Christian "American Idol"-Style Show Coming To TBN

Christian "American Idol"-Style Show
Coming To TBN

( CNS() -- Best known for its televangelists, Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) has announced plans for a Christian version of the popular "American Idol" TV show. "Gifted" is scheduled to debut in October on the world's largest religious TV network, the Associated Press (AP) reported.

The Orlando, Florida-based Wright Entertainment Group, a management company that represents Britney Spears and 'N Sync, is part of a joint venture with Matt Crouch, son of TBN's founders, to search for a singer with a divine voice. The joint venture, called Wright Generation, is negotiating with a private investor to finance the talent show.

"God gives us so many gifts, but we reach for the one with the prettiest wrapping. In a world where MTV dictates trends and pop stars become idols, Christianity seems to be wrapped in conditions and judgments. It is our goal to wrap God's message -- His love -- in acceptance, and in a way that blends seamlessly into 'pop' culture while still upholding the values we, as Christians, value most," Wright Generation's mission statement reads.

Crouch told "The Orlando Sentinel" that "quality programming is what Christian broadcasting has been waiting for desperately." The new show will be "the first time ever that a Christian show would rival the quality of network broadcast production," he said.

A cross-country summer bus tour to 11 TBN stations is planned, where auditions will be held for solo singers, ages 18-24. Trinity reaches 70 million homes. Scheduled to begin July 26, the tour will stop in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Illinois, Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado, New York, California and Washington state. Contestants will perform gospel or contemporary spiritual songs.

Two finalists will be chosen at each stop. The 24 finalists will be flown to Hollywood, where they will perform before a live studio audience and be evaluated by celebrity judges. Eight will go on to the finals, where the TV audience will choose the winner, whose career will be managed by Wright and Crouch, the AP reported.