Hookup

What constitutes religious news, according to modern journalistic standards? Usually one of two types of happenings: 1) controversial topics; or 2) scandal, both of which to some degree offend.

Last week, editors thought they saw a good, noncontroversial, non-scandalous religious news story. The elements of the story: the National Broadcasting Company (which always is "decent to newspaper people"); the Federal Council of Churches of Christ in America (newspaper people must be decent to it); Dr. Samuel Parkes Cadman (a newspaper columnist himself); Rabbi Stephen Samuel Wise (not averse to newspaper publicity), and many a Catholic, Jewish, Protestant layman whose name was not announced. For the greater honor & glory of God, these various factors would work in non-sectarian unison. The Federal Council announced that Dr. Cadman's sermons would be made audible over a hebdomadal hookup of 40 radio stations.

Editors headlined Dr. Cadman as world's first "radio pastor." For the most part, this was religio-journalistic enthusiasm. As many a radiowner knows, Dr. Cadman preached from the Bedford (Brooklyn) branch of the Y. M. C. A. Sunday afternoons, last year, over an 18-station web. And his new and exciting title of "radio pastor" further lost significance when it became known that Rabbi Wise also would preach, that Dr. Harry Emerson Fosdick & Dr. Daniel Alfred Poling, able Manhattan divines, might soon be given microphonal pulpits by the National Broadcasting Co., sponsored by the Federal Council of Churches of Christ in America.

Facts, melted down, consisted of this information: the Federal Council of Churches of Christ in America supposedly aided by members of the three main religious groups, is collaborating with the National Broadcasting Company to hold every Sunday afternoon a 90-minute religious program on a hookup of 40 or more stations.