wfn.org | Specials to Air on the Odyssey Channel

[John Rollins <rollins@intac.com>]

98-2231
Specials to Air on the Odyssey Channel

by Bill Lewellis
          (ENS)"Landmarks of Faith," a series now on The
Odyssey Channel on  Wednesdays at 10 pm (Eastern time),
will feature a one-hour documentary on Christ  Episcopal
Church, Philadelphia, on Oct. 7 and Nov. 25 (both
showings will repeat at 1  am).
          Christ Church played a dramatic role in the
great political events of the American  Revolution.
George Washington, Benjamin Franklin and Betsy Ross all
worshipped  there. The history of the church is ironic:
It was built to establish the authority of the  Church of
England, yet by 1776 it had already become dedicated to
the ideas of  democracy and religious freedom.
          Landmarks of Faith is a historical series that
explores America's rich tapestry of  religious beliefs by
visiting the places where these faiths took root and
grew.
          "The Devil: An Unauthorized Biography," three
one-hour documentaries from the BBC exploring the origins
and development of this menacing figure in the religious
consciousness of humankind, will all air at 9 pm on
Sunday, Oct. 4 (with repeats at 9 pm  and midnight
Monday, Oct. 26).
          "Battling for the American Soul," a one-hour
look at the liberal-conservative split  that seems to be
becoming more important than Protestant-Catholic, will
air as a News  Odyssey special report at 9 pm and
midnight Nov. 5 (with repeats at 9 pm Nov. 8, 12:30  am
Nov. 9 and 2:30 am Nov. 12.
          The National Interfaith Cable Coalition jointly
owns odyssey,  a consortium of nearly 70 mainline
Protestant, Jewish, Catholic, Eastern Orthodox,
Evangelical and Pentecostal faith groups and traditions,
and Liberty Media, a subsidiary  of Tele-Communications,
Inc. Hallmark Entertainment and the Jim Henson Company
are  expected soon to join NICC and Liberty as partners.
          The 24-hour channel is available to more than
30 million homes through 1,500 cable systems, the
Primestar direct-to-home satellite service (Channel 84),
and C-Band dish owners across the country at Sat Com C3,
Transponder 5.
          The only religious channel not controlled by
one person or a narrowly focused  interest group, Odyssey
prohibits on-air solicitations for money, maligning of
other faiths  or attempts to convert viewers to a
different faith.

--Bill Lewellis, communication minister for the Diocese
of Bethlehem, serves as  liaison for the Episcopal Church
with the Odyssey Channel.