EO was founded in 1967 by members of Evangelical churches wanting to put more emphasis on evangelism.[1][2][3] The network also organizes conferences for young people and families. [4]
Documentaries are often edited to reflect EO's creationist convictions. While still being presented as a BBC documentary, The Life of Mammals series was edited to remove material incompatible with young earth creationism,[5] and profanity is regularly edited out of bought-in drama series.[6]
Creationism
The subject of creationism has sparked a number of EO-related controversies. In early 2009, a controversy arose over statements by a leading presenter and former director, Andries Knevel. He considered it possible for a religious person not to believe in the literal interpretation of the biblical creation story (Genesis 1-2). Shortly afterwards Knevel apologized for the highly charged way in which he had made his statements and for the fact that his personal viewpoint could have been interpreted as the official viewpoint of EO.
Arie Boomsma
In 2009, Arie Boomsma, an EO television presenter, was suspended for three months after appearing partially undressed in a magazine called L'Homo. Later that year, EO planned to broadcast a new television show called Loopt een man over het water... ('A Man Walks Over the Water...') which Boomsma would present. In the show, non-Christian comedians were to be asked to create short sketches about Jesus of Nazareth. The planned show caused uproar among EO members and was cancelled. Soon afterwards Boomsma left EO and joined the Catholic broadcasting association KRO.
Decline in membership
As a result of these and other controversies, the number of subscribing EO members has declined. In March 2010, this led to a member initiative entitled Ik bid en blijf lid ('I Pray and Stay a Member')[7] which called upon members of EO to retain their membership and pray that the association will continue to spread God's word in a way that remains true to the Bible.
Film crew incident at Texas high school
On February 9, 2024, the company was invited into Central High School in Keller, Texas, USA, to film a documentary about American public schools. The invitation came from a Keller ISD School Board Trustee, Sandi Walker, with additional involvement by Trustee Micah Young. The School Board as a whole was not aware of the event, and the high school principal was away from the school. Students were being filmed at the school, and parents were outraged upon learning what had happened. Walker resigned, and parents called for Young to resign as well. Parents complained about bringing culture wars into the classroom, invasion of privacy, and using students as props.[8]
References
^ Johan Roeland, Selfation: Dutch Evangelical Youth Between Subjectivization and Subjection, Amsterdam University Press, Amsterdam, 2009, p. 33
