A healthy slice of the electronic church seems to reflect the maxim "If you
can't beat 'em, join 'em." The entertainment formats of television's secular
offerings have been copied in many ways. One of the most obvious copies is the
musical variety show. But the musical entertainment shows of religious
broadcasting draw not only from Hollywood formats; they have successfully wed
Hollywood—or Nashville—to the rousing styles of tent-meeting revival
singers. Mainliners who are accustomed to stately hymns and choral anthems can
find lots of new religious musical styles on TV today.
