This is one of those questions readers keep asking in the Internet age: Is an error an error, even if newspaper editors correct it without admitting that they made an error?
What if it’s one of those tiny errors that only matter to strange religious believers who care about picky little words that have to do with their most cherished beliefs? You know, like the fact that Protestants are not Catholics and they use different words to describe what goes on in their sanctuaries?
What we have here is a mistake that happens all the time, especially when religion is in the news and, for logical reasons (think holiday breaks or the current COVID-19 crisis), newsroom managers are short on well-rested personnel.
Nevertheless, a mistake is a mistake and journalists need to pay attention to this kind of thing. In this case we are dealing with yet another story about a preacher who wants to carry on with business as usual, no matter what. The New York Post headline says: “Landlord changes church locks to stop pastor from defying coronavirus lockdown.”
Now, this is a piece of click-bait aggregation, which means that it’s even more likely that an intern or someone low on the journalism food chain cranked it out. Here’s the crucial information:
Pastor Jon Duncan had vowed to continue preaching at Cross Culture Christian Center in Lodi, telling Fox 40 the services were “protected by the First Amendment and should be considered essential.” But he was met by several police officers when he arrived on Palm Sunday — and was unable to enter the completely shuttered church, the Los Angeles Times said.
The building’s owner, the nearby Bethel Open Bible Church, had “changed the locks on the doors in response” to his threats to defy coronavirus restrictions, Lodi police Lt. Michael Manetti told the paper. …
Duncan had no idea that the locks had been changed when he arrived for mass, his attorney, Dean Broyles, told the L.A. Times.
Now, that’s what the story said when a GetReligion reader read it, did a face-palm move and sent me copy from the original story.
However, when I clicked the URL he provided, I found that the story now says:
Duncan had no idea that the locks had been changed when he arrived for services, his attorney, Dean Broyles, told the LA Times.
It’s safe to say that the “Cross Culture Christian Center” is not a Roman Catholic congregation. Thus, this body of Protestant believers would not be gathering to celebrate a Mass. In fact, the odds are good that they weren’t gathering for a Communion service of any kind. Yet that reference made it through an overworked copy desk and into print. The word “mass” is not a generic term for a worship service, even among Catholics — because there are other rites with other names.
Should the corrected story have ended with a correction that said something like: “This story previously stated that members of the Cross Culture Christian Center celebrate “mass,” instead of saying the “Lord’s Supper.” We regret the error.”
This is, of course, yet another example of why newsrooms need to contain at least one journalist with experience on the religion beat, serving as an in-house consultant on this kind of thing.
You see, religion is really complicated.
Some Protestants celebrate — or some use the word “observe” — the “Lord’s Supper,” yet I have heard others use the word “communion.”
Hang on. There are high-church Anglicans who use the term “Mass,” while the normal term in that flock is “Holy Eucharist.” I have heard Anglicans/Episcopalians use the term “Holy Communion,” which is also the reference one hears most of the time among Lutherans. Then again, I have also heard Lutherans say “the Sacrament” in this context.
In my own tradition — Eastern Orthodoxy — our central rite is called the Divine Liturgy. However, people say that they receive Holy Communion during this service.
Journalists should note that some people use upper-case letters when talking about these traditions and others lower-case letters. There are, of course, theological issues looming in the background. Upper-case letters point to the ancient belief that the bread and wine are truly the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. Thus, there are believers on the other side of that issue who stick to lower-case letters.
But wait. Most Protestants still use upper-case letters for “Lord’s Supper.”
Oh, and most Protestants — Baptists especially (#DUH) — use grape juice instead of wine. Then again, I have seen some “emergent,” “moderate” sort-of Southern Baptists use real wine, perhaps as gesture that is sure to upset conservatives. So there.
Meanwhile, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints use water and leavened bread.
Let’s leave the whole issue of leavened bread vs. unleavened “hosts” for another day.
Confused? Good. This is complicated stuff and you will find similar terminology issues in all major religious groups. Like I said: Religion is complicated. I like to say that religion-beat work is like covering politics and opera at the same time.
But here is the big lesson for today. Protestants do not go to “mass,” let alone “Mass,” on Sunday mornings.
Be careful out there.