NY Times Reader Review

Another great article, this time in The New York Times, that qualifies for the Amy Writing Awards! This is making my blogging job so easy.

Michael Joseph Gross recently wrote a reader review for The New York Times. His December 10, 2006 article, titled “A Once-Feared Kingmaker Called to a Different Battle,” tells the engaging story of Good News Holdings, a new venture for venerable movie magnet, David Kirkpatrick. In the story, Gross explains Kirkpatrick’s path from mogul to Christian to president of Good News, the production company behind several of today’s faith-inspired blockbusters.

Gross does a keen job of drawing in the reader and he doesn’t dose the reader with heavy-handed Christian-speak, which wouldn't see print in papers like The NY Times. No, his approach in dealing with Kirkpatrick’s personal faith is sophisticated. Here is how he introduces the scripture passage that qualifies his article:

The phrase describes a worldview that interprets human thoughts and actions as the product of unseen battles between angels and demons. Frank Peretti’s 1986 novel “This Present Darkness,” a best-selling Christian thriller, made spiritual warfare a popular notion among evangelicals, who cite as evidence for their belief verses from Chapter 6 of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, particularly Verse 12: “For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”
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While this paragraph appears in the last 1/3rd of a lengthy article, the entire story does an excellent job relating Kirkpatrick’s coming to faith and the effect that is having on the Hollywood movie industry. Also note how Gross uses "a popular notion among evangelicals" to provide 1) context for the scripture quotation and 2) Gross with professional distance from his sources.

This is exactly the type of writing The Amy Foundation seeks to encourage with the Amy Writing Awards. I am going to email Gross and encourage him to enter.

Great work, Michael!

Submitted by,
Bruce Umpstead