This reading was definitely shocking. I would have never imagined that anything like the 'power team' could exist, let alone survive in today's world. The reading outlines the basic idea behind the power team's show, as well as describes some of the tricks and performances they do. They impress audiences with 'incredible' physical feats and infuse a Christian message along with them. They provide real, tangible human strength and blatantly relate it to there faith and spirit. There are some intentional messages being directly and indirectly pressed on the audience.
In my opinion, these people know exactly what they are doing. Although they may not be doing it to make money or gain notoriety, and just trying to share their faith, they must know that they stand as symbols and are influencing the audience. The father and daughter scene, and the 'darkness and light' portion of the show are perfect examples.
There is a definite sense of belonging in a religious group, and i think that is a major factor in a lot of convertees decision to become Christian. The power team provides the image of a powerful, strong group and to someone without direction or a sense of belonging would understandably be drawn to something like this. This isn't the case 100% of the time, but i do think it occurs more often than not.
Overall, the power team makes me a little frustrated and definitely confused about the state of the public today. There are some people out there who actually buy this stuff and feel good about doing it. Although, if they stopped and thought about it from a balanced perspective, i think they would find that this is just a well thought out strategy to convert you to Christianity.
