What Is Gleanings?

At Christianity Today, we’re constantly tracking important developments in the church and the world. Often we use our network of reporters around the world (and for that, visit our main site). But we also monitor other news outlets, bloggers, newsmakers’ social media feeds, and countless other information streams. Gleanings compiles the most urgent and interesting items we’ve found, explains why you need to know about them, and gives you the background you need to understand them. It’s our snapshot of what God is doing in the world, hour by hour.

Free Newsletters

« Scientists Create Embryonic Stem Cells Without the Embryos | Main | BlogWatch »

June 8, 2007

Marching for ... Who?

Reporters seem confused about why Brazil's Christians are in the streets.

Ted Olsen

The streets of Sao Paulo are packed with demonstrators. Why are they there?

The Associated Press headlines its coverage of Brazil's March for Jesus with "Evangelicals pack Sao Paulo despite arrest of church founders."

AFP doesn't mention those church founders, Estevam Hernandes Filho and Sonia Haddad Moraes Hernandes (who, by the way, pleaded guilty today to charges of money smuggling) in its coverage of the March for Jesus. It's headline: "One million anti-gay evangelicals march in Brazil. The Associated Press coverage didn't mention anything about homosexuality.


The Christian Post suggests that the march is largely aimed not at homosexuality but at Catholicism -- or that it is at least an indication of a "flood of [Catholic] believers in Latin America turning to evangelical churches."

So are these three news services seeing different rallies, or are they casting about for what "the real story" is behind the March for Jesus? Here's a tip for next year's coverage: Not every story needs a conflict angle. Sometimes rallies aren't negative. Want to know what the March for Jesus is about? There's a clue in the last two words of its title.

Addendum: The aimless news coverage of March for Jesus reminds me of this wonderful Onion video satire:


Breaking News: Something Happening In Haiti

posted by Ted Olsen | Comments (2)

Share thisShare this post

Comments

The official police figure of those who took part in the MARCH FOR JESUS in São Paulo was 3 million and not 1 mllion as you reported. The organizers, however, believe there were 4 million as last year it was reported 3 million and this year it was larger.

Although homosexuality was heavily critized and strongly condemned by evangelicals not just at the March but throughout Brazil itself there have been attempts by the so called Gay Movement to have laws enforced, with the backing of many politicians and government ministers to prohibit or attack the "rights" of homofobia.

May God deliver Brazil from this sordid which will obviously destroy society in the long run and initiate persecution against born again believers.

Posted By: Victor | June 8, 2007 2:59 PM

Shouldn't it be, "Marching for . . . Whom?"?

Posted By: Mike | June 9, 2007 2:23 PM