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GetReligion

"The press . . . just doesn't get religion." -- William Schneider

Problems with parachuting into AFAToday

Remember that reporter vice I discussed last week? If you need a refresher: Reporters and people and people are prone to temptation and maybe the greatest temptation of a reporter on deadline for a story they aren’t married to is to rely, often over-rely, on previously quoted experts.

This is the way little-known academics or think-tank folks or advocacy organizations become go-to sources. That’s not to say sometimes the reputation isn’t deserved; in many cases it is. But even when it is deserved, there is a dearth of voices that begins to appear over the life cycle of a newsworthy story.

This appears to not be an issue for Lance Benzel, a reporter for the Colorado Springs Gazette. The proof is in the pudding. The pudding is Benzel’s version of the story about the Pagan worship site at the Air Force Academy, which was the impetus for my previous reporter-vice post.

The article is short and sweet, but does what’s necessary. Benzel includes a great detail about the design of the cross, which was made with two

Question: Who set all this up?Yesterday

Superbowl morality talesYesterday

Shameless super plug for a friendFebruary 7

Well, this is Super Sunday and all of that, so it’s fitting that young master Brad started us off with a God and the gridiron post.

I’ve already seen a Pam and Tim Tebow advertisement several times during the pre-game show this afternoon — which may have well as started last night — and the contents seemed very tame, in terms of being a major event in the Culture Wars. I wonder if there is a stronger ad coming during the game itself. Normally, you don’t call something a “Super Bowl ad” unless it airs after the kickoff.

Meanwhile, Sarah Pulliam Bailey is on a train heading out oh Washington, D.C., where she has been trapped by snow for several days. She’s trying to get to Philadelphia, where she thinks she will have a better chance to break through the crush at the airport. Tell me about it. My flight out of Baltimore today was canceled (trying to get to Indianapolis to start six days of visiting campuses in the Midwest). Will I get out tomorrow? Who knows.

This part of the country is really buried in snow today. So be patient if you are waiting for Sarah responses to comment-page stuff. She hopes to be online later.

Still, there is another way

Godly gridiron giantsFebruary 7

It’s Super Bowl Sunday, which means today is a super day to discuss coverage of faithful football coaches. Although, in this case it’s two former Super Bowl winning coaches. One, Tony Dungy, is taken on a new role of mentor to troubled players. The other, Mike Holmgren, is the new czar of the Browns and the second biggest macher in Cleveland, right after King James.

Both Dungy and Holmgren recently received major profiles on ESPN.com and in the Plain-Dealer, respectively. What was wonderful about both these reports was the degree of attention they directed at the Godly motivations for both these men. Let’s start with the Dungy piece, where the Godtalk was teased in the “Higher Calling” feature head:

Dungy, whom close friends have called a messenger of God, cuts a different figure from many of his peers, one born of faith, the loss of a child and commitment. He believes deeply in his pow