2013-02-22T11:48:17-05:00

Last updated on: February 22, 2013 at 11:48 am   By

Last week, I complained about a front-page Tampa Bay Times story filled with broad generalizations about vague evangelicals advocating immigration reform. This, of course, wasn’t the first time I raised concerns about media treatment of this subject. Unfortunately, The Dallas Morning News did not get my memo. The Texas newspaper — duplicating the sketchy Florida report in a way that only Xerox could top — splashed this main headline and kicker across the top of Page 1A on Thursday: Applying Bible... Read more

2013-02-21T11:06:01-05:00

Last updated on: February 21, 2013 at 11:06 am   By

I once served on a jury that convicted a man of conspiracy to commit mail fraud. We all thought he did it, but we weren’t sure the government had made its case. The evidence was strong but his defense attorney had done such a good job of explaining it away or striking various aspects from the record that we almost let him off. It didn’t work, but it almost did. His attorney did such a fantastic job that I remember... Read more

2013-02-21T11:06:54-05:00

Last updated on: February 21, 2013 at 11:06 am   By

I have been waiting for the American press to pick up an article found in Saturday’s edition of La Stampa, the Turin-based Italian daily, on the Catholic Church and yoga. But as five days have passed with no mention of Bishop Raffaello Martinelli I expect we will not be seeing anything for the moment. This is shame really as the the intersection of yoga and state, as GR’s editor TMatt has described it, is a live issue. My colleague, Mollie Hemingway, has... Read more

2013-02-20T20:10:18-05:00

Last updated on: February 20, 2013 at 8:10 pm   By

A front-page headline on the print edition of USA Today that landed in my driveway earlier this week grabbed my attention: Guns are a ‘way of life’ in Texas Yep. Can’t dispute that. As a native Texan whose brother carries his concealed handgun into his Fort Worth-area church building each Sunday morning, I understand just how much many Lone Star State residents value their firearms. After reading the lede of the USA Today cover story, I thought that maybe —... Read more

2013-02-20T11:20:57-05:00

Last updated on: February 20, 2013 at 11:20 am   By

Guess what? There are significant differences in the theological approaches and doctrinal convictions of Los Angeles Archbishop Jose Gomez and his predecessor, Cardinal Roger Mahony. So, what are they? It’s hard to tell, in a fascinating Los Angeles Times story that goes way, way out its way to argue that the differences that really matter are rooted in style and, you guessed it, politics. You can tell that right up front in the content of the magisterial double-deck headline: Gomez,... Read more

2013-02-20T11:23:26-05:00

Last updated on: February 20, 2013 at 11:23 am   By

The Jewish Daily Forward has a fascinating discussion of terms used to describe Haredi. It begins by noting that newspaper legend Seth Lipsky recently referred to “the leader of the largest grassroots organization of fervently religious Jews, Rabbi David Zwiebel of the Agudath Israel of America.” The Forward notes that the term “fervently Orthodox Jews” has been promoted in recent years as an alternative to “ultra-Orthodox” and “Haredi.” It’s certainly possible to understand the motives behind this. In an op-ed... Read more

2013-02-19T11:54:18-05:00

Last updated on: February 19, 2013 at 11:54 am   By

Every now and then, the newspaper that lands in my front yard runs a story about one of the most famous and, for many, most inspirational men currently alive and well and working in Baltimore. No, this is not another post about coverage of the theological insights of Ray “God’s linebacker” Lewis of the world champion Baltimore Ravens. I’m talking about Dr. Ben Carson, who is usually, in media reports, described as the “trailblazing black neurosurgeon” at Johns Hopkins Hospital.... Read more

2013-02-19T11:44:42-05:00

Last updated on: February 19, 2013 at 11:44 am   By

Last week in my post “Turkson wouldn’t be first African pope,” I quoted from an humorous guide for journalists covering the election. The last tip: Yes, the next Pope will be a man and a Catholic. So obvious that it was barely funny, right? And yet … you can view here New York magazine contributing editor Chris Smith suggest on an MSNBC panel that the next pope be … Sonia Sotomayor. The Washington Post‘s E.J. Dionne humbly notes that the... Read more

2013-02-19T14:52:13-05:00

Last updated on: February 19, 2013 at 2:52 pm   By

The year’s at the spring, And day’s at the morn; Morning’s at seven; The hill-side’s dew-pearled; The lark’s on the wing; The snail’s on the thorn; God’s in His heaven—All’s right with the world! Robert Browning, Pippa Passes (1841) It’s a wonderful life. My heart has been singing songs of joy every morning as I take up my newspapers and survey the latest news on the abdication of Pope Benedict XVI. For a critic of religion reporting these are the... Read more

2013-02-18T13:53:24-05:00

Last updated on: February 18, 2013 at 1:53 pm   By

It’s time to take a quick jump deep, deep into my ever-growing file of GetReligion guilt before, quite literally, hell freezes over. A reader wrote in recently after spotting — maybe — a ghost in the following story in The Daily Herald. Then again, maybe it was a demon. One thing is clear: This political story offered an opportunity for a provocative, to say the least, faith-based follow-up question. This particular news feature centered on the near-death experience reported by... Read more

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