About a year ago, I wrote about the retirement of Tim Funk, the award-winning religion writer for the Charlotte Observer.
But I noticed this week that Funk is back at work for the Observer part time, covering politics.
“North Carolina has a primary on Super Tuesday (March 3) and will again be a battleground state in the fall,” the veteran journalist told me. “Plus, Charlotte is hosting the Republican National Convention in August.
“Besides covering religion during my 34 years at the Observer, I also did politics as Raleigh (state capital) reporter, Washington correspondent and full-time reporter on the Democratic National Convention (when Charlotte hosted it in 2012). It’s fun being back!”
He stressed — since I told him I might mention him at Religion Unplugged — that he’s no longer on the Godbeat.
“I don’t plan to cover religion — except where it intersects with politics,” he said. “Which it seems to do a lot these days.”
Amen!
Funk isn’t the only former religion writer reporting on national politics. Frank Lockwood — once known as the “Bible Belt Blogger” — has served as the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette’s Washington correspondent since 2015.
Honestly, I wish more political writers had expertise in religion.
For example, the Dallas Morning News had a story this past week that could have been benefited — greatly — from more attention to theological details.
The story in question concerned Rick Perry, the former longtime Texas governor and U.S. energy secretary. The writer focused on the idea that “a Christian prophet had visions of him and his grandson taking a picture in the Oval Office.” The piece tied “misunderstood prophecy” to Perry’s unsuccessful runs for president and his eventual support of President Donald Trump.
It’s a fascinating storyline, really. However, I found it frustrating in that the newspaper made little attempt to understand the details from a theological standpoint. Also, who was the purported prophet, and what is her story? Even the use of the term “soothsayer” in the headline seemed to indicate a lack of religious understanding.
A quick bit of Googling found a few more relevant details in this CBN News report on Perry from October.
At the least, I wish the Dallas writer had called a religious expert or two to help explain what evangelical Christians such as Perry believe on dreams and visions.
Power Up: The Week’s Best Reads
1. Trump mocks the faith of others. His own religious practices remain opaque: Washington Post religion writers Sarah Pulliam Bailey and Julie Zauzmer teamed up with White House reporter Josh Dawsey to produce this must-read spotlight on the religion — or not — of President Donald Trump. It’s an exceptional piece that quotes both supporters and opponents of the president. One of the most revealing paragraphs: “Trump does not regularly talk about religion with many of his advisers, who said they knew little about how the president views God. Aides and supporters — including the vice president — have urged him to stop saying ‘goddamn,’ a word particularly offensive to some Christians, and some have been perturbed by his use of profanity in the Oval Office.” (A bit more context on Trump’s potty mouth.)
Continue reading: “Did a prophet predict this prominent politician's future?”, by Bobby Ross, Jr., at Religion UnPlugged.