Godbeat

, , , , , ,

God at the royal wedding

, , , , , ,

Maybe it’s because I wasn’t into the royal wedding as much as my colleague Sarah here, but I ended up being absolutely delighted by it. I happened to be up for work and had the wedding on in the background. At first I wasn’t paying attention to anything but the dress, which was gorgeous. But I was also delighted by it because I can’t stand that way that brides are barely dressed on their wedding day. I have no idea how that trend got going, and I’m all for ladies looking their best, but the strapless, cleavage-baring look has had a lengthy run and I’m tired of it.


Please respect our Commenting Policy
, , , ,

Obama and the Easter kerfuffle

, , , ,

Last week I complained about the lack of coverage surrounding President Barack Obama’s confession of Christian faith at a pre-Easter Easter breakfast he hosted at the White House. I wrote, “remember how much the media covered those polls showing that huge chunks of people in all parties were confused about Obama’s religion? Isn’t that at least partly an indictment of how the media cover Obama’s own words about his faith? Even when he speaks very clearly about his own religious views, the news is covered but not highlighted, pushed to the margins or sent out on the wire without fanfare.”


Please respect our Commenting Policy
, , , , ,

Father McGreevey? Not so fast.

, , , , ,

Many readers have sent along the New York Post story that uses unnamed sources to report that former New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey is not being allowed to join the priesthood of the Episcopal Church. It’s written with about as much nuance as you’ve come to expect from the Post, but at least they’ve corrected a few errors that were in the original version of the story. Now, for instance, they have the correct name of the bishop of the Newark Diocese.


Please respect our Commenting Policy
, , , , , ,

Confess your eco-sins!

, , , , , ,

A few weeks ago we looked at a public relations campaign — and how it was covered — by the Roman Catholic archdiocese of Miami. Now, private confession and absolution is a serious thing among certain religious adherents. My Lutheran pastor offered extra hours for confession during Lent and even more during Holy Week so we could avail ourselves of the opportunity. This is a regular part of worship life for many of us but is widely ignored by many mainstream media.


Please respect our Commenting Policy
, , , , ,

Don't look at this picture

, , , , ,

This week marked the 12th anniversary of the Columbine High School shooting. Two senior students killed 12 students and one teacher. Many others were injured. I grew up not far from there and have spent many years trying to understand what happened. A few weeks ago, Wellington Menezes de Oliveira embarked on a massacre in a Brazilian school. Twelve students were killed. I’d actually been meaning to look into the coverage more since early reports mentioned both that he was raised as a Jehovah Witness and that he, at the very least, expressed an interest in Islam. But the coverage was so weak on those angles (here, here, here).


Please respect our Commenting Policy
, , , , ,

Obama's confession of faith

, , , , ,

When I attended the National Prayer Breakfast back in February, I was struck by the clear confession of faith President Barack Obama gave. There were many speakers and every single one of them was talking about their faith. But while many speakers were opaque, Obama said things I wouldn’t be surprised to hear in my own church on Sunday morning. I left the country a few hours later so I never saw how the media covered that speech.


Please respect our Commenting Policy
, , , ,

Jennings, the Times and tornadoes

, , , ,

The tornadoes ripped through the heart of the Bible belt, so you knew what was coming in the mainstream coverage — Godtalk. There simply isn’t a way for reporters, even elite reporters, to talk to ordinary Americans under tragic circumstances without eternal issues coming up.


Please respect our Commenting Policy
, , , , ,

Arrigoni's death and Salafiya's rise

, , , , ,

Last week, Palestinian activist Vittorio Arrigoni was abducted by Jama’at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad members in Gaza. They posted a video online saying he’d be killed unless their rival Hamas, the Islamist group that controls Gaza, released Salafis in prison. Within hours, though, he was dead. The group, sometimes called Tawhid and Jihad, later denied kidnapping and killing Arrigoni, who was originally from Italy.


Please respect our Commenting Policy