#2650 (4/23) "Embarrassing Gaffes Continue to Show Media’s Ignorance of Religion"

------------------------------------------

"EMBARASSING GAFFES CONTINUE TO SHOW MEDIA'S IGNORANCE OF RELIGION" - Jarrett Stepman / @JarrettStepman / April 22, 2019/
 https://www.dailysignal.com/2019/04/22/embarrassing-gaffes-continue-to-show-medias-ignorance-of-religion/ [AS I SEE IT: This article should not be surprising in that it's long been known that very few members of the average newsroom are Christians. It has therefore not been surprising to find their making such errors in reporting, but that is far from excusing them. Not understanding esp. where Christians - which the majority of Americans at least claim to be - are coming from and to report things of faith accurately should not be allowed a free pass. Such inaccuracies only cause the media not to be trusted with other informatioin as well. - Stan]

     The New York Times claimed that Father Jean-Marc Fournier saved a statue of Jesus from the Notre Dame fire, which was incorrect. (Photo: NurPhoto / Contributor/Getty Images)

      

     It’s become increasingly clear that many in our nation’s elite media know little to nothing about religion—Christianity in particular. This is a disturbing trend for the future of our country.

    A long list of theological gaffes by The New York Times over the years was recently catalogued in an insightful New York Post editorial by Mark Hemingway. 
       Among the Times’ errors was an article in 2013 that referred to Easter as a celebration of Jesus’ resurrection into heaven. It soon issued a correction, since Jesus did not immediately ascend to heaven after resurrection—that was weeks later.
      Another piece claimed that the Holy Sepulcher in Israel is where “Christians believe Jesus is buried,” even though Christians believe Jesus was resurrected and thus would not be in a tomb.
      And then there was the most recent blunder, in which the Times claimed that Father Jean-Marc Fournier saved a statue of Jesus from the Notre Dame fire. What Fournier actually saved was the Blessed Sacrament—which is, of course, not a statue but the bread used in Communion, believed by Catholics to be the real body of Christ. It appears that the Times struggles to understand the phrase “the body of Christ,” as do writers at The Washington Post.

     These somewhat laughable errors are not isolated incidents, but part of a trend. The New York Times is not alone in its failure to accurately present Christianity.
       Following the burning of the Notre Dame Cathedral, the Associated Press ran a piece with the utterly tone-deaf headline: “Tourist Mecca Notre Dame Also Revered as Place of Worship.”
The article was quite informative, but it’s simply astonishing that Associated Press editors think readers need to be informed that a famous cathedral is a place of worship.
       In 2018, a report in The Wall Street Journal misquoted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying that “Moses brought water from Iraq.” What he really said is that Moses drew water from a rock, an event described in the book of Exodus.

   Certainly everyone makes mistakes, and reporters should not be expected to be theologians.
But a complete lack of understanding of the most basic elements of a religion—one which has been at the heart of Western civilization for nearly two millennia—is inexcusable.Without at least rudimentary knowledge of religion and Christianity, it’s difficult to understand even our own country’s history in a meaningful sense—and it’s just as difficult to understand the lives of millions of Americans for whom religion is a central part of their lives.

     An American who knows little about religion, and in particular Christianity, will feel like a foreigner when studying the American past. Our rhetoric and most famous works are shot through with religious language and concepts, often derived from the Bible.
         Thomas Paine wrote “Common Sense” in 1776 in an effort to build support for American independence. Paine was a notable religious skeptic, but nevertheless filled the text of his pamphlet with biblical allusions—specifically, to the evils of monarchy.
          When Abraham Lincoln delivered his famed “House Divided” speech in 1858, pointing out how America could not continue as a nation half slave and half free, most Americans would have known he was referencing the Gospels. Christ originally coined the phrase “a house divided against itself cannot stand” to describe the exorcism of demons.
          And there are countless other direct and indirect references to Christianity and religion throughout our history.

     Christianity has evolved in our country’s history, experiencing periods of growth and decline. But what at least remained constant was that virtually all Americans, regardless of personal faith, spoke the “language” of the Bible and had some basic understanding of its teachings. That just isn’t the case today.
        As my colleague Daniel Davis wrote about the trend of biblical illiteracy, especially in the years since religion was expunged from public schools in the 1960s:
         The religion-free classroom has trained too many Americans to think of religion as an aberration from reason, a private option that doesn’t really make claims on the world around us. So religion has been ghettoized, and secularism has filled the void once occupied by a Judeo-Christian worldview.
     
        This seems to be particularly the case in our newsrooms, which all too often lack a religious perspective. So much for diversity.
        The bottom line is that it’s impossible to understand or explain the United States without at least a cursory understanding of the Bible and Christianity—not to mention history in general. We should demand such awareness from those who are tasked with informing us about what’s happening in our country and our world. Such ignorance is just one more reason why the press has lost credibility and the trust of ordinary Americans.

[italics and colored emphasis mine]

Jarrett Stepman is an editor and commentary writer for The Daily Signal and co-host of "The Right Side of History" podcast. Send an email to Jarrett.

---------------------------------------

PRAYER MATTERS:

"To clasp the hands in prayer is the beginning of an uprising against 

the disorder of the world. -  Karl Barth

"Prayer is inviting God into a seemingly impossible situation and trusting/resting in His love and grace to accomplish His perfect will in His perfect time and for His greatest glory. Intercession is the one of the great privileges AND responsibilities for EVERY believer." - Stan

------------------------------------------------------------

Praying Through the Open Doors World Watch List for persecuted believers:https://www.opendoorsusa.org/take-action/pray/monthly-prayer-calendar/

The women of the persecuted church—in April, Open Doors is focusing on this group crucial to the spread of the gospel and thriving of the global Body of Christ. Throughout the world, 
women and girls are doubly persecuted: for their faith and for their gender. We invite you to step into their stories and pray with these sisters in Christ.
April 23 | SYRIA - Pray for the strength and growth of several initiatives created to help the church in Syria remain strong, including a women’s ministry and a program for youth and children leaders.
*Names changed to protect identities