2013-12-10T17:23:49-05:00

Last updated on: December 10, 2013 at 5:23 pm   By

  “Can a bad person be a good theologian,” asked Mark Oppenheimer in the lede of an October column on the scandals surrounding John Howard Yoder. Should private failings overshadow public achievement? This question has been asked of prominent figures ranging from T.S. Eliot to Bill Clinton to Mike Tyson. Is the aesthetic value of the Wasteland diminished by Eliot’s anti-Semitism, or the former president’s accomplishments wiped away by his claim he “did not have sexual relations with that woman”?... Read more

2013-12-10T08:14:32-05:00

Last updated on: December 10, 2013 at 8:14 am   By

MARY ASKS: What happened to saying “Merry Christmas”? Is the move to saying “Happy Holidays” instead a good thing? THE GUY ANSWERS: On the hit CBS-TV drama “The Good Wife” we’re in the offices of Illinois’ governor-elect as his top aide scans a hallway and angrily barks a Yuletide order: “Holiday decorations! Not Jesus! Holiday!” Bruce Tinsley’s satirical comic strip “Mallard Fillmore” carries this TV announcement: “The following Christmas special actually mentions Christianity. Viewer discretion is advised.” Another “Mallard” strip... Read more

2013-12-09T20:32:49-05:00

Last updated on: December 9, 2013 at 8:32 pm   By

The first storytelling rule: Get the name of the dog. So says Poynter Institute writing guru Roy Peter Clark. For the purposes of GetReligion, I’ll add a second rule: Get the name of the church. I found myself frustrated with the generic churches featured in a Wall Street Journal story on South Africa’s national day of prayer, held Sunday in the wake of Nelson Mandela’s death. QUNU, South Africa — South Africans filled houses of worship on Sunday to remember... Read more

2013-12-09T17:22:12-05:00

Last updated on: December 9, 2013 at 5:22 pm   By

It may be the religion-beat question of the year. So all together now: Why is Pope Francis so popular with mainstream journalists? That’s the question that I keep hearing from a wide variety of readers and even journalists, no matter where I go — including a quick trip last week down to Buenos Aires for a conference on religion and the news. More on that in a minute. To no one’s surprise, the media comet called Francis is in the... Read more

2013-12-09T10:11:17-05:00

Last updated on: December 9, 2013 at 10:11 am   By

In the “now I’ve seen everything” category, let’s welcome self-described atheist film critic Kyle Smith of the New York Post, now excoriated for defending the Roman Catholic Church, specifically its Irish branch, against “Philomena,” an apparently smarmy new film that applies 21st century scruples to 1952 Ireland. More than a sentence or two of background is necessary before the media criticism. And, yes, I know that GetReligion rarely if ever digs into the contents of reviews. Trust me, this one... Read more

2013-12-08T17:13:16-05:00

Last updated on: December 8, 2013 at 5:13 pm   By

Try to imagine national-level journalists writing about how a coach does or does not fit into the culture of Notre Dame University without mentioning Catholicism. Try to imagine sportswriters writing about how a coach does or does not fit into the culture of Brigham Young University without mentioning the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Now try to imagine sportswriters writing about how a coach does or does not fit into the culture of Baylor University without mentioning the... Read more

2013-12-07T07:06:23-05:00

Last updated on: December 7, 2013 at 7:06 am   By

Hell hath no fury like a reporter scorned, is my version of the traditional proverb. Last night the Los Angeles Times had me going. A report on the lawsuits surrounding the First African Methodist Episcopal Church in Los Angeles — a major player in the city’s African-American community — in a story entitled “Judge dismisses defamation lawsuit filed by ex-First AME pastor” had me working the phones, calling lawyers and sources in California to track down news that was new... Read more

2013-12-07T10:24:47-05:00

Last updated on: December 7, 2013 at 10:24 am   By

One of the greatest mysteries in life is the moral complexity that is often found in the hearts of great men and women who live truly great lives and, even, in their best moments perform great deeds that can be called blessed, or even holy. There is no question that the turning points in the life of Nelson Mandela, the times when he went to the mountaintop, required him to make stunningly courageous choices about issues that can only be... Read more

2013-12-06T15:23:38-05:00

Last updated on: December 6, 2013 at 3:23 pm   By

There’s so much bad reporting about religion and religion-related stories these days — the continual surprise evidenced by The New York Times that the leaders of Roman Catholic institutions may choose to act, well, in a Catholic manner, for example — that it’s not a bad thing, I believe to highlight instances where a given reporter (and publication) get it right. Such a refreshing, if deeply sobering, example comes from reporter Naftali Bendavid of The Wall Street Journal. A Congressional correspondent for... Read more

2013-12-06T12:47:34-05:00

Last updated on: December 6, 2013 at 12:47 pm   By

Comrade. Leader. Prisoner. Negotiator. Statesman. A giant banner outside the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg — which I visited during a 2009 reporting trip to South Africa — uses those terms to describe Nelson Mandela, although many more certainly could be applied. It’s difficult to overstate the magnitude of Mandela’s life and — from a news perspective — his death Thursday at age 95. .@AP sends rare “Flash” on #Mandela‘s death http://t.co/jtLdD1vkyK Reserved for major events like Twin Towers collapse and moon... Read more

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