Where does anti-Hitler hero Dietrich Bonhoeffer fit?

June 30, 2014 By Richard Ostling

JOHN ASKS: [Dietrich Bonhoeffer] was a hero and martyr for the faith, but is it possible evangelical Christians in America have lionized someone whose theology is not actually in sync with theirs? THE RELIGION GUY ANSWERS: Books by and about Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906–1945) sell without letup, including no less than seven biographies since 2010, plus novels, plays, films, unending articles and even an opera. The German Lutheran pastor is one of the past century’s most revered authors with must-read titles... Read more

Roadmaps should guide us, including through Sudan

June 30, 2014 By Jim Davis

Sudan may be hard for geography-challenged Americans to find on a map, but Reuters — one of the largest news organizations — is an old hand at world coverage. Unfortunately, Reuters presents more of a puzzle than a map in its update on the case of Mariam Yahya Ibrahim, who has been desperately trying to escape Sudan with her husband, her child and her life. As you may remember, the militantly Islamic government of Sudan accused Ibrahim of deserting Islam... Read more

About that NYTimes hint at the future of married priests

June 29, 2014 By tmatt

A long, long time ago, a Catholic leader gave me a tip as a young reporter. He told me to keep my eye on the Eastern-Rite Catholic churches and their potential for growth in Northern America. Why? First of all, because the ancient beauty of their liturgies in a post-Vatican II world would be pleasing to many small-o orthodox Catholics. Second, the Eastern Rites would offer a setting in which married priests could serve, while framed in traditions acceptable to... Read more

The Guardian on Islam and female genital mutilation

June 28, 2014 By geoconger

The Guardian reports that Britain’s largest Muslim organization, the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), has condemned female genital mutilation as un-Islamic. The article reports on the campaign to end the practice brought to Britain by immigrants from Africa and the Middle East, and the steps taken by the MCB and NGOs to educate immigrants on its health dangers. I am pleased to hear this news as I believe FGM is an abominable practice. But in looking at the journalism on... Read more

ESPN offers faith-free version of Isaiah Austin’s testimony

June 27, 2014 By tmatt

If you care about what is happening in modern, multi-platform journalism then you have to pay close attention to trends at ESPN — even if you don’t care much about sports. If you care about the media habits of mainstream American males, especially young males, then you really have to dig into ESPN. This brings me to the emotional highlight of last night’s NBA draft. If you know anything about life in evangelical churches — white, black, Latino, whatever —... Read more

Big news report card: Grading abortion buffer zone coverage

June 27, 2014 By Bobby Ross Jr.

___________________________________ ___________________________________ As my GetReligion colleague Jim Davis highlighted this morning, the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday struck down a Massachusetts abortion buffer zone law. News junkie that I am, I enjoyed perusing today’s front pages and searching Google News to see how various news organizations handled the story. Using my media critic’s prerogative, I decided to grade some of the coverage. My major criteria: First, how fully did a particular story cover the important details — including the court’s majority... Read more

Two views of SCOTUS abortion decision — both on NBC

June 27, 2014 By Jim Davis

Is NBC News going schizoid? The way the network reported the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on abortion buffer zones sounded like it was done by different people, maybe even on different stories. As you probably know by now, the nine justices — in a remarkable unanimous decision — struck down Massachusetts’ law requiring protesters to stay at least 35 feet from abortion clinics. Now, the prolifers can apparently protest right up to the clinic entrances. Pro-abortion folks said the protesters... Read more

Auschwitz in Ireland: L’Humanité on Ireland’s mass graves

June 26, 2014 By geoconger

The falsehoods and exaggerations — need I say, the hysteria — surrounding the Irish orphanage story has been a sorry spectacle for those who love the craft of reporting. The first reports of a mass grave in a septic tank containing up to 800 unbaptized babies at a Catholic orphanage has been proven to be false as have many of the other extraordinary claims of incredible, monstrous behavior. The push back began almost immediately, however, as reporters began to examine... Read more

Pod people: Sometimes editors really need to do the math

June 26, 2014 By tmatt

I have never been much of a math guy, but sometimes you have to see the numbers written on the walls. For example, what essential thread runs through the following religion-beat stories? I am not arguing that this math hook is the only factor at play in these stories, but that this X-factor is a key piece in these puzzles. * Nationwide, the Catholic church has been forced to close many of its parishes, especially in urban areas, along with... Read more

How NOT to cover the ruling in the Hobby Lobby case

June 26, 2014 By Bobby Ross Jr.

Hey @GetReligion, read the fear-filled, one-sided piece in @Forbes re: what will happen if @HobbyLobbyStore prevails: http://t.co/O47OaXrg6m — Matt Branaugh (@MattBranaugh) June 25, 2014 @MattBranaugh Are you suggesting there is more than one side to this story? 🙂 — GetReligion (@GetReligion) June 25, 2014 @GetReligion Surprising, I know. According to this piece, everyone already agrees the government is right and Hobby Lobby is wrong. — Matt Branaugh (@MattBranaugh) June 25, 2014 With the U.S. Supreme Court’s highly anticipated ruling in... Read more