It’s an Op Ed!
Religion reporting is as fraught with peril as any other specialized field of journalism.
Pastors, at least seminary-trained pastors, learn to discern the genre of the text under consideration. Reading the Psalms? It is helpful to be aware of how Hebrew Poetry works. If we simply say it is poetry, we Americans may look for rhyme and meter. We won’t find it there. Reading Ezekiel or Revelation requires a different nose for interpretation than what is called for in the books of Samuel, Kings, or Chronicles.
What happens when we pastors read articles covering religion and forget to consider whether the piece is a news story or an opinion piece? That answer: plenty.
Today’s edition of Can We Talk? is apropos. If we cannot distinguish genres when we read English articles, then our communication is doomed. Worse, our reactions may betray Christian decorum.
Maina Mwaura joins me for a conversation on religion reporting, religion journalism, in the current cultural milieu. We specifically discuss the changes that contribute to more tribalism not less and reveal more suspicion not less. You may be interested to hear Maina’s observations leading to the annual meeting of the SBC in Anaheim and the discussion over at least one potential Presidential candidate.
You may listen here. (Until I figure out how to embed the podcast.)
I have exciting news to share: You can now read Can We Talk? in the new Substack app for iPhone.
With the app, you’ll have a dedicated Inbox for my Substack and any others you subscribe to. New posts will never get lost in your email filters, or stuck in spam. Longer posts will never cut-off by your email app. Comments and rich media will all work seamlessly. Overall, it’s a big upgrade to the reading experience.
The Substack app is currently available for iOS. If you don’t have an Apple device, you can join the Android waitlist here.