Anyone who knows anything about mainstream American religion knows that the Southern Baptist Convention is our land’s largest non-Catholic flock. Despite the word “Southern” in the name — and SBC leaders are thinking about changing that — this is an increasingly national church and one with significant ethnic presence, as well.
Making religion hip
It’s not every week your own congregation gets a write up in the New York Times. This happened last week to members of Resurrection Presbyterian Church in Brooklyn with a piece entitled “A Congregation in Skinny Jeans.”
Free speech meets firebombs
Last week, the great George Conger reflected on the cover of the French satirical journal Charlie Hebdo, which featured a cartoon image of Mohammad. He used that incident to discuss two press related issues — the inaccurate claim that Islam prohibits representations of Mohammed and the moral cowardice displayed by many press outlets that respond to terrorist threats with censorship or calls for censorship. He added:
The nut's guide to media attention
Better yet, say something nutty. And it would be particularly helpful if the nutty thing you said fed into all kinds of stereotypes about intolerant, uneducated hicks who live in the sticks.
'Good for one fare' in Times land
The other day, Sarah Pulliam Bailey walked GetReligion readers through an essential piece for all who are interested in the immediate future of The New York Times. I am referring to the New Yorker profile of Jill Abramson, the new editor of the great Gray Lady.
The good, the bad and the sporting
A few days ago a reader sent in this Yahoo! Sports story about Chaz Hine, a University of South Florida lineman. Hine sounds like an awesome subject for a story and we learn that not only is he a tough football player but he’s also a musical performer.
Down South: Race, religion and manners
A few years ago, I had an encounter on an elevator in the National Press Club that stuck with me. Thinking back, it’s easy for me to connect that particular moment with a recent New York Times feature that has stirred up some interesting chatter online.
A pedophilia gene: "The Devil made me do it"
The Turin-based newspaper, La Stampa, has a fascinating report on the latest developments in neuroscience. Researchers have isolated a gene whose mutation they believe provides the biological basis for pedophilia.
God helps those who correctly quote Scripture
The other day, President Obama did a campaign event where he called out Republicans for reaffirming the country’s motto (“In God We Trust”) instead of voting on a portion of his latest legislative proposal. He claimed that “God wants to see us help ourselves by putting people back to work.â
