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Amazing what you can do with technology…March 12th, 2010As Washington editor of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, I’m on a bunch of e-mail lists, including the list for MoveOn.org. Today, they sent me an amazing video. Essentially, they’ve figured out a way to insert the e-mail receipient’s name into the body of a video. In this case, mine. [If you go there, just click on the "Not on Facebook" option and it will take you straight to the video...] Church-owned paper knew about scandal, didn’t print iMarch 12th, 2010Wow. A Utah politician from a prominent Mormon family who was running for Congress paid a woman $150,000 in 2002. Why? Well, it concerns this earlier incident in a hot tub with a girl who was 15. The politician was 28 at the time. Or 30 — depending on whether you believe the church-owned Deseret News or the Salt Lake Tribune. Nudity was involved. So far, the story sounds like a thousand other (non-Mormon) sordid tales involving sleazy politicians. But then things get really, really unusual — from a journalism standpoint. According to the church-owned Deseret News’, own story:
Let’s review the facts. The church-owned paper finds out about a huge scandal involving a prominent Mormon politician. Editors decide to kill it — to wait and see how the Republican primary goes before deciding whether to pursue it. After all, the election was only weeks away. I’ve worked in a lot of newsrooms in a lot of states and I’ve covered a lot of campaigns and I’ve never seen a story killed because the election was only weeks away. There are plenty of newsrooms that wouldn’t run this story on election day — if the facts were in dispute. Or the day before the Election. Or perhaps even the weekend before the Election. There’s a sense that running a story like this at the very last second is risky — for journalists, for readers for good government — especially if the facts are in dispute. But I’m aware of no credible secular daily newspaper in America that would sit on this story for weeks if the candidate had admitted that the allegations were true. The paper’s explanation raises other red flags. The editors decided to wait until after the Republican primary to decide whether to run the story.In most of Utah, of course, the primary election is the general election. 1992 was a big year for Democrats, nationally. But in Utah, Rob Bishop won the general election after beating Garn 61 percent to 37 percent (it was a three-way race.) Had Garn won the primary, the Deseret News’ editors would have face another uncomfortable dilemma: Do we reveal the truth now and throw the election to the Democrats or do we continue to conceal the truth from our readers and hope no one finds out. For a moment, I was going to give the Deseret News credit for at least admitting it had held the story in 2002. But before giving them credit, I need to know their motivation for finally coming forward. Did they decide they owed it to their readers to tell them the truth? Or were they doing preemptive damage control, figuring that the reporters who had been silenced in 2002 would step forward and tell the story themselves? Another strange twist: Salt Lake is a two-newspaper town. Normally competition in two-paper towns is fierce. Why did this story make it to the Deseret News, but not the Tribune? Among the follow-up questions I’d want answered. Was alcohol involved? Were laws broken? Probably a good time to mention my Nixon White House collectiblesMarch 11th, 2010The Colson Center is featuring the Bible Belt Blog on its Facebook page and Twitter accounts today. That’s Colson as in Chuck Colson, the former Nixon Watergate figure who found Christ, wrote a best-selling book, and started an influential prison ministry. [Time named him one of America's 25-Most-Influential Evangelicals. See the profile here.] I want to thank Colson Center coordinator Billy Atwell and I want to welcome Colson Center visitors. For those of us who believe in redemption and second chances, Chuck Colson is an inspiring figure… And, yes, I do have some Nixon-era collectibles. Specifically, a complete set of church bulletins from the Sunday morning worship services that were held in the White House periodically throughout the Nixon administration. A former White House correspondent donated the collection to the Religion Newswriters Association and I bought it at a silent auction in San Antonio in 2007. Five of the programs are autographed by the former President. None of them, unfortunately, are autographed by the man from North Carolina who delivered the messages at least once or twice: evangelist Billy Graham. Standing Committees back openly-lesbian bishopMarch 10th, 2010A majority of the Episcopal Church’s standing committees have consented to the election of an openly-lesbian woman as bishop suffragan of Los Angeles, according to the Episcopal News Service. A majority of the church’s “bishops with jurisdiction” must also give their consent. That hurdle will likely be cleared shortly. What impact, if any, that this has on the worldwide Anglican Communion remains to be seen. Glenn Beck: ‘Run’ from churches that tout ’social justice’March 10th, 2010Glenn Beck is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and a famous conservative talk show host. He’s created a stir by denouncing churches that trumpet social justice:
Somewhat coincidentally, (after I’d seen a headline about the controversy, but before I’d read the above quote about checking out church Web sites), I went to the Mormon Church’s official Web site and searched for the terms “social justice”, “economic justice” and “social gospel.” I can sum up what I found in four words: Run, Glenn Beck, Run. Does America need Protestant Supreme Court justices?March 9th, 2010Currently, there are 6 Catholics, 2 Jews and 1 Protestant serving on the nation’s highest court. But the lone Protestant, John Paul Stevens, turns 90 next month, and there is speculation that he may retire soon. The Washington Post raises the possibility that there could soon be — for the first time in history — no Protestants on the court, and asks if that matters. My take: American Christianity is no longer divided, primarily, between Protestants and Catholics. Today, the fault lines run between those who believe the Apostles Creed and those who do not, between those who believe that man is sinful and in need of a Savior, and those who don’t. The labels matter less than ever. The world view matters more. Most evangelical leaders, I’m guessing, would rather see a Catholic like Scalia than a Protestant like Stevens. Unusual Radio Format: Hot Christian A CappellaMarch 8th, 2010I stumbled upon an unusual radio format today: Hot Christian A Cappella. I saw the link while visiting TheChristianChronicle.org, a Web site dedicated to the Churches of Christ. [Churches of Christ have been, historically, a cappella.] By the way, there’s a fascinating story by Bobby Ross about Kenneth Starr. While at historically-Church of Christ Pepperdine, Starr attended a Church of Christ congregation. But now that Starr has been picked to lead historically-Baptist Baylor University, he has said he plans to join a Baptist congregation. Mr. Phelps goes to WashingtonMarch 8th, 2010WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is getting involved in the legal fight over the anti-gay protesters who show up at military funerals with inflammatory messages like “Thank God for dead soldiers.” The court agreed Monday to consider whether the protesters’ message, no matter how provocative and upsetting, is protected by the First Amendment. Members of a Kansas-based church have picketed military funerals to spread their belief that U.S. deaths in Afghanistan and Iraq are punishment for the nation’s tolerance of homosexuality. The justices will hear an appeal from the father of a Marine killed in Iraq to reinstate a $5 million verdict against the protesters, after they picketed outside his son’s funeral in Maryland. A jury in Baltimore awarded Albert Snyder damages for emotional distress and invasion of privacy, but a federal appeals court threw out the verdict. The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the signs contained “imaginative and hyperbolic rhetoric” protected by the First Amendment. The funeral for Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder in Westminster, Md., was among many that have been picketed by members of the fundamentalist Westboro Baptist Church in Kansas. Westboro pastor Fred Phelps and other members have used the funeral protests to spread their belief that U.S. deaths in the Iraq war are punishment for the nation’s tolerance of homosexuality. One of the signs at Snyder’s funeral combined the U.S. Marine Corps motto with a slur against gay men. Other signs carred by members of the Topeka, Kan.-based church said, “America is Doomed,” “God Hates the USA/Thank God for 9/11,” “Priests Rape Boys” and “Thank God for IEDs,” a reference to the roadside bombs that have killed many U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. The case will be argued in the fall. Openly-gay priest takes helm in Lexington parishMarch 5th, 2010The Harvard Crimson has all the details: “While homosexuality is not considered a sin in the Episcopal Church, which is known for being more progressive than other denominations, Rev. Timothy R. Fleck said that he had his doubts about living with another man in an openly gay relationship when he was first invited to Kentucky.” St. Martha’s, you’ll recall, is the congregation that took over Church of the Apostles’ building after Apostles’ members voted to leave the Episcopal Church USA. A celestial Communion — a lunar EucharistMarch 4th, 2010A little-known fact about the first moon landing. Astronaut Buzz Aldwin celebrated the Lord’s Supper on the surface of the moon on July 20, 1969, drinking wine from a small silver chalice. The act of worship was not revealed until after the flight. Sitting in the lunar module, Aldwin, a Presbyterian, read a verse from the New Testament before partaking. Which verse? John 15:5. Read the rest of this entry » Stampede kills 63 at Hindu templeMarch 4th, 2010Many of the dead were children. Families of the victims will receive 10,000 rupees ($220) each. By RAJESH KUMAR SINGH Bible Belt Blogger recognized as top blogMarch 3rd, 2010The Social Science Research Council has issued a report entitled “The New Landscape of the Religion Blogosphere”. The report
I was surprised and pleased to find out today that the Bible Belt Blogger was included on the most influential blogs list. h/t to Jose for pointing me to the list. Thanks to all of the regulars who have visited my blog and posted comments over the past three years. ABC NEWS: ‘History’ is on Romney’s sideMarch 2nd, 2010ABC News says Mitt Romney has a”decent chance” of winning the Republican nomination in 2012. Why? Because he lost the Republican nomination in 2008. Here’s ABC’s (somewhat shaky) logic: In Virginia, a clothing-optional churchFebruary 25th, 2010This has to be the strangest story I’ve seen this week. Times of London finds new book of BibleFebruary 25th, 2010It’s called the Book of Prophets, and you won’t find it in the Authorized Version.
(Full story here) That quotation from the book of Prophets bears a striking resemblance to another passage in Proverbs 11:14. |
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