European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - April 12, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Explaining America s Aya Tolu is to europeans by Larry Thorson associated press the troubles of american television preachers Are introducing figures like there. Jim Bakker and Oral Roberts to bemused audiences in Western Europe where broadcast appeals Lor Church donations Are unheard of. Newspapers in several countries used the terms Ayal Olahs and hoi War to try to educate their readers about the stateside phenomenon. Amid occasionally sniffy comment about How in America even preachers can be Money oriented european correspondents have Given Little history lessons to explain Why fundamentalist groups have flourished in the United states. You can t forget the correspondent of the Home daily Messaggiero wrote from new York that this country was born because a group of pilgrims welled to assure Freedom of religion and today the principle is so deeply ranted that Public opinion is instinctively against any Type of intervention that May appear As a threat to such Freedom " the roman Catholic and protestant fails predominate in Western Europe where some countries still have state churches and All governments regulate broadcasting strictly. Cable television which gives relatively free Access to american religious groups is Suil in its infancy in most parts of Europe. Religious broadcasting in Europe usually features sermons prayers documentaries on religious topics and hymn singing but never a preacher appealing for Money. British broadcasting Law expressly forbids advertising of a religious nature on both the publicly financed British broadcasting corp. And commercial radio and to stations. But that prohibition was left out of the 1984 Law a Pho the european press is trying to educate to audience abort american to evangelists such As Oral Roberts. Broadcast appeals Tor Church donations Are unheard of in Western Europe. That established an authority to regulate Cable television systems which reach Only 200,000 Homes in a country of 56 million people. One american religious program Herbert Armstrong s world wide Church of god is seen on Cable in Britain. It also goes out to a potential audience of b million Homes on the continent via the sky Channel a commercial Cable network. Chris Quintan controller of advertising at Britain s Cable authority said the program is carefully scrutinized and is permitted Only to offer the Church s Magazine Trie Plain truth. The Church to not even allowed to make follow up Calls on people who ask for samples of the Magazine he said. Associated press bureaus around Europe found government and television officials doubtful that europeans would watch or respond to american style to evangelists. I be been to the United states and have seen some of those programs. They re just unbelievable. That would never go Over in Europe said Brigitte Pilz spokeswoman Tor Eureka . In Munich a Cable system seen in parts of Germany. In May Europa will Start showing a two hour religious program on sundays. The program will consist of documentaries not preaching. Norway with Lew exceptions does not permit soliciting Tor Money on its one television Channel. The Type of american evangelist preaching would hardly have any Appeal at All in our general norwegian conditions said Jons Vanderaa spokesman Al the ministry of culture and science in Oslo. In Germany the Hamburg based Magazine Der up Ege recently devoted six pages to a feature on the american evangelists. It referred to fundamentalist preachers As american ayatollahs and dwell Long on the phenomenon of born again christians. In France the leftist Paris daily liberation had a Long Story on the sex scandal involving Bakker calling the episode the a fas of preacher  Bakker resigned March 19 As head of the $172 million pal television ministry in fort Mill . After saying he had a one night sexual encounter with a Church Secretary. He was quoted As saying the tryst was aimed at making his wife jealous. Liberation used the headline preacher Falls in flesh Over its Story which also described Oral Roberts an evangelist who told his viewers in january that he faced Alife or deals mandate irom god to raise s3 million by the end of March. Among British newspapers. The sunday times used the headline to preachers get Down in the dirt Over a Story that described a holy War Between the preachers. It said Bakker Roberts Jimmy Swaggart and Jerry Falwell continue to hurl dirt Al each other with the abandon of mud  columnist Beryl Bainbridge in the London evening Standard mole of Roberts Appeal for $8 million a lot of saintly not to say ignorant people have already sent him the Money and barring Accident like a Thunderbolt from on High hell live on running in rude health All the Way to the  in Switzerland which is about half roman Catholic and half protestant television authorities have the final say in the Content of religious programming. Hans Vogeli a religious news editor at Swiss broadcasting in Zurich said it is unthinkable for  to preaching to be seen in Switzerland. Evangelical ministries in Switzerland non official churches approach us every year to ask for air time. We always reject them. The subject can Only be handled through a journalistic filter it Geli said. Page 18 the stars and stripes sunday april 12,1987