But is it the whole story?

I love NPR; I even describe myself (regularly) as an “NPR-junkie.” When people attack NPR as delivering news with a liberal bias, I defend it. No, no, I say; while many of the contributors may be biased, the actual reporting seems to me to be more balanced than much that’s out there (not that this says much, but still).

Two stories I’ve heard on Weekend Edition recently (one yesterday, one just now) frustrate me.

First: Alabama Billboard Message Changes
Go to Church or the Devil Will Get You!
This one didn’t really frustrate me, per se, as much as it had me rolling my eyes at the brand of Christianity with which I grew up. When the story started, I had hopes that the billboard (photo on the npr story page) was a joke — then I remembered that this was the *South* — a joke was hardly likely. This whole message of fear really bothers me. Is “the Devil” really that strong that if I don’t do everything “just right” that he can “get me?” I don’t think so.

The second story is the one that now has me irritated with my beloved NPR.

Kenyan Pastor a Face of Christianity in Africa

Weekend Edition - Sunday, July 24, 2005 · Christianity is on the rise in Africa, with more than 400 million adherents. Much of the growth has been in unaffiliated churches. At the Neno Evangelism Center in Nairobi, Pastor James Ng’ang’a preaches to overflow crowds.

This sounds good, right? OMG, I wanted to beat my head into a wall listening to this story. Why do crowds pack Ng’ang’a’s church? Not because of a message of deliverance. Not because they want to learn to be better people. Heavens, no. The good Pastor spends time bragging about the vehicle he drives — worth about $300,000 — and scattering small (think pennies) bills of currency among the attendees. At some point in the service, he dons a white coat and becomes the “healer pastor” — claiming to fix all that ails those who are faithful.

But wait? Why am I irritated at NPR? Why not irritated at the pastor and the idiot with the billboard? Well, I *am* annoyed at those sorts. My beef with NPR is this: must you portray all Christians as being complete and utter idiots? I realize that “Christian strives to lead a Christ-like Existence” isn’t much of an exciting news story, but c’mon…

On a related note, the same site with the window sticker (which I ordered, by the way…we’ll see if I actually have the moxie to put it on the car) had magnets and buttons saying this:

He died to take away your sins, not your mind.

Amen.