The new Nelson Mandela movie: one of the best sports films of all time?
Invictus inspires, but does it rank as one of the best sports movies of all time?
Directed by Clint Eastwood, the new movie stars Morgan Freeman as South African President Nelson Mandela and Matt Damon as captain of the national rugby team. Based on a true story, the PG-13-rated film focuses on Mandela’s effort to unite post-apartheid South Africa behind the team’s quest to win the 1995 World Cup. (A quick aside: Now I know why they call them rugby shirts.)
My reporting trip to South Africa this fall, which included a tour of the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg, piqued my interest in the movie.
Before David Duncan, Mike Avery and I flew home, Southern Africa Bible College director Fred Bergh took us to see Pretoria, the presidential capital of South Africa. Fred, a white man who is a former South African ambassador to the United Nations, talked in glowing terms about Mandela, whom he knew personally, and the Nobel Peace Prize winner’s efforts to bring together all of South Africa’s people, regardless of color.
Fred told me:
I never worked on a permanent basis with former President Mandela but had dealings with him before and after his assumption of office, firstly when I was political and legal adviser to the former Foreign Minister and then as a diplomat in New York. He is an exceptional person, and his greatest qualities, in my view, are his humility, his honesty, his forgiving nature and his unflinching quest to apply the principles of fairness and justice for all. It was fitting that the country was first called a rainbow nation under his presidency.
Invictus, which Tamie and I saw at the $5 matinee Friday, highlights all those traits.
The majestic government buildings that Fred showed us are featured prominently in the movie, as are the shanty towns where the poor live in improvised dwellings made from scrap materials. The scenery certainly looked familiar!
Beyond the racial and historical overtones, this is — at its heart — an exhilarating, entertaining sports film where the classic underdog battles to overcome the odds. Think Hoosiers, The Rookie, Miracle, Rudy, Karate Kid, Rocky and even the recently released Blind Side, but don’t forget to Remember the Titans.
If those stories made your pulse race and put a big smile on your face, this one will, too.
Your turn: What are your top five favorite sports movies of all time? Rank them from 1 to 5.
— Bobby
It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s a sleigh … it’s Santa’s helicopter
In my last post, I described my exclusive interview with ole St. Nick himself.
What I didn’t mention was that Santa Claus and I got together again a few years later — and this time he let me ride along with some of his elves as he delivered gifts.
No, he didn’t invite me try out his sleigh.
But his head elf and I did take to the skies in one of Santa’s official helicopters:
ABOARD SANTA U.S.A. HELICOPTER NO. 2 — Head elf John Carter sits up front, a green flight headset wrapped around his red Santa hat. Elementary school principal Sheila McCollum, in her first propeller-driven excursion, is buckled in behind the pilot.
Mr. and Mrs. Claus, along with Frosty, Rudolph and a couple of elves, are in the chopper behind this one.
Nearly 500 feet below, 600 children fill the parking lot at Rann Elementary in the small North Texas town of Decatur, eagerly awaiting Santa’s arrival.
Men in yellow “Santa Landing Crew” vests direct the helicopters to a field across from the school. Carter grabs a megaphone and prepares to herald the big guy’s arrival.
“What I usually do is, I get the kids all riled up and then Santa gets out,” said Carter, a grandfatherly sort who sports fuzzy green knickers and red-and-white striped socks.
Fun times!
And, by the way, Merry Christmas!
— Bobby
Santa (the real one!) tells all in exclusive chat
By Bobby Ross Jr.
In the most merry moment of my newspaper career, a world-renowned senior citizen gave me an exclusive interview for Christmas. But first I had to sit on his knee.
I found the man who claims to be “the real Santa Claus” making children smile at Quail Springs Mall in Oklahoma City.
Santa sported long white hair, a fluffy white beard and wire-rimmed glasses. The hair and the beard were real. I’m not sure about the glasses.
To my surprise, Santa had no red coat, no thick black belt and no knee-high boots.
Instead, the casual St. Nick wore red knickers, black slippers, red, white and green striped socks and a colorful shirt covered with holiday bears.
Red suspenders hung over a belly made plump by a few million too many chocolate chip cookies.
BR: I understand you’re the real Santa?
SANTA: That’s right. I came last year to Oklahoma City because I had heard about the children down here and how special they are. I just got overrun with loving-kindness, and I just had to come back again this year.
BR: How do you explain all the other guys running around in red suits and calling themselves Santa?
SANTA: Well, I know they do that. The children need to understand that they (the other guys in red suits) are my helpers. Because there are a lot of children out there that need a chance to see Santa and give him their lists.
So I don’t mind because up until Christmas Eve, I can’t be everywhere at once. I just tell the kids, `Well, they are my helpers and they aren’t the real Santa.’ But you know what? The kids know it, too.
BR: So you’ve never considered a lawsuit against these guys?
SANTA: No, no. They’re doing their best to help.
BR: How much time do you spend here at the mall during the Christmas season?
SANTA: Well, I’m here a lot because I want to see the kids. The closer it gets to Christmas, of course, the longer I’m here to see them. I try to make myself available, you know.
BR: How long would a typical day be?
SANTA: It varies. From eight hours a day up to and surpassing 12 hours a day.
You know, sometimes the mall says, `Santa, you can go home early.’ But I don’t. I stay. As long as there’s children there that want to see me, I stay.
BR: How many children do you see on those 12-hour days?
SANTA: Oh boy. It runs into the hundreds and hundreds. It does.
BR: Does your knee ever get tired?
SANTA: You know, it doesn’t. It never does. And it’s the darnedest thing. I sit there and I get nestled in that chair and I just love the children, and they actually put energy into Santa. When they smile at me, I just get real excited and just love Christmas and the children, and it gives me energy.
BR: Do you go home to the North Pole at night or stay here in Oklahoma City?
SANTA: I stay right here, and Oklahoma City just takes wonderful care of Santa.
BR: Do the elves and Mrs. Claus not get upset that this is the busiest time of the year and you’re here in Oklahoma?
SANTA: No, they don’t get upset because they love the children so much. They know what we’re doing. So they commit to do this in their heart. And they love doing it.
BR: Do you really use a magic key to get into houses where there are no chimneys?
SANTA: You know, some people refer to it as a key, but I prefer to call it the magic of Christmas. Because there are so many things about Christmas that are so special in the hearts and minds of people. And I’m not just talking little ones. I mean, big people. People who have seen many Christmases come and go. And it’s just real special to them.
BR: If there’s no chimney, do you still park the sleigh on the roof?
SANTA: Where there’s room, I park it on the roof. And you know what they do? These moms and dads and the little ones have been putting carrots on the roof. And I want to tell you – Rudolph, he goes crazy over those carrots. And ole Dasher, he gets in there too and likes to have a carrot once in a while.
And then they put that reindeer food up there for them and they love that. I mean, those rascals, they just get right into it. It just makes it fun for everybody.
BR: Is Rudolph’s nose red all year long or just at Christmastime?
SANTA: Well, you know, it glows at Christmastime. People ask me, `Well, Santa, don’t your reindeer fly all the time?’ Well, of course not. They fly on Christmas Eve, and that’s the same thing with Rudolph’s nose. Come Christmas Eve, boy, when it’s really cloudy and it’s overcast and we can’t see, Rudolph gets right in front and lights the way.
BR: Do any of the other reindeer feel slighted, like maybe Rudolph’s getting too much of the attention?
SANTA: I don’t really think so, because they are so well known. You know, Dasher and Dancer and Comet and Cupid – they’re well known and they just really appreciate the fact that Rudolph is there to provide that guidance. And Comet and Cupid and Donner and Blitzen, I’ve never really noticed them being upset. Because it’s like a team. We work together. I couldn’t do it without them. And that’s how I sense they feel toward each other.
BR: You mentioned the carrots for the reindeer. Are cookies and milk still your favorite snacks?
SANTA: Chocolate chip cookies. Chocolate chip cookies. (Santa stuck his lips directly against the tape recorder as he said this.) I love them! Chocolate chip cookies and some milk. That’s just my favorite.
BR: How many do you figure you eat on a typical Christmas Eve?
SANTA: Oh son, look at me, this is real. (He rubbed his plump belly.) We’re talking thousands of cookies, you know. I didn’t get like this just overnight. It took years and years.
BR: Is this casual wardrobe a new fashion statement?
SANTA: I’m glad you asked because this is my workshop outfit. This is what I wear in my workshop. Now a lot of Santas, like you see with my helpers, they wear the red coat and the hat. … But when I come into my house, just like every boy and girl, I take my boots off. I put my slipper shoes on. And I take my hat and hang it up. My coat, I hang it up. And I go around in my workshop with this shirt and my knickers on and my red, white and green socks – they’re my favorite. This is the workshop look.
BR: Do you always bring children what they ask for?
SANTA: You know, I don’t. I try. Sometimes, children come in with lists that are 3 feet long, and I try to remind them that there are a lot of boys and girls out there that are really hoping they get just one thing. I want children to have a sense of that, that Christmas isn’t made up of how much you get.
You know, I have kids who come through here and what they want from Santa is for mommy and daddy to get back together. They don’t want mommy and daddy to get divorced. That’s a tough one. I don’t tell them it’s all going … to be OK. The other day, I had a little girl say that to me. … All I could tell her was that I knew that Jesus loved her. What can you tell a little girl like that?
And I had a bell in my pocket that fell off Prancer’s harness, and I gave it to her. I said, `I want you to take this with you because when it gets really tough … I want you to take this little bell out of your pocket and I want you to ring it. I want you to remember that Jesus loves you and Santa loves you, too. I want you to find the strength to make it through.’
So no, you don’t always get everything you asked for from Santa. But the one thing you’re going to know is that Santa loves you and you’re special with Santa.
BR: What would you be or who would you be if you weren’t Santa?
SANTA: You know, I can’t imagine because it’s such a blessing to be Santa. I have no desire to be anybody else.
BR: You never want to just chop off the beard and the hair?
SANTA: No. This way the kids recognize me. I mean, even when it’s not Christmas, I visit different cities and I check up on the kids from time to time to make sure they’re good little boys and girls, you know, because sometimes they get pretty ornery and carry on when nobody’s around. But I’m there and I’m watching and I’m keeping track of how good they are.
BR: Are most of the girls and boys being good this year?
SANTA: Yes, they are. I’d say for the most part, they really are. They’re trying to be good. Some of them need to be reminded, of course. But for the most part, they do try. They really do.
BR: Anything else you would say to the boys and girls?
SANTA: Well, I would just reiterate how much Santa loves them and how special they are to me. And I want them to know that. With Santa, they’re just No. 1 … and I love them and I appreciate them. I want them to have a wonderful Christmas. I’m going to put some surprises in their Christmas this year. I want it to be extra special, and I want them to have a merry Christmas.
This interview was originally published Dec. 1, 1997, in The Oklahoman.
‘The Blind Side’: God at work on the big screen
If you haven’t seen “The Blind Side,” stop reading right now, run to the nearest theater and buy a ticket.
Popcorn is optional, although I highly recommend it — with a healthy portion of liquid butter. 
I am a Sandra Bullock fan and tend to enjoy both sports movies and movies that tug at my heartstrings, but the overt Christian message of this movie pleasantly surprised me.
As Charisma magazine described it:
The Blind Side, starring Sandra Bullock and Tim McGraw, is undeniably inspirational. At a recent screening, many viewers were openly in tears.
But Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy, the Christian couple at the center of the film that opens Friday, hope the story of how they adopted a homeless black teenager who eventually became a first-round NFL draft pick does more than make people cry.
“We hope people walk out of the theater and want to do something for someone else,” said the couple’s daughter, Collins Tuohy.
Based on the true story of Baltimore Ravens rookie Michael Oher, The Blind Side — rated PG-13 for language, violence and depictions of drug use — chronicles how a handful of Christians helped change the life of a teen growing up in inner-city Memphis, Tenn.
Terry Mattingly of Scripps Howard News Service also wrote a wonderful column exploring the Christian angle:
The key is that expressions of faith were a natural part of this true story, said actress Sandra Bullock, who plays Leigh Anne. No one was faking anything.
“This family, they were themselves for no other benefit other than because they wanted to reach out, lend a hand, and had no idea that they would get a son in return,” she told reporters, after a press screening of “The Blind Side.” Bullock said that, while making the movie, she regained a little “faith in those who say they represent a faith. … I’ve finally met people that walk the walk.”
This movie is James 1:27 adapted to the big screen. This is Christianity in action, even if the people making it happen are flawed and imperfect — just like real Christians.
One of the most compelling parts of the movie, to me, is when the football coach argues that the Christian school should accept Michael Oher in spite of his poor grade-point average. Not because of his size and athletic prowess, the coach says, but “because it’s the right thing to do.”
Now, this scene is compelling because the coach is saying the right thing, but it seems pretty obvious — based on a later scene — that football really was his motivation in pushing for Big Mike’s admission. Yet, admitting this student is the right thing, and the school does the right thing, even if not for entirely pure motives.
Which, in my mind, raises the question: How often does God use people doing the right thing for the wrong reason(s) to fulfill his purposes? Does this ever happen in my own life?
2 Corinthians 9:7 says:
Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
But what if I can’t give cheerfully? My friend David Duncan says I should go ahead and give anyway. I may not be blessed myself, but at least the money can be used to bless others for God’s purposes.
Alas, I have veered way off course, but this is a movie that not only entertains you but causes you to reflect.
Go and see it. Now.
— Bobby
Hand caught in the cookie jar — er, collection plate? No problem
At West Ridge Church, a Baptist church near Atlanta, leaders tried a different approach Sunday to helping the needy.
They filled big buckets at the front of the auditorium with thousands of dollars and encouraged people hurting financially to come forward and help themselves.
Tony Morgan, the church’s executive director of ministries, described the scene this way:
Some people grabbed one handful (of cash). Other people grabbed two handfuls depending on their needs. In one service, the buckets were emptied and people just started writing checks to other people. ….
People who God has blessed gave an offering from what God has given them. Then God used that offering to bless people who needed help. Wouldn’t it be something if the Church in America became known for its generosity?
Now, this isn’t the first time I’ve heard of a church giving away money — and not just to folks who fill out a benevolence request.
Just a few weeks ago, the Chicago Tribune reported on a church that has helped fill its pews by offering cash prizes — two for $250 and one for $500 — to lucky churchgoers each Sunday:
(The Rev. Dan) Willis concedes the cash prize is a gimmick to fill the pews. But he’s unapologetic about the plan, because it’s working. On a typical Sunday, his church draws about 1,600 people to its three Sunday services. But since the money giveaway started, about five weeks ago, the congregation has grown to about 2,500 each week, he said. The money for the giveaway comes from the church offering.
Almost eight years, I wrote a column for The Oklahoman on Life Church in Edmond giving away $10,000 as part of a sermon series that stressed relying on biblical principles to manage finances:
Each of the roughly 6,000 worshippers at Life Church’s seven Saturday and Sunday services that weekend entered a drawing. The winners — 52 in all — received envelopes containing $100, $200 or $300.
The recipients were encouraged to use the money to meet personal needs for which they’d prayed or to help others.
“I wanted them to pray about what they were going to do with God’s money,” (pastor Craig) Groeschel said. “The response was just unbelievable.”
Your turn:
1. Letting people grab money from the collection plate: is that the best way to help them?
2. Cash prizes: is that a biblical approach to attracting visitors to the worship assembly?
3. Giving away money: how does your church go about it?
— Bobby
The JFK assassination: Forty-six years later
Today marks the 46th anniversary of the John F. Kennedy assassination in Dallas.
I can remember clearly what I was doing that day. Nothing. I wasn’t born yet.
But one of my more interesting pursuits during my two years with The Associated Press in Dallas was a 2003 series on the 40th anniversary of the JFK assassination:
Moments before President John F. Kennedy’s limousine reached the Texas School Book Depository on that November afternoon four decades ago, Nellie Connally turned to Kennedy and remarked, “No one can say Dallas doesn’t love and respect you, Mr. President.”
“You sure can’t,” he said.
The first shot sounded like a firecracker. The next two were unmistakably gunfire.
At the 40th anniversary of Kennedy’s death, the moments remain frozen in the American psyche, the assassination still a source of fascination for historians, conspiracy theorists and an estimated 2.2 million people who visit Dealey Plaza each year.
We’re still four years away from the 50th anniversary of that unforgettable day in Dallas.
Our minister, Don Vinzant, mentioned from the pulpit this morning that Kennedy was a youthful 46 when he was slain. On the 50th anniversary, I’ll be 46 — a youthful 46, I hope.
— Bobby
You’re eating out in public: Do you pray or not?
By Bobby Ross Jr.
In the three seconds since the waitress delivered my plate, I’ve drenched my brisket sandwich with barbecue sauce and taken a bite the size of Bill Gates’ bank account.
Just as I start to chew this mammoth hunk of beef, the guy beside me asks politely, “Shall we bless the food?”
“Um, sure,” I reply as I swallow hard and bow my head.
Now, I need somebody to perform the Heimlich maneuver.
Seriously, I respect people who pray before every meal, be it their morning cereal at home or the chow mein at the Chinese buffet. I’m just not one of them — at least not yet.
After a few embarrassing episodes like the one described above, I hired the cheapest psychoanalyst I could find — myself — to examine why I don’t pray before the kids rip open Happy Meals in a crowded McDonald’s.
After all, we take a moment and thank God before we eat at home. Why not when we’re out?
My standard answer: Jesus taught against praying “like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men.”
“I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full,” Jesus said in Matthew 6. “But when you pray, go into your room, close your door and pray to your Father, who is unseen.”
A minister friend of mine grew up in a small Texas town where praying in public was considered arrogant.
“If we prayed before we ate in restaurants, we prayed in the car,” he told me.
But we live in a different place and time. “In Oklahoma City, it seems everyone thinks it is fine to pray in public,” my friend said.
I asked several people from various denominations if they pray in restaurants. I offered blanket anonymity to protect the guilty. Most said they do.
However, a quasi-comedian I know wondered about those who gorge on chips, salsa and queso, then pray when the enchiladas arrive. “What are the effects of eating unblessed appetizers?” he asked.
As I contemplated this column, I found myself twisting my head while eating out, trying to see if I could catch anybody praying.
Sure enough, I did.
A family of three bowed over Mazzio’s pizza. Three young women did the same over Garfield’s salads.
In each case, these folks prayed quietly and did not draw attention. Neither the waiters nor the people at nearby tables seemed to notice. By all appearances, they prayed out of genuine gratitude.
I didn’t see Pharisees. I saw people whose faith encouraged me.
Maybe I need to rethink my position. At the least, I need to slow down and thank God for every meal, whether in my heart or out loud.
This column was originally published July 28, 2001, during my time as religion editor at The Oklahoman.
• • •
My outlook has changed a bit in the eight years since I wrote that column, but before I share my perspective, I’d love to see your input and comments.
When you’re eating out, do you pray aloud? Why or why not?
— Bobby
A nostaglic tale of Garth and me, and my CMA picks
It’s country music’s biggest night, and the show is promoting a mystery performer.
The recently unretired Garth Brooks? That seems like a pretty safe bet. (Thursday update: So the mystery performer was Tim McGraw, not Garth. That’s one more reason I don’t gamble! )
Garth and I go way back. (Not that he would remember.)
In the summer of 1992, I was a 24-year-old staff writer for The Edmond Evening Sun. Tamie was a 22-year-old reporter for the Midwest City Sun. Garth was the reigning, two-time Country Music Association Entertainer of the Year. And at the ripe old age of 30, he was already contemplating retirement when he brought his 77-city tour to his home state of Oklahoma.
Tickets sold out almost immediately for his show, and Tamie and I were rebuffed in our efforts to obtain “media” seats, but we decided to go cover Garth’s news conference anyway. The room was packed with reporters and photographers, but Tamie spoke right up and got the second question, asking Garth: Why consider retiring just as you’ve reached the height of your career? (That Tamie always did have a nose for news.)
I wrote a story for the front page of the Edmond paper that Sunday:
OKLAHOMA CITY — A few hours before Garth Brooks’ sold-out concert at the Myriad Friday night, a bearded man resembling the country music superstar strolled into an interview room.
He was wearing a baseball cap, warmup shirt, sweatpants and tennis shoes — customary off-stage attire for the Oklahoma native.
Still, without his trademark black cowboy hat, bright western shirt and boots, it was difficult to tell if it was really him.
Then, he flashed that happy-to-be-an-Okie smile. Hey, that really is Garth!
Later, Brooks would compete with 14,500 screaming, boot-stomping fans to see who could bring the house down first.
(At age 42, that “happy-to-be-an-Okie smile” line makes me cringe. But that’s not the most embarrassing thing I’ve ever written. )
When the news conference ended, Garth’s promoters surprised the media — at least Tamie and I were surprised — by handing out tickets to that night’s show. We were newlyweds and still 10-plus months away from the arrival of our first child, so we had no need to get a babysitter or call anyone for permission to stay out late. I can’t say that we maintained our journalistic objectivity during the show.
What a night!
I was able to find a recent video of Garth singing “The Dance” post-retirement. I have posted it below. But I must warn you: Garth still seems a bit rusty. Maybe he’ll do better on the CMA show tonight!
So, country music fans, who are your picks for the big awards? I’ll post my choices in the comments section.
— Bobby
Blog Q&A: Ann Rodgers, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
This is the first in an occasional series of interviews with respected journalists who write about faith and religion — both for the secular media and the church press. I’m so excited that the first interviewee is one of the nation’s premier religion writers: Ann Rodgers of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Read some of her recent stories here.
Name: Ann Rodgers
Bio: Native of Palo Alto, Calif. B.S. in journalism from Northwestern University, Master of Theological Studies from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Worked at newspapers in Concord, N.H. and Fort Myers, Fla, before taking job as religion reporter for the Pittsburgh Press (later bought by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) in 1988. Recipient of numerous awards for religion writing in the secular media, including the Religion Newswriters Association’s Templeton Reporter of the Year Award. Current vice president of the Religion Newswriters Association, which trains journalists to cover all faiths with fairness, accuracy and civility. Married, with two children and five stepchildren ages 19-28.
BR: Tell me a bit about your personal faith and religious background.
Ann Rodgers: “I’m a Christian of the liturgical variety. I spent my childhood in the Episcopal Church, left it as a teenager and explored a wide variety of other churches before re-embracing the Episcopal Church as a young adult. Last year the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh split. Having seen the devastating effects of a split in my childhood parish, my personal goal in the Pittsburgh situation was to hold my parish together. So, although I wouldn’t personally have chosen to leave the Episcopal Church, I remain a member of a parish that has done so and is now affiliated with the new Anglican Church in North America.
“Because I had close friends who were deeply involved on both sides of the divide, for many years I forced one of my colleagues to cover the Anglican Troubles for me. Alas, he took a buyout last year so I’m stuck covering my own people again.”
BR: How does your faith contribute, if at all, to your professional endeavors? Do you consider what you do a ministry? Why or why not?
Ann Rodgers: “My faith contibutes to my work in the sense that I believe both Christianity and journalism are about pursuit of the truth, even when it hurts. A huge proportion of the Bible is spent delineating the failures of those who are supposed to be God’s people, so there’s no reason why I should ever pull punches in my coverage. I take seriously Jesus’ command to do unto others as I would have them do unto me, so when I am writing about people whose beliefs are different from my own, I seek to be as fair and accurate about what they believe as I would want them to be about my own faith if our roles were reversed.
“I do not consider my work a ministry. I do not write about what God says or God believes. If that was what I wanted to do I would have joined the clergy or gone to work for the Christian media. I write about what human beings believe about God. Secular media outlets should not have any theological viewpoint — including a viewpoint of atheism or agnosticism. Our job is to cover what’s happening in our communities, and the actions that people take based on their faith perspective is an important part of that story.”
BR: What would be the headline and lead paragraph on your life story?
Ann Rodgers: “Working mom raises great kids, by God’s grace. Despite working hours that would kill most people, and sometimes spending weeks away from home when she was a single mom, Ann Rodgers is so proud of her children that she can’t shut up about them. Sam, 19, who mowed the lawn, vacuumed and otherwise ran the house when he was in high school, is a straight-A music therapy major and active in his inner city church. Eli, 23, is in his second year of doctoral studies in biology at West Virginia University, which is paying him rather than the other way around. And although she can’t take any credit for raising her five stepchildren, she thinks thinks they’re awesome too.”
BR: How familiar are you with Churches of Christ? What is your perception of this fellowship of 13,000 non-instrumental congregations in the U.S.? What questions do you have about Churches of Christ?
Ann Rodgers: “I’m fairly familiar with the churches (sic) of Christ. When I was in college I attended a congregation of of the Chrisitian Church, which is a closely related tradition. The Churches of Christ also had a significant presence in the community that I covered in Florida. My impression has always been that this is a movement of Christians who seek to be faithful to the words of the New Testament.”
BR: You have the microphone. What else would you like to say?
Ann Rodgers: “Reporters strive for accuracy, but make no claim to infallibility. We do sometimes make mistakes, which we are obliged to correct, but it’s rarely if ever because the reporter wanted to slant the story. Usually it’s because of severe deadline pressure, lack of space to explain details or some combination of both. Also, reporters do not write headlines, and rarely see them before the rest of the readers do.
“But it’s very common for reporters to get calls from angry, rude Christians complaining about some aspect of coverage. If you’ve got a serious concern, consider the witness that your attitude makes before you dash off that e-mail or make the call to that reporter.”
Please leave a comment to thank Ann for her interview and offer any questions or reflections of your own.
— Bobby
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