Our local paper gives a lot of space to religious news and issues. It’s good business: there are a lot of religious people in the area, so giving a tip of the hat to spirituality sells papers. Which is to say, religion sells papers and that generates advertising and also increases advertising rates. The news, after all, is just something to wrap around the advertising: no advertising, no paper. (It was a humbling lesson to learn during my early, idealistic, self-important years of journalism.)

Given that religion sells in the Brazos Valley, I find it curious that the more conservative churches are not represented in the regular columns that appear on The Bryan-College Station Eagle’s “Faith and Values” pages. There is a local rabbi who contributes regularly, and the minister of the Unitarian Fellowship also has a weekly column. A Methodist minister does a regular piece and, from time to time, another Methodist minister does the same.

But there is nary a word from the more conservative Christian community. Nothing from the Baptists (Southern or otherwise), Lutherans (of any flavor), Presbyterians, or any of the numerous non-denominational churches. According to a nonscientific survey (I counted the churches in the Yellow Pages), there are 82 Baptist churches, 23 Lutheran congregations, and 16 fellowships aligned with the Church of Christ. But there are only 27 Methodist churches in the area. And two synagogues. One Unitarian Fellowship.

Just as surprising, perhaps, is the absence of any word from the Catholic priests: numerically, there are more Catholics in the valley than there are Protestants.

I can understand the silence from the Catholic Church: they’ve had a bit of a public relations nightmare of late. But where are the others?

I honestly don’t know. Perhaps the conservative types are too busy. Or maybe they don’t want anything to do with the secular press. Maybe they’re passively content to just talk to themselves in their own newsletters. Or, more likely, The Eagle is somewhat reticent to give voice to those Christians who might offend some of the more sensitive members of the community. Like the PC police.

But biblical Christianity is an offense. It is exclusive by nature: Christ is the only way to be acceptable to God. In an age where tolerance is the highest virtue – except when dealing with “intolerant” Christians – there is no lack of poor, persecuted, terribly sensitive people who simply fall apart if they have to be reminded that Christianity says that they’re not OK and that their nice little belief system isn’t going to cut it with the One Who Makes the Rules.

The firestorm over Mel Gibson’s movie last year demonstrated how offended some people either are or like to think they are. The local newspaper – like the area broadcast media – maybe likes to play it safe. And the gospel – the biblical gospel – in the hands of an eloquent conservative Christian is anything but safe.

Now, thankfully, we have the blogosphere in general and Godblogs in particular (see links at right). This can, of course, be either a blessing or a curse. But at least there will an opportunity for the biblical gospel to be made available to any and all free of charge.


2 Cor 1:13