The following is a transcript of today’s podcast episode: Christina Hello, everyone, I’m Christina Darnell, the managing editor of MinistryWatch. Welcome to the MinistryWatch podcast. In today’s extra episode, I talk with Warren Smith about some news items that are slightly (even significantly) outside of our normal charity and philanthropy “beat.” So, Warren, what’s up first? Warren Operation Blessing, an international humanitarian organization, is on the ground in Florida providing hot meals, emergency supplies and critical assistance to families impacted by Hurricane Isaias, after pre-positioning its disaster response team in neighboring Alabama ahead of the storm. Christina According to a statement from the organization, “The organization’s Global Disaster Response (GDR) team mobilized in advance of the hurricane, allowing personnel to enter affected communities within hours of the storm’s passage and begin assessing damage and delivering urgently needed assistance.” Warren One of the things I like about Operation Blessing is that it partners with local churches. Operation Blessing established its base of operations at Brownsville Church in Pensacola, where its team is working alongside local leaders and volunteers to provide hot meals and distribute emergency relief supplies to families recovering from the storm. I also like that Operation Blessing has one of the highest ratings in our database. See the details here. Christina Warren, you have kind of a pet peeve about polling and survey data. Warren That’s right, but my frustration is not with the polls, but with the way people use, misuse, and abuse them. Christina Can you give me an example? Warren One of the most common (and most frustrating) things I hear coming out of the mouths of conservatives and Christians is that “polls are always wrong.” Polls are not always wrong. In fact, modern polling is remarkably accurate. Computing power and advanced modeling have become extremely sophisticated. However, polls are not predictive. Polls provide snapshots of a moment in time. They are not movies. Christina Your data guru Ryan Burge made that point recently about the religious climate in Canada. Warren That’s right. Nearly 25 years ago, Canadian sociologist Reginald W. Bibby published Restless Gods: The Renaissance of Religion in Canada. That renaissance never occurred, and Bibby’s thesis fell victim to this rookie mistake of sociologists and journalists: they try to predict. The moral of the story: stick to the facts. Or, as Yogi Berra famously said, “Predictions are dangerous, especially predictions about the future.” Christina In our little world of Christian journalism, there was big news this week. The Evangelical Press Association changed its name. Warren, what’s the background here. Warren Nearly 80 years ago, in the fall of 1947, James DeForest Murch, Ph.D., editor of the NAE magazine United Evangelical Action met with a handful of editors at the National Sunday School Association convention to discuss the possibility of an association of evangelical editors. Christina And that meeting gave birth to the Evangelical Press Association. Warren On May 6, 1948, 35 editors met at Congress Hotel in Chicago to organize the Evangelical Press Association, to adopt a doctrinal statement. That statement depended heavily on the doctrinal statement of the then-new National Association of Evangelicals. On April 4-6, 1949, the first annual EPA convention met in Chicago. Christina However, this month, the Evangelical Press Association changed its name to the Christian Communicators Network. Warren Only 244 of the more than 600 eligible voters participated, and of those 244, 57% voted for the change, and 42% voted against it. In other words, because there was no quorum requirement, a small minority – less than 25 percent of the voting members – were able to impose their will on the majority. I will have more to say about this later, but – for now – I will just say that I sure hope the board knows what it is doing. Christina There’s also been a new development in the world of Christian higher education. Warren Five independent colleges announced Tuesday that they have joined as founding members of the National Association for Academic Excellence (NAAE), a new accrediting body for colleges and universities. Christina Rob Manzer will be the president and CEO of NAAE. We’ve got more information about his background on the website, but – for now – what can you tell me about this new organization. Warren People I have talked with, including David Dockery (who I consider to be the dean of Christian higher education in this country) tell me this new organization is a positive development. Under the Biden Administration, the six regional accrediting bodies recognized by the Department of Education became increasingly arbitrary. Some regions required strict adherence to DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) requirements. Other standards varied by region. Christian college leaders worried that their regional accreditation – and their access to federal funds — might be in jeopardy. Christina This new body, if recognized by the Department of Education, will provide an alternative to the current regional accrediting bodies for Christian colleges and universities. Warren The NAAE’s charter members include Merrimack College, an Augustinian school in North Andover, Massachusetts; Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas; the University of Mount Saint Vincent in New York City; Bellevue University in Bellevue, Nebraska; and Houston Christian University in Texas. Christina While we’re on the topic of Christian higher education, let’s mention briefly that Grand Canyon University has a new law school. Warren James L. Williams will be the inaugural dean of the new College of Law at Grand Canyon University. In a statement, GCU President Brian Mueller said The College of Law could welcome its first class as early as fall 2027, subject to required regulatory approvals. Christina You’ve got mixed feelings about this new law school. Warren While I salute this new development, I would add that nearly 30 law schools exist at Christian colleges in this country, while not a single Ph.D. program in journalism exists at a Christian college. I am all for Christian lawyers. There’s a much greater need in this country for Christian journalists. Christina Finally, Warren, I know you like to look at history for inspiration and lessons. This week, you wrote about a historical figure that a lot of people may have forgotten, but is worth remembering. Warren On Oct. 8, 1918, 108 years ago last week, Sgt. Alvin York participated in a patrol that changed his life and became a part of the American Myth. York was drafted into World War I, despite being nearly 30 years old. At first, he claimed conscientious objector status, but after a season of searching his own conscience and the scriptures, he concluded that he could honorably serve in the military. Honorably serve he did. Earning the Congressional Medal of Honor and becoming an American legend. The story is too long to recount here, but I have written about it before and I recommend his story to you, which you can find here. Christina Any final notes before we go? Warren We will be doing another online seminar this week, on Thursday. This one on “How To Find And Read A Form 990. It is free, but you do need to register to attend. You can register here. We do a reader survey twice a year, and one of the findings that continues to astound me is that the vast majority of our readers do not know that we have a podcast. Not only do we have one, last week we dropped our 650th episode! So, if you are just discovering it, you have a lot of great content to listen to. This week, we dropped a new interview with Bonnie Kristian, author of the new book In Defense of Evangelicalism. I strongly recommend this conversation, which you can find here. Christina The producer for today’s program is Jeff McIntosh. I’m Christina Darnell, along with Warren Smith. Until next time, may God bless you.
