Prominent evangelists have a profound impact on modern America. These theatrical men of god have thousands of followers. Their influence stretches from their theological point of view, as well as, their political point of view. Religious evangelism in America is not a new phenomenon however. The beginnings of evangelism started on a smaller scale during the Second Great Awakening. Evangelicalism was a religion that appealed mostly to African Americans and women. (Goldfield, Abbott, Anderson, Argersinger, Argersinger, Barney, Weir, p.298) Preachers would make a spectacle with scenes of damnation and salvation that were acted out by both preacher and audience. (Goldfield, Abbott, Anderson, Argersinger, Argersinger, Barney, Weir 2003) The enthusiasm of the audience and the preacher is probably what makes this a popular practice still today.
Thanks to advances in technology such as radio and television, evangelism is far more popular today. Now evangelists such as Jerry Falwell can create a following that spans the nation. Dr. Jerry Falwell (born 1933) has been pastor of Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg, Virginia since its founding in 1956 (with 35 charter members). The church now has 22,000 members. (World Wide Web, 1999) With a following of this size you can imagine the political influence this man is capable of. Falwell's endorsement could be considered a coveted prize, to those seeking an elected position. Jerry Falwell's original stand on politics was that of, "Preachers are not called to be politicians but soul winners."" (World Wide Web, 2000).
Gradually over the years his position on the subject made a drastic change. It's almost as if he is more concerned about politics than his ministry. In September of 1982 .
Falwell announced a drive to register one million new voters for the November elections. (World Wide Web, 2000) It would be very likely that these new voters would be voting for the candidate he thought was most suitable.