The Faith of Flanders
By Mark I. Pinsky

No one would mistake Ned Flanders, the goofy next-door neighbor in "The Simpsons," for a polished televangelist like Joel Osteen. But over the past two decades the zealous cartoon character has become one of the best-known evangelicals on America's small screen. With Americans spending exponentially more time on their sofas watching television than in pews listening to sermons, this is no insignificant matter.
[read more]

 


 

Lifeline for mainliners
By Mark I. Pinsky
These once-dominant liberal Protestant denominations have been drained by demographic realities and eclipsed by conservative religious voices.
[read more]

 




The Golden Rolodex
By Mark I. Pinsky

Imagine a time before the Internet and the explosion of cable television news and opinion shows. In those days, journalists looking for academic authorities for their stories relied on something called the “Golden Rolodex.” This was an informal list of easily reachable and articulate professors, experts and authors whom we could call. Only death or disgrace could dislodge those on it to make room for others.
[read more]

 



Polygamy sect raids
As part of a child abuse investigation, authorities in Texas have taken away a large number of young girls from a ranch near San Antonio belonging to the Mormon sect of Warren Jeffs. Jeffs himself is in prison, convicted of being an accomplice to rape.

Mark Pinsky, religion correspondent of the Orlando Sentinel, gave more detail about the raid, in the light of the 1993 siege of the Branch Davidian sect in Waco, Texas, which led to the deaths of about 80 members.

[click here to listen]





Dialogue:

Teflon
Televangelists

by Mark I. Pinsky

Faith and forbearance can sometimes be insurmountable barriers for religion journalists.
When it comes to some true believers, I have learned, nothing you write that questions their idols seems to make any difference.




The gospel of money

Megachurch pastors and broadcast ministries are drawing
renewed scrutiny for living lavishly off the faithful’s funds.
Fortunately, a divide is emerging in the world of evangelicals:
the ‘haves’ and the ‘will have none of it.’

By Mark I. Pinsky

 



One Jew’s new view of the evangelicals
New Jersey Jewish News





[click to start/stop audio]

Site by