Politics

Belief In Prayer Shouldn’t Disqualify You From Political Involvement

Matt K. Lewis Senior Contributor
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A lot of my conservative friends were unhappy with my criticism of Gov. Scott Walker’s inability to field a question about President Obama’s faith, the other day. This, it seems, had less to do with the Walker incident specifically, and more to do with a growing sense that the media is attempting to define the parameters regarding which opinions are acceptable.

In that regard, a much more egregious example came on Tuesday, when Political Wire publisher Taegan Goddard (whom I know and like) appeared to mock Scott Walker for believing he could communicate with God through prayer. This, I think, speaks to why conservatives are so eager to reflexively defend Republican candidates who become victims of the media.

A serious candidate for president ought to be chivalrous enough to concede the president of the United States in fact, loves America — and gracious enough to concede the president is a sincere believer in a faith he has, on numerous occasions, publicly affirmed. Having said that, Goddard’s tweet illustrates why conservatives fear there is a slippery slope between what I just described and complying with the Thought Police.

In light of Goddard’s tweet, it’s understandable why conservatives might imagine a world where the only candidates deemed “serious” are those who conform to the media’s cynical, secular worldview. What if we get to the point where anyone who is truly a devout Christian — who believes in miracles, the virgin birth, etc. — is automatically deemed a kook?

The fact is, a lot of journalists don’t understand basic Christian theology, including something as simple as prayer. This is a problem for a few reasons. First, diversity is generally a good thing (and frankly, media could probably use an infusion of believers of various faith traditions). But secondly, since many of the Republican politicians running for president cite their Christian faith as a motivation, it would be helpful if some of the people covering them didn’t view this as weird.

I am reminded of a story Chris Moody (now at CNN.com) told me once. There was a Pentecostal rally outside the Capitol building, and a minister there said he wanted God to “slay all of Congress.” Moody goes on to note that it was reported this pastor had “called for the death of lawmakers.” And, Moody says, “that was because of — there just wasn’t someone in the newsroom to say, ‘Well, actually, he means slay in the Spirit.’ That’s a thing that Pentecostals say, and it has nothing to do with killing anybody.”

That’s why, a few years ago, I argued that if the media really wants diversity, they should hire more Christians. And after I wrote that piece Poynter looked into my thesis:

8 percent of journalists at national publications and 14 percent of those at local publications reported attending worship services weekly, compared with 39 percent of the general public who reported the same. But attendance and belief don’t always correlate neatly, and it’s important also to note that newsroom employment has plunged between 2007 and today.

… Marvin Olasky is the editor-in-chief of World Magazine and the dean of theWorld Journalism Institute, whose mission is to “recruit, equip, place and encourage journalists who are Christians in the newsrooms of America first and then the world.”

Reached by phone, he said he hadn’t seen any data about Christian representation in newsrooms but said encountering a politically conservative and “theologically Christian” employee at a major newspaper is akin to “spotting a unicorn.”

Long story short, I still think Walker failed to adequately answer, parry, counter, or disarm the question about Obama’s faith. That’s on him. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a problem with liberal media bias. And I suspect a lot of conservatives overlooked Walker’s communications failings because they were so concerned about the larger problem of worldview bias.

Walker could have avoided all this by having a better answer. But — as was evidenced by Goddard’s revealing tweet — that doesn’t address the long-term problem. This is a much broader challenge for conservatives to overcome.