Monthly Archives: March 2008

Sunday Sermonizing

Two types of stories emerged in the wake of Barack Obama's March 18 speech on race, religion and the Rev. Jeremiah Wright. One focuses on politics, the other on religion. Guess which gets more attention? Data from the Pew Research … Continue reading

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Losing Their Religion

How great to drive to work Monday and catch Morning Edition's interview with REM.  The seven-plus minute feature (with extras online) was tagged to the release of the band's 14th album, Accelerate. After a promising tease, “the rock group REM … Continue reading

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Happy Easter

If a child has ever asked you what Easter has to do with the Easter bunny (there is an answer and here's where to find it, you can appreciate the difficulty of reporting and writing the annual Easter Sunday story. … Continue reading

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Sunday School

Back in the day, my editors sent me to church every Sunday to see if I could find any news. I'd spend all day Friday working the phones—looking for a Sunday sermon that might have some bite. Then I'd head … Continue reading

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Seven Up

No surprise that the Vatican's update of seven deadly sins is an incisive indictment of capitalism—this Pope, like the one before him, sees our economic system as spiritually corrosive. The new list isn't substantively different from the old one, but … Continue reading

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The Middle East and the American Elections

J.J. Goldberg, formerly the editor-in-chief of the Jewish Daily Forward takes on the American Election from the point of view of its influence by and impact on the Middle East. 12:00 noon in the University Club Banquet Room645 W. Exposition … Continue reading

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THE WIRE Gets Religion

When I first asked David Simon to speak in my media, faith and Hollywood class, he was pleasant, polite, and surprised. The Wire, he emailed back, doesn't draw on religion. Its dramatic cues come straight from Greek tragedy. No matter, … Continue reading

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Souled Out: Reclaiming Faith and Politics After the Religious Right

Join us for a Knight Chair Forum with E.J. Dionne, Jr., Washington Post columnist and author of Souled Out: Reclaiming Faith and Politics After the Religious Right. Wednesday, March 5 at 4:00 p.m. in Annenberg 207 (3502 Watt Way, Los … Continue reading

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Doing More with Less: Journalism and the Polis

The Knight Chair in Media and Religion presents a discussion with David Simon, creator and executive producer of the highly-acclaimed HBO series The Wire. On the critically acclaimed series, Simon has tackled problems of contemporary urban life.  This season, the … Continue reading

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Faith and Faithfulness

The Party Faithful,  Amy Sullivan's new book is a must-read for academics, journalists and just about anyone interested in the recent entwining of American politics and religion. In lucid, elegant prose, Sullivan explains where we are today (or were pre-2008) … Continue reading

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