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We all agreed to take a look at Jon Meacham’s lengthy mash note to the sainted Billy Graham. I alternately enjoyed the Newsweek piece and felt it went a bit over the top in luscious praise. But I’m pretty sure I would have hated it if I hadn’t read Meacham’s earlier pieces on the Nativity, the Crucifixion and the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
When Newsweek‘s Jon Meacham is on target, there are precious few more elegant stylists writing about religion in contemporary America. God is in the details, or the devil is, depending on which folk saying you believe, and Meacham’s eye for detail is what makes his reporting such a pleasure to read.
I wanted to like Jon Meacham’s Billy Graham exclusive Newsweek cover story. It contained lots of good information. There were colorful, well-described scenes and a solid understanding of Graham’s mission as an evangelist. It dealt with most of the Graham-related scandals. At about 4,500 words, the piece was thorough and non-repetitive.
As noted in the past, Newsweek Managing Editor Jon Meacham really doesn’t do ordinary journalism anymore.
While it’s still too early to be talking 2008 presidential politics, we can’t help ourselves here at GetReligion, particularly when one of the country’s major publications puts out a landmark piece on how religion will affect the potential candidacy of not just a particular candidate but of the entire race.
In this discussion about The Philadelphia Inquirer‘s less-than-stellar article on female ordination, reader Larry Rasczak notes similarities between the way the media have traditionally covered the military and the way they handle religion. It leads him to make a suggestion:
Let me jump in here after Doug’s post with a quick sequel on a related issue of Anglicans in the media. By the way, you can click here for a recent LeBlancian CT article on TEC news.
… or at least conservatism as defined in the current American political landscape. Reporters, take note.
As I have stressed in the past, it has been hard for me to write about the wars at Baylor University because of my close connections with the campus. I’ve known Dr. Robert Sloan for many years and consider him a friend and colleague in the wider ecumenical world of Christian higher education.
