This volume addresses the various and highly topical controversies surrounding religious television by examining its history, structure, content, viewship, and social impact. It represents a compilation of original essays written by the world's leading scholars, regulators, authorities, and watchdogs of religious television. Each controversy is addressed from a wide range of perspectives. The result is a most interesting exchange of ideas and ideologies: the presentation of empirical data, theology and learned opinion, and an assortment of insightful conclusions.

The question of what types of children are most influenced by -- or can best benefit from -- television is a recurrent theme in the scientific literature as well as a frequently raised issue for pediatric associations, educators, and parent/citizen groups concerned about the welfare and advancement of young children. To effectively address this question, this book focuses on a wide variety of children with highly divergent cognitive abilities, social skills, and educational capacities -- that is, those labeled as emotionally disturbed, learning disabled, mentally retarded, and intellectually gifted. These children not only possess characteristics that place them at the greatest risk with regard to television's negative impact, but also in a position to most benefit from the purposeful use of the medium at home and in the classroom. Combining literature from the fields of mass communication, developmental psychology, and special education, the authors present a comprehensive analysis of television and its "forgotten audience." Practical implications and applications in the home and school are also extracted from research findings making this volume a valuable resource for students, educators, and researchers in the fields of communication and special education, and for the parents and teachers of exceptional children.

This volume addresses the various and highly topical controversies surrounding religious television by examining its history, structure, content, viewship, and social impact. It represents a compilation of original essays written by the world's leading scholars, regulators, authorities, and watchdogs of religious television. Each controversy is addressed from a wide range of perspectives. The result is a most interesting exchange of ideas and ideologies: the presentation of empirical data, theology and learned opinion, and an assortment of insightful conclusions.