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While I am on a post-denominational roll here, let me — with a bit of a tired smirk — point GetReligion readers toward the following Associated Press report out of Nashville, focusing on an interesting angle linked to the presidential debate tonight. Here’s the top of the story:
Time‘s headline of “Maybe We Should Blame God for the Subprime Mess” does an injustice to David Van Biema’s brief and informative update on prosperity theology’s march through the contemporary church.
Let’s just get right to it. This Los Angeles Times piece about the religious views of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is pretty much worthless.
The New York Times earlier this week had a very interesting story on the latest strategy from conservatives to gain influence on American institutions of higher learning. The article takes the perspective that a lot of what these conservatives are doing is a sly new strategy to turn the clock back in American education:
Last week, the Fordham Center on Religion and Culture hosted a panel of media professionals talking about how the media are covering religion and morality in the 2008 camapign. When I heard about the event, I was disappointed that I couldn’t attend. Thankfully there was a brief write-up of the event. Peggy Fletcher Stack, senior religion writer for the Salt Lake Tribune, condemned the treatment of Romney by the press. Don Wycliff, veteran journalist for the Chicago Tribune, remarked that sensational treatment of religion goes back to coverage of “born again” Christian Jimmy Carter:
The Religion Newswriters Association is currently meeting here inside the Beltway, which guarantees that somebody, from somewhere is going to release a boatload of new information about some trends in American religion.
We’re beginning to get into the next stage of Hurricane Sarah, where professionals in the mainstream press (and those who study them) have a chance to catch a deep breath and ask that question that must be asked: “What in the heckfire is going on here?”
As far as I know, veteran Godbeat and popular culture scribe Mark Pinsky isn’t dead (although I haven’t heard from him in a week or two, so I will check). His website is nice and up-to-date looking.
In The New York Times, reporter Amy Harmon wrote about a Florida ruling that requires state schools to teach evolutionary biology. Her lede began with the story of a high school teacher who attempted to instill evolution’s principles into his students:
