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One of the hardest words to define in American religion is “evangelical.” Does the word have doctrinal content? Is it defined only by emotion and experience? In the mid-1980s, Billy Graham told me that he had no idea what that word meant to most of the people who were using it.
The quotation from A.J. Liebling is one of the most famous in all of journalism: “Freedom of the press is guaranteed only to those who own one.”
Time for a personal favor. Doug and I are searching all over the web for something. We know of a cathedral or two — St. John the Divine in New York City leaps to mind — that have stained-glass windows with images drawn from journalism and mass media. But we can’t find these images.
A film-studies professor friend of mine just sent me a note from the Studio Briefing files (fifth item) about Bernardo Bertolucci’s controversial new film, which is veering into rating territory where few recent artsy skin flicks have dared to go.
It appears that God-beat professionals are finally going to get to see “The Passion of the Christ” — on Monday. This is when run-of-the-mill press screenings are being held across the land.
Here is some exciting news. The professionals at the Religion Newswriters Association — the informal guild of people who cover the religion beat — have landed some scholarship money for people who want to learn more about this highly complex beat.
Last time I checked, the Southern Baptist Convention was still the second-largest Christian body in North America, after the Roman Catholic Church. Thus, I would assume that this 16-something-million flock considering a massive change in its name and identity just MIGHT deserve a story in a few major newspapers.
There’s an old saying that whatever is happening in contemporary Christian music is usually a photocopy of whatever was happening in the real world — mainstream music — a year or two earlier. I’m beginning to think that the same thing happens with the elite media and trends on the conservative side of the aisle in religion news.
There is nothing that can be added to this report, other than a massive cheer (and a sign of relief).
