Politics, End of the World Debated at Religious Journalists' Meeting

by Lynn Garrett, Religion BookLine -- Publishers Weekly, 10/3/2007

At the Religion Newswriters Association's annual meeting last week in San Antonio, Tex., the hot topics were politics, writing for new media, reporting the end of the world, and the continuing growth of megachurches. The meeting drew some 230 attendees, including book publishers, who were there to showcase authors and pitch their books to this influential group, whose members write about religion, spirituality and "faith and values" for newspapers, magazines, TV and radio.

Over the past decade, religion publishers have increasingly used RNA's annual meeting to tap into the concerns of journalists, to cultivate relationships and to give away lots of books. A Thursday luncheon hosted by Thomas Nelson was part of its $1-million-plus promotional campaign for 3:16—The Numbers of Hope by Max Lucado, who addressed and met with RNAers. HarperOne hosted a Friday night reception showcasing longtime RNA members and Harper authors Don Lattin (Jesus Freaks: A True Story of Murder and Madness on the Evangelical Edge) and Richard and Joan Ostling (Mormon America). Lattin wrote about religion for the San Francisco Chronicle for many years; Richard Ostling was the religion reporter at Time magazine and recently retired from the Associated Press. Wiley imprint Jossey-Bass hosted a Saturday lunch featuring Donald Kraybill, one of the authors of Amish Grace, an examination of the unique approach to forgiveness practiced by the Amish community in the wake of the schoolhouse shootings at Nickel Mines last year. (Kraybill appeared on Good Morning America yesterday, Oct. 2)

Several publishers also sent staff and had tables in the exhibit area, including Westminster John Knox, Jewish Lights/SkyLight Paths and Jossey-Bass. Also in attendance were former journalists Jeff Sheler (Believers) and Christine Wicker (Lily Dale). Sheler is at work on a biography of Rick Warren for Doubleday and was preparing to accompany Warren to Rwanda in the coming weeks; Wicker's next book for Harper is The Fall of the Evangelical Nation: The Surprising Crisis Inside the Church.

Next year's meeting will be in Washington, D.C.