The Thinklings have a post up on a church story that has attracted a lot of attention - a mega church minister in the US who lost 1 thousand members of his congregation because he preached that politics don’t belong in church.

Alan at The Thinklings says the minister is a heretic because he preached open theism. (God doesn’t know the future)

And of course, the press can hardly be asked to distinguish all these points of view, when it can’t tell Adventists from Anabaptists, or Post-millers from Post-tribbers. Maybe the only thing more disastrous than a church captive to the world’s political agenda is the liberal media trying to report on it.

Well.  ’liberal’ media doesn’t need to distinguish, does it?

Do most traditional media spend several years getting a theology degree after the other degrees many journalists have in the US? 
Do most traditional media outlets need to dive into the  minuteness of a theological side issue viewpoint when the story is about church members taking off because a political party agenda wasn’t going to be preached from the pulpit?  
I mean, this makes my head hurt.:^)
I’m not  remotely convinced this story is about can’t or can or should or shouldn’t, liberal, conservative or a lack of understanding by ‘liberal’ media.
I think traditional media gets it just fine.
I read the story of Rev. Boyd’s stand on blogs,  got interested enough to click over to traditional media. I’m not in the US, I’m not Baptist, but I am cheering Boyd on.
Why?
Because this is bloody refreshing news coming from the Protestant side of the US isle right now and we hear too little of it.
I’m cheering him one because of what the media covered - (politics aren’t going to be spouted from this pulpit).  

People have an opinion on this.
Politics don’t belong in church according to Boyd and  one thousand people walked out the door.
That’s the story.

Who wouldn’t have respect for a minister to whom losing members is no biggy these days? 
That’s a story.

If I haven’t worked out whether God ‘knows’ the future and that makes me a heretic to a denomination that perceives life as a culture war, I’d be seriously okay with that. 
Most people are okay with that. 

I don’t need traditional media carrying on about open theism.
If open theism is a big deal to this denomination and Boyd is a heretic who is going to get kicked out, that’s another whole story.
A minuscule theological debate on our understanding of the nature of God is something most media isn’t going to pick up on, even if they know and understand. 
Most media consumers don’t care about neotheism unless they are in a particular pew. 
The traditional media story headline is “Pastor rejects the bully pulpit.”
Hey, got my attention!  
Yes!
Not all Baptists are bullies!
Not all Baptists preach politics! 
This is good news!

Baptist General Conference

Update: In discussion with the Thinklings I was pointed to some history of the heresy debate. It occurred in Rev. Boyd’s denomination in the 1990’s, went through all the necessary channels, and rumbled around all the levels this man works in and through, to end at the highest ‘court’ - the general assembly. All rulings at all levels accepted his right to his beliefs.  (heresy is a charge taken very seriously)