A guide to the Bible for journalists

James Macintyre in The Independent wrote an interesting article entitled, “We need to take the Bible back from the bigots.” It is about a guide to the Bible for journalists:

It’s not every day that journalists are presented with a “style guide” to interpret the most enduring international bestseller on the planet. But the Bible is no ordinary book, and these are not conventional times, as religion hits the headlines like never before and the modern media slowly come to terms with it in a post-9/11 world.

The surprisingly punchy Bible Style Guide, released today by the Bible Society, aims to offer useful information to both religious affairs and general reporters. There is much in the Bible that continues to intrigue interest not only among Christians but among atheists and agnostics as well – partly, perhaps, based on people’s love of mystery and conspiracy theory, a phenomenon demonstrated by the success of the author Dan Brown and the recently published thrillers by CJ Sansom. The Bible Style Guide attempts to tap into this, pointing out, for example, that “in every age, people have identified specific figures as the antichrist, depending on their particular standpoint. This has included Caesar Nero, various Popes, Martin Luther and Hitler. In our own time, the finger of suspicion has been pointed at Vladimir Putin, Osama bin Laden and even David Hasselhoff.”

. . . There is a serious backdrop to the guide’s release, though. In America, presidential candidates court the crucial Evangelical Christian vote. From Iraq to Pakistan to Saudi Arabia, Islam and its relationship with democracy dominates the news. Jerusalem remains the geographical and spiritual centre not just of Christianity and Judaism but of the world’s most intractable conflict, between Israel and the Palestinians. In the UK, multiculturalism and the place of religion in society – from Sharia to a barely visible cross worn by a British Airways steward – has emerged as arguably the dominant continuing narrative in the domestic media. From faith schools to gay adoption, from embryos to abortion, a fresh battle between church and state has swept through Westminster. In short, religion is the new politics.

. . . The guide’s 80 pages include facts, figures and explanations aimed to “help media professionals report Bible stories with confidence”. It does not shy away from the controversial areas of religious coverage, such as how Christians deal with violent texts in the Bible. Its 20-page glossary of biblical terms and ideas goes from Abraham to Zionism, taking in creation, Judgement Day and Satan on the way.

Read the entire article: ‘We need to take the Bible back from the bigots’ – Media, News – The Independent