Difference between revisions of "Robert Tilton"
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| − | '''Den Simms''': '''I think Robert Tilton kind of pushes my button because of his particular approach of ...''' | + | '''[[Den Simms]]''': '''I think Robert Tilton kind of pushes my button because of his particular approach of ...''' |
'''Frank Zappa''': ''"Prosperity?"'' | '''Frank Zappa''': ''"Prosperity?"'' | ||
Latest revision as of 12:24, 1 June 2026
Robert Tilton (June 7, 1946) is an American televangelist, whose TV shows were watched by millions of US viewers in the 1980s. He often gave melodramatic performances on TV and placed huge advertisements in magazines to motivate people to donate money to his ministry, making him one of the richest televangelists at the time, alongside Jim Bakker, Jerry Falwell, Oral Roberts, Pat Robertson and Jimmy Swaggart.
In November 1991, an investigative report by news channel ABC revealed that Tilton lived in luxurious circumstances, while insiders revealed that they were instructed by Tilton to throw many people's prayer's requests away in the garbage, after taking out the money donations from the envelopes. The scandal harmed Tilton's reputation to such a degree that his TV show was taken off the air. Several people sued him for fraud. In 1996, Tilton's ex-wife also sued him.
Frank Zappa about Robert Tilton
"I've been watching a televangelist named Robert Tilton, out of Dallas, Texas. He's the one who closes his eyes and says, "Thank you, Jesus!" as if Jesus were whispering to him throughout the show. Seen him yet? At the end of one broadcast, Tilton announced that those viewers who didn't send in money were "robbing God." Because of that, he said, they were "under a curse." Naturally, the only way the curse could be lifted was for them to send even more money than they might have previously considered. By this 'act of faith,' he said, God would know that they were really sincere, and, at that point, financial benefits would flow into their lives. In other words: you prove you are worthy of being prosperous by sending an exceptional amount of money to the address at the bottom of the screen, and that 'act of faith' triggers the "This One's Okay" blinker on the Big Ol' Jesus Faith of Our Fathers Tally Board --and, as soon as "HE" sees it, "HE" waves "HIS" blessed hand, and: Voila!" - Frank Zappa in The Real Frank Zappa Book, 1989.
Den Simms: I think Robert Tilton kind of pushes my button because of his particular approach of ...
Frank Zappa: "Prosperity?"
Den Simms: "Of sucking the money from the people who can afford it the least."
Frank Zappa: "He's a unique individual, but he's not well known nationwide."
- Frank Zappa in They're Doing the Interview of the Century, Part 1, Den Simms, Eric Buxton, Rob Samler, Society Pages, April 1990.
