Friday Five: Top religion journalists, Christian rock, rainbow-cross flag burning, Sarah Sanders doctrine

We’ve mentioned a few of the winners in the Religion News Association’s annual Awards for Religion Reporting Excellence — including Ann Rodgers, Kimberly Winston and Rachel Zoll.

But be sure to check out the entire #RNA2018 contest list for more familiar, deserving names. Some names I recognized: Peter Smith, Peggy Fletcher Stack, Tim Funk, Sarah Pulliam Bailey, Emma Green, Elizabeth Dias, Bob Smietana, Jeremy Weber and Ted Olsen.

Congratulations to all of those honored for their work on the Godbeat!

Now, let’s dive into the Friday Five:

(1) Religion story of the week: Seriously, a story on Christian rock music is the story of the week!?

Hey, when GetReligion editor Terry Mattingly refers to a New Yorker piece on the Christian rock wars as “stunningly good,” pay attention. And as his post urged, read it all.

(2) Most popular GetReligion post: “So a Chicago priest who was once abused burns a rainbow-cross flag: All heck breaks out.”

Um, yeah, that title reeled me in — and a lot of others, too. That tmatt commentary is our most-clicked post of the week.

Come for the clickbait. Stay for the excellent analysis.

(3) Guilt folder fodder (and more): Dan Darling’s tweet about The New Yorker’s Sarah Huckabee Sanders profile made me smile.

I’ll be honest: I haven’t had time yet to read the full profile, although I intend to.

Anybody else read it? What did you think?

(4) Shameless plug: I mentioned Rachel Zoll above.

But in case you missed it, I’d call your attention to the post I wrote this week on Zoll receiving a special recognition award from the RNA for her amazing journalism.

Zoll, national religion writer for The Associated Press, has terminal brain cancer.

(5) Final thought: I’ll amen that prayer!

Also, don’t be surprised, fellow religion writers and editors, if the Philistines enter the mix.

Happy Friday, everybody!

Enjoy the weekend!


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