#MeToo – Bring empathy, passion and conviction to discussions

By Julie Brinker, who serves as Community Relations Director for the Church of Scientology in Nashville, TN.

While the #MeToo movement may seem like a difficult topic to discuss openly, three scholars were able to speak to this, not just with empathy, but with passion and conviction at the second plenary of #RCCACP2019.

The #MeToo movement has created a platform calling for change around gender issues in nearly every sector of society. This panel took an intersectional approach to exploring and challenging the present state of gender representation in media and media production. The panelists, all engaged in a range of ongoing efforts to raise awareness about gender disparities, were Dr. Glory Dharmaraj, U.S. coordinator for the Global Media Monitoring Project (GMMP) of the World Association for Christian Communication; Dr. Sarah Macharia, global coordinator of the Global Media Monitoring Project; and Dr. Karri Whipple, a speaker, writer, and activist who promotes transformative justice work within communities.

Whipple spoke about the urgency of understanding the #MeToo movement as it keeps cropping up in each of our news feeds on social media. “We need to realize our role of religious communities… we have a responsibility to speak out about the daily reality of this, not just in the face of crisis.”

Dharmaraj pointed out that faith communities are also not immune to sexual assault and abuse. Many times younger people do not know how to speak about this issue, they “know it is not okay, but do not know what it’s called.” Further, she said, “Naming the issue is important. The enemy is not ‘men.’ The enemy is patriarchy and violence.” Dharmaraj went on to point out that “certain religious texts have been misused to silence women who are not able to distinguish the voice of patriarchal culture from the sacred scriptures.”

Macharia spoke about the major challenges that face religion communicators. “As faith communicators, we sharpen the lens even further… so justice and gender and professionalism are seen truly.”

Whipple spoke about the need to take it further. “How are you educating those you are reaching? How can we make this more than just a hashtag? I’m hoping we can think about what does it look like to have long-term structural change.”

Dr. Glory Dharmaraj is U.S. coordinator for the Global Media Monitoring Project (GMMP) (@whomakesthenews) of the World Association for Christian Communication (WACC) (@waccglobal). Since the project’s inception in 1995, she has led media monitoring on the role and image of women in the United States. She also participated in WACC’s peace journalism project, coordinating peace monitoring for the United States. Dr. Sarah Macharia is the global coordinator of the Global Media Monitoring Project (GMMP) (@whomakesthenews), a 114-nations longitudinal research and advocacy initiative for gender equality in and through the news media running since 1995. She represents WACC on the International Steering Committee of the Global Alliance on Media and Gender (GAMAG) initiated by UNESCO to follow up on the implementation of the media recommendations (Section J) of the UN 1995 Beijing Platform for Action for the Advancement of Women.

Dr. Karri Whipple (@karriwhipple) is a speaker, writer, and activist who promotes transformative justice work within communities. Her work focuses on the intersection of trauma, identity politics, and religion. She is particularly interested in the ways in which gender, sexuality, and race shape responses to violence and trauma within faith traditions. The panel was moderated by the Rev. Eric C. Shafer. He is Senior Pastor at Mt. Olive Lutheran Church in Santa Monica and Vice President of the Religion Communicators Council (RCC).

Julie Brinker is Community Relations Director for the Church of Scientology in Nashville, TN. For more information about the Religion Communicators Council, visit religioncommunicators.org.

Religion communicators convene to see in new ways

By Rev. Brian Fesler, senior pastor of the Church of Scientology in Nashville, Tenn., and a member of the national board of governors for the Religion Communicators Council.

More than a hundred journalists, editors, publishers and other communications professionals convened April 10 at the Fourth Presbyterian Church in Chicago for the combined annual conventions of the Religion Communicators Council (RCC) and Associated Church Press (ACP).

Entitled “Seeing in New Ways: Possibilities and Perceptions,” the convention brought together two of the oldest professional associations in the field of religion communications. RCC, formed in 1929, is the oldest interfaith professional organization in the world and has the mission “to provide opportunities for networking and professional development for people working in communications for a wide variety of faith-based organizations,” while the ACP, tracing its origin to a 1916 meeting, is brought together by a “common commitment to excellence in journalism as a means to describe, reflect, and support the life of faith and the Christian community.”

The convention opened with a challenge from its organizing committee: in a world of chaos, “What are we doing as communicators to make it better?” The opening plenary by award-winning journalist and author Judith Valente, senior correspondent for NPR affiliate WGLT Radio and writer for U.S. Catholic and National Catholic Reporter, explored that challenge and offered insights drawn from the deep well of Valente's observation tempered by her years of experience with the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post and PBS-TV.

“Reporting is a sacred trust,” said Valente, describing how journalists accompany people through tragedy, suffering and defeat as well as victory and new life. “Journalists must live on the margins of life. Stand apart, to see more clearly the forest for the social media. ... Ours is a post-truth era, an age of ‘alternate facts.’ We've reached a crisis point – we're all too willing as a society to accept exaggeration, misrepresentation of facts and sheer delusion as truth.”

Valente implored those present to play a primary role as a listener, saying only then could one channel another's experience. Drawing on the theme of the convention, she asked “How can we as religion communicators be seekers of truth and still uncover new perspectives?” Her most recent book, “How to Live: What the Rule of St. Benedict Teaches Us About Happiness, Meaning, and Community,” provided a basis for some answers to that question.

Faith reporting today is about “what it means to be alive in the twenty-first century,” Valente said, “The most compelling story can be someone living out their faith.” She detailed moving coverage of a meeting between a Muslim leader and a leader in the LGBT community in the wake of a tragic incident, and a story about a Tennessee pastor pushing the envelope to shine light on the HIV crisis. She stressed that “how people live out their faith” is as worthy of attention as other news, politics and the arts, and that the contracting of faith and values coverage by mainstream media outlets should be viewed as an opportunity for the religious press to use other avenues for getting the stories out – stories that may be about what is new, “but also about what is essential.”

So, what can religion communicators do to make this world a better place? Listen attentively, see in new ways. Find the truth in every story, and find stories in the truth of the lives of those who live their faith. Consider the views of those who conspire as well as those who inspire; write the good, expose the bad. Push pens across pages and keys into keyboards. In short, communicate. For more information about the Religion Communicators Council, visit religioncommunicators.org.

Rev. Brian Fesler is senior pastor of the Church of Scientology in Nashville, Tennessee and a member of the national board of governors for the Religion Communicators Council.

Nashville Religion Communicators Council Puts Research Into Action

The Nashville Chapter of the Religion Communicators Council (RCC) meets monthly to talk about topics of interest and hear from professionals in religious communications.  

How does one take research and put it into action? This was the topic of discussion for the most recent meeting of the Religion Communicators Council, a group of religious communications professionals who meet monthly.

The Religion Communicators Council (RCC) is an interfaith association of religion communicators at work in print and electronic communication, marketing and public relations. The Nashville Chapter recently heard from Sheila King & Magda Vaughn, two research professionals, who presented the topic of the day “Research 101: Putting Research Into Action.”

The meeting took place in early April at the Church of Scientology in Nashville.

King & Vaughn presented important information related to utilizing research to its fullest. “We were glad to have them present at today’s meeting. This is especially vital as we need to be able to use research for future projects, and the tips were wonderful,” says Julie Brinker, Communications Coordinator for the Nashville RCC.

The RCC has members from every faith group and walk of life including Baha’is, Christians, Jews, Muslims, Scientologists, Sikhs, Hindus and more. The RCC, founded in 1929, is an association of communications professionals who work for and with a diverse group of faith-based organizations in the areas of communications, public relations, advertising and development. The RCC provides opportunities for communicators to learn from each other. Together, RCC members promote excellence in the communication of faith and values in the public arena. For more information about the Religion Communicators Council, visit religioncommunicators.org/nashville-chapter. 

Church of Scientology Nashville Holds 4th Annual Fitness Fair

The Church of Scientology held a Community Fitness Fair for World Health Day in early April, 2019.

Drug-Free Tennessee and the Church of Scientology Nashville organized a community fitness fair in observance of World Health Day. Nonprofit and health-minded organizations set up booths at the fair to promote wellness.

Some 36 percent of Nashville youth are obese or overweight, and of the 50 states, Tennessee ranks 43rd in overall health.

Those attending were interested in strategies for the community to work together to increase overall health.

Rev. Brian Fesler of the Church of Scientology Nashville emceed the event and had several health professionals speak about ways for the community to work together. "There is a need in our communities to educate everyone on how to be healthy, eat right and stay fit," said Rev. Fesler.

In keeping with the fair's slogan, "Shape Up: A Community Fitness Fair," those participating promoted drug prevention, nutrition, weight loss, HIV prevention, and other health-related activities.

The Church of Scientology supports the Foundation for a Drug-Free World and its local chapter, Drug-Free Tennessee.  "You can't have overall health with drugs in your system," said Fesler, "and Drug-Free Tennessee has the educational materials people need to understand this."

For more information on the Church of Scientology or its programs, visit scientology-ccnashville.org. For more information on Drug-Free Tennessee, visit drugfreetn.org.