted by Jason | August 3, 2010 12:28 AM | Score: 2 (2 votes cast)

Seems some of your information is a bit off, too. TV and radio stations haven't dropped Coral Ridge's programs of their own accord. The new senior pastor stopped the broadcasts, among other major changes which have caused controversy in the church. Sorry, but the conflicts caused by pastor transition (an unfortunate, but commonplace, problem) are not a reflection of what Kennedy actually or supposedly represented.

Posted on August 3, 2010 00:28

Mr. Hoosen is badly misinfo... (Below threshold)

3. Posted by John Aman | August 13, 2010 9:21 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

John Aman:

Mr. Hoosen is badly misinformed about the ministry of Dr. D. James Kennedy and his legacy.

He's also badly misinformed about the current outreach of Coral Ridge Ministries--we continue to air The Coral Ridge Hour on a broad syndication of Christian networks and stations. Just visit coralridge.org to find out viewing options in your area.

And just a note of clarification, Coral Ridge Ministries, the broadcast outreach founded by D. James Kennedy, is an entirely separate organization from Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church, which is now pastored by Rev. Tullian Tchividjian, the grandson of Billy Graham.

Anyone who has regularly watched The Coral Ridge Hour over the years will know that Dr. Kennedy's messages addressed a broad range of concerns, not just "politics," as Mr. Hoosen inaccurately labels Dr. Kennedy's biblically grounded concern for civic righteousness. Other topics also addressed by Dr. Kennedy included marriage, the Trinity, salvation, justification by faith, Christ's birth, death, and resurrection, singlehood, raising children, prayer, the Holy Spirit, thankfulness, and more.

Dr. Kennedy brought a biblical witness to bear on matters such as legal abortion or the campaign to give public approval to homosexual conduct because he rightly believed that doing so is part of the responsibility of a minister of the Gospel. God's Word, after all, speaks to every area of life and he believed it would have been wrong to be silent where God's Word is not.

Anyone who has spent any time watching Dr. Kennedy on TV would also know that a mainstay of his weekly program is the offer of salvation. More than almost any other TV minister, Dr. Kennedy made evangelism a core of every program, issuing a personal invitation to viewers to profess Christ and leading an on-air prayer of repentance and trust in Christ.

Thousands have come to know Christ through his TV and radio ministry over the years as he faithfully brought Scripture to bear on every area of life. And that ministry continues today.

Millions have come to know Christ through another ministry Dr. Kennedy founded and led, Evangelism Explosion International. EE is now used in every nation on earth and an estimated 5 million people professed faith in Jesus in 2008. That's quite a legacy and it's the consequence of Dr. Kennedy's faithful obedience to God's call on his life.

Dr. Kennedy did not tailor his ministry to win praise from men. He served an audience of one and spent his life, from his conversion on, singularly focused on winning others to Christ and expanding God's kingdom.

Posted on August 13, 2010 09:21

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