Misusing labels: A preying Presbyterian

Religion

August 17, 2012

Misusing labels: A preying Presbyterian

On Religion

By Terry Mattingly/Syndicated columnist The Picayune Item Picayune Item Fri Aug 17, 2012, 10:26 AM CDT

WASHINGTON — Once again, shocked onlookers painted from familiar palettes as they described the latest young man to march into the public square with his guns blazing.

The alleged killer was a moody, quiet loner who excelled at school. He was a normal guy who loved movies and super-hero tales, only he cheered for the villains. When hanging out in bars, he was usually sitting alone.

Journalists also quoted people who knew the family and said that James Holmes was once, as The Los Angeles Times noted, “heavily involved in their local Presbyterian church” in San Diego.

You see, even a kid from a normal church can evolve into someone who dyes his hair red, buys 6,000 rounds of ammo, girds himself in a full body-armor suit and, when surrendering to Aurora, Colo., police, identifies himself as the Joker, the incarnation of postmodern evil.

“What does ‘Presbyterian’ mean in this context?” asked Aly Colon, a nationally known journalism ethics consultant. “It’s like no one really stopped to ask if there was there something about this particular label — the actual content of this word — that connected in any way to this event.

“Does this kind of label give readers anything to stand on? ... It’s like these words are hovering up in the sky, with no connection to the facts on the ground,” he said.

Truth is, in Southern California, “Presbyterian” can describe everything from evangelical megachurches to oldline Protestant congregations on the religious left.

So was the Holmes family active in the liberal Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) or the conservative Presbyterian Church in America? How about the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, the Bible Presbyterian Synod, the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America or the American Presbyterian Church?

Then again, journalists were soon reporting that this family has been active — for nearly a decade — in some kind of Lutheran congregation.

The problem, explained Colon, is that journalists assigned to cover these media storms in the digital age are trying to report as much information as they can, as fast as they can, as easily as they can, while competing against legions of websites, Twitter feeds, 24-hour cable news and, often, smartphone videos uploaded to YouTube by eyewitnesses. Reporters are tempted to use as many easy labels and stereotypes as possible, simply to save time and space.

Almost a decade ago, Colon wrote a Poynter.org essay entitled “Preying Presbyterians?” about a similar media blitz in which a gunman who killed an abortion-clinic doctor was constantly identified as a “former Presbyterian minister.” As it turned out, Paul Hill had become so radical that he had already been ejected from a small Presbyterian flock that was very conservative, one that opposed any use of violence during protests.

None of the mainstream news reports he read, wrote Colon, explained why it mattered that this man had once been some kind of Presbyterian. It was just a religious label with no real content.

“As journalists, we choose words carefully and conscientiously. We select nouns and adjectives to advance the story. We connect dots. We make points. We clarify. We explain,” wrote Colon. “So when I see the word ‘Presbyterian,’ I expect an explanation somewhere in the story that tells me why I need to know that. I would expect the same if other terms were used, such as ‘Catholic,’ ‘Episcopalian,’ ‘Christian,’ ‘Jew,’ ‘Mormon,’ ‘Hindu,’ ‘Buddhist,’ ‘Muslim’ or ‘Pagan.’ “

What he wrote then remains true today, as journalists try to find and assemble the pieces of the bloody Aurora puzzle. If religion is going to be included in the coverage, stressed Colon, reporters must work to “connect faith to facts.”

In other words, it will be crucial to learn the details of Holmes’ real life, in the here and now. Journalists must learn how he spent his time, spent his money and made the decisions that appear to have ended and altered so many lives. If faith — or some other worldview — is part of that equation, then so be it.

“It’s our duty to drill down and to find facts that add clarity,” said Colon. “Maybe this young man once had a membership in a particular Presbyterian church with a particular theology. So what? How is that faith connected to the facts of what happened in Aurora?

“There must be a connection, or what’s the point?”

Text Only

Religion

The strange victory by liberal religion
By Terry Mattingl/Syndicated columnist

The most recent Jewish Community Study of New York held few surprises for those who have followed the sobering Jewish trends of recent decades

April 5, 2013
Movies on Canal begins March 9
The Church at Picayune is hosting a free community event called “Movies on Canal”, on the second Saturday of each month, beginning Saturday March 9, 2012.
A family friendly movie will be projected onto the side of the building at 120 West Canal St in Picayune. Bring a lawn chair and the entire family and enjoy fun-jumps, pop-corn, food, and lots of entertainment at Movies On Canal.

March 8, 2013
Pope resigns on his terms
By Terry Mattingly/Syndicated columnist

In the spring of 2009, Pope Benedict XVI stopped in Aquila, Italy, to pray at the shrine of St. Celestine V.
The pope left his pallium — a wool garment that resembles a yoke, symbolizing bonds between a shepherd and his flock — on this medieval pope’s tomb. Then, 15 months later, he visited a cathedral outside Rome to pray before the relics, once again, of St. Celestine V.

February 22, 2013
Pope Benedict VXI resigning
VATICAN CITY (AP) — With a few words in Latin, Pope Benedict VXI did Monday what no pope has done in more than half a millennium, announcing his resignation and sending the already troubled Catholic Church scrambling to replace the leader of its 1 billion followers by Easter.
Not even his closest associates had advance word of the news, a bombshell that he dropped during a routine morning meeting of Vatican cardinals. With no clear favorites to succeed him, another surprise likely awaits when the cardinals elect Benedict’s successor next month.
“Without doubt this is a historic moment,” said Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn, a protege and former theology student of Benedict’s who is considered a papal contender. “Right now, 1.2 billion Catholics the world over are holding their breath.”

February 12, 2013
It’s great to be involved with ‘Upwards’ basketball
By Gwen Williams/AKA MS Chocolate/Guest Columnist

I’m not a sports person, but every year I look forward to sharing with the children involved in the Upward Basketball program. First through sixth graders come together to experience their first sports encounter playing basketball. Boys and girls play together with the hope of building character and values for life. Excitement floods the gym as parents, grandparents, and aunts gather with various electronic gadgets waiting to film their children. The program is also a means of reaching parents with children who are unchurched.

February 8, 2013
The heart attack
By Steve Ellison, Interim Pastor/First Baptist Horatio, Ark.

January was a big month for me. It actually started in December and seeped over into February. I spent a few weeks helping to care for my father who was very ill, in fact near death from the combined effects of lung cancer, radiation of the brain, and chemotherapy. I officiated the funerals of a close family friend, my father, and my father’s sister.

February 8, 2013
An offering
By Kelcie Kinchen/Guest Columnist

Through life, no matter where we are, we face times that leave us with just a handful of understanding and a trunk full of confusion. Circumstances leave us standing in the road, not sure which way to turn.
It seems like everyone around you has something to offer in abundance and yet all you believe you have is not worthy of offering. In our minds, all we see is the lack but God sees the abundance around the corner of surrender.

February 1, 2013
Last call, ya’ll!
This is The final call for articles and photos for
this year’s Pearl River County Today “Progress” edition. all churches and religious organizations can email their articles and photos to…
picayuneitem@bellsouth.net.

January 25, 2013
Getting to know the enemy is vital
By Steve Ellison, Interim Pastor/First Baptist Horatio, Ark.

The past few weeks have been difficult for me. I saw enough tears to last me a lifetime (and shed a few of my own). My father has been very ill recently. I was not his primary care giver but I was heavily involved. I experienced things I never wanted to experience.

January 25, 2013
Why be included in Pearl River County Today edition?
What would you say to others about your church or regligious organization?

Do you want to increase participation in your activities, or services?
If you had a free venue you could use to present your information not only to local citizens but to visitors, would you use it?

January 18, 2013
More Religion Headlines

Religion

Search Results

Misusing labels: A preying Presbyterian

On Religion

Site Map

Contact Us