How separate religion stories can be analyzed to spot a trend

Ronald Reagan speaks at the annual Convention of National Religious Broadcasters in 1984. The organization is reportedly facing serious financial concerns. Creative Commons photo.

(OPINION) The following is an example of how two separate stories can be analyzed as one story. It also demonstrates why the complete religion reporter working in mainstream media will continually look for material in specialized news outlets.

Story #1, which I depicted on April 4, is the demise of the once mighty Christian Booksellers Association, founded in 1950 at the beginning of the post-war evangelical boom and lately a victim of the woes hitting all brick-and-mortar retail. (The group was later renamed CBA: The Association for Christian Retail, to signify that members sold much more than books).

Story #2, which hit almost simultaneously, is the financial peril and potential collapse of what has been an equally prominent organization, National Religious Broadcasters, formed in 1944.

Writers can learn all the sorry details from a June 20 exploration on the website of freelance writer Julia Roys, a Nov. 6 follow-up for the watchdog group Ministry Watch by beat veteran Steve Rabey, and a rundown in the Sept. 28 issue of World magazine, which commendably has an investigative reporting team run by the author, Michael Reneau.

All three articles raise an important and related question journalists might pursue separately: In light of the NRB situation, can donors rely much on certification by the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability?

Now, why do I propose that the troubles of CBA and NRB be treated as a single story?

Despite their non-sectarian names, both organizations are thoroughly evangelical Protestant, and together have been key players in that U.S. movement in the same way for decades. Their two bustling trade shows each year were all-important for networking, shaping the subculture, promoting popular theologies and showcasing stars old and new.

Both were especially vital for the complex world of “parachurch” ministries, which lack the interconnections provided by denominations. The broadcasters’ group, whose meetings drew notables from U.S. presidents on down, also played a role in lobbying government on behalf of media interests. How big was this forum? See this video.

I would suggest a side thesis for you to run past a few experts: The fact that two annual trade shows were so important in knitting together evangelicalism has fostered a commercialized church subculture that made it easy for grassroots believers to vote for an unlikely U.S. president made famous by “reality” TV rather than statesmanship and government experience.

What now? The CBA extravaganzas are no more, but the Bob Munce’s marketing services company for Christian retailers, based in Largo, Fla., hopes to fill the gap with its Christian Retail Association and trade show, the Christian Product Expo. Reporters might see how the effort is faring at the Winter Show February 9-11 or the CPE International August 16-18, both in Wilmington, Delaware. Media contact: andrea.stock@munce.com or (800) 868-4388.

As for National Religious Broadcasters, it soldiers on and has announced that its next Christian Media Convention will occur February 25-28 at the Gaylord Resort in Nashville. Announced speakers include author Ravi Zacharias and radio talker Janet Parshall, who chairs NRB’s executive committee.

By Rabey’s account, NRB has been in “financial freefall,” needed months to pay the bills for this year’s 75th anniversary convention, has been “financially insolvent for each of the last three fiscal years,” has lost hundreds of member agencies and is being sued by President Jerry Johnson, who resigned in February, for retiree severance and benefits, amid other executive departures.

Thus reporters will be interested in the meetings at Nashville of Parshall’s executive committee and of the full board of directors, although with 95 members the latter body is window dressing, too large to exercise effective control.

Obtain info from interim C.E.O. Troy Miller at Washington, D.C., headquarters: (202) 543-2649 or communications@nrb.org.

This piece first appeared at Get Religion.