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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.
Qwest founder and billionaire Philip Anschutz has just purchased the San Francisco Examiner, and his faith is an overlooked factor in the earliest coverage. The prevailing theme is of how press-averse Anschutz has been for most of his career.
Our friends at The Revealer recently offered a paean to “Outing the Bible,” a cover story in the East Bay Express about self-described queer theologians at the Pacific School of Religion’s Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies in Religion and Ministry.
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.
Jane Lampman of The Christian Science Monitor writes today about what she calls “rapturist” theology, and she clearly grasps most of the subtexts as Christians debate how Jesus will return to Earth.
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).
