Tags: media
Giving RD The Finger?

Louis A. Ruprecht.

In a recent Christian Century feature presenting the reading habits of some “expert observers of the religion scene,” one expert added a curious disclaimer to his mention of RD.

Planned Parenthood ‘Stung’ By Lila Rose

Bill Berkowitz.

Lila Rose, a 20-year-old UCLA student, is taking on Planned Parenthood with a phony story, video equipment, and support from a host of Christian Right media outlets and organizations.

The Christian Century is Dead

Becky Garrison.

What happens when the flagship vehicle for mainline Protestant voices starts to falter?

Would Manny Ramirez’s Clone Use Steroids?

Arri Eisen.

Unless you are a geneticist the answer may surprise you. The ethical problems with cloning turn out to be the result of some confusion about what cloning is, and isn’t.

Outrage Outs Closeted Pols Opposed to Gay Rights

Nick Street.

Documentarian Kirby Dick maintains that his new film isn’t merely righteous mimicry of tabloid journalism.

RDPulpit: The House Of Rock And Water; Obama, Economy & the Bible

Daniel Schultz.

In a recent speech on the the economy, Obama could have stressed biblical justice; instead he opted for a “post-partisan” emphasis on firm foundations and solidarity in common cause.

Will the Real Progressive Christians Please Stand Up?

Delwin Brown.

A walk through recent Christian history—from the rise of evangelicalism, through neo-Orthodoxy, and on to Liberation theology—reveals the roots of the current debate among those who identify as progressives.

Survey Says: Mainline Clergy Lean Liberal

Robert P. Jones.

Conservative clergy and pundits have worked overtime to create the impression that there’s only one “Christian” position on the issues. A new survey proves otherwise.

Pretty People, Shiny Clothes: Biblical Illiteracy in NBC’s Kings

Cynthia B. Astle.

Television fails once again to do justice to the complexity of biblical narrative.

10 Media Rules for Effective Theology

Cynthia B. Astle.

Whether it’s a “U2charist,” a campaign to help the poor, or simply agreeing to speak like a regular person, here are the top ten rules for theologians who want to reach a new public.

Don’t Blame Secularism: Reading Blind Spot: When Journalists Don’t Get Religion

Jeffrey Feldman.

A new book of essays argues that the American media suffers due to secularism and a general ignorance of religion. But is secularism really at the heart of it, or is it a far broader and longer-standing relationship with ignorance of our “enemies” that creates the Blind Spot?

Religious Right to Newsweek: ‘Woe to [You] for Even Printing This’

Bill Berkowitz.

RD News Round-Up—December 15, 2008: Bush’s Faith-Based Initiative after 8 years; ‘War on Christmas’ mash-up; Religious Right layoffs and cutbacks, ‘Prop. 8—The Musical,’ Prop. 8 Gear, and the first Vietnamese American elected to Congress.

Can Evangelicals Ever be Journalists First?  

Candace Chellew-Hodge.

Evangelicals are seeking more “power” in newsrooms. The emphasis on the label “evangelicals,” makes me wonder whether they can ever put any other label ahead of that.

Updated: Religious People Not Monolithic!  

Candace Chellew-Hodge.

While the media constantly breaks the news that religious people hold complex views when it comes to LGBTQ Americans, it comes as no shock to religious people themselves.

Dispatches from the Beltway: God-Gap Flip-Flop

Robert P. Jones and Daniel Cox.

A new survey reveals not only that church attenders and youth have swung back into Obama's camp, but that he's perceived as "friendlier" toward religion than McCain.

Wondering what ship will save us... (Still from 'Lord of the Flies,' Dir. Peter Brook, 1963) Dispatches from the Election: The 2008 Election and the Soul of America

Glenn W. Smith.

Our election columnist stands at the fulcrum of hope and dismay as he contrasts the candidates' rhetoric...

A Palin Pastor Primer

Esther Kaplan.

McCain and Obama each had one problematic pastor. Palin has four...

Community Organizing and Symbolic Electioneering

Laura R. Olson.

McCain's choice of Palin and her veiled suggestion that Obama's faith-based work might not represent a correct interpretation of either politics or theology are symbolic messages aimed at a specific religious constituency...

Spinning the Faith Forum

Mark Hulsether.

Liberal media claims that Obama was "sandbagged" at Saddleback, but is this just a knee-jerk reaction to evangelical influence in politics?

Journalistic Blind Spots and the "Centrist-to-Liberal" Christian

Mark Hulsether.

When one religious voice seems to dominate public discussion we need to ask why. Is it because it is the only voice speaking? Or is the media ignoring other voices?

RDPulpit: McCain Attack Ad is “Hopeless“

Daniel Schultz.

McCain's new ad mocking Obama's charismatic campaign of hope and the belief that we can do better is being criticized as 'blasphemous' and offensive to liberal Christians...

Purpose Driven Politics: Rick Warren’s Civil Service

Bill Berkowitz.

Barack Obama and John McCain will share a stage for the first time this August. Their host? Rick Warren, megachurch pastor and bestselling author—and a man with undeniable political influence.

Faith, Politics, and Fruitcakes

Elizabeth Shakman Hurd.

Was Obama's interpretation of the proper relationship of faith to the Constitution really a "fruitcake" position as Dr. James Dobson called it?

Makers of Depopulation Doc Have a Past

Kathryn Joyce.

Journalists should look more to the example of the Times, which recognizes the loaded arguments of dedicated culture warriors like the creators of Demographic Winter...

Conservative Christian Book on Obama's Faith

Bill Berkowitz.

Author Stephen Mansfield is getting hate mail. Why does the religious right think that this ex-pastor will roast in hell?