Page 207 - Aesthetic Formations Media, religion, and the Sense

192 Marleen de Witte

Figure 8.2 Series of video stills captured from Living Word video tape.
Courtesy of the ICGC.

named “opening Bible,” “reading Bible,” “nod,” “lifting of hand,” “clap,”
“smile, laughter,” “attention,” “writing,” and “shout.” What we then see
on TV are beautifully and decently dressed people taking notes, listening
attentively, applauding, and laughing. We see them admiring Otabil,
learning from him, and having fun with him. We see close-ups of their
faces when the words bring them into a state of exaltation or near trance.
Hearing Otabil’s deep voice in the background, we can almost see the
Holy Spirit flowing into them. But we don’t see people sleeping, not pay-
ing attention, chewing gum, looking straight into the camera, or not
looking decent. As one of the editors explained, people who do not fit the

format of bringing across the communication between Otabil and the
audience should not appear on screen. By cutting out undesirable behav-
ior as well as empty chairs the Living Word editors thus seek to produce a
perfect image of the mass of worshippers and of the individual believers.
The alternating focus on the image of the individual believer and that of
the mass connects to the individual spiritual experience evoked by being
in a crowd of believers that characterizes the spectacular mode of charis-
matic practice.