Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, April 7, 1993 TAG: 9304070362
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
GLITZY COVERAGE DOES A DISSERVICE
ELVIS is alive!The March 20 splashy coverage in the Roanoke Times & World-News of Elwood Gallimore would have done justice to The King of rock 'n' roll himself, and for all the same bad reasons. You are helping to create for this man the same obsessive, cult-type interest many people have for pop singers, actors and soap-opera stars.
Whatever he may fancy himself, Gallimore is none of these. His apparent newsworthiness lies only in his unorthodox preaching and sex life. I say "apparent" because it is precisely your focus on these aspects that obscures any meaningful inquiry into the religious and social implications of his case.
I would be willing to defend my opinion of Gallimore as a selfish egotist who is presently manipulating both the word of God and man as well as the trust of his parishioners to feed his own narcissism. But my defense would have to be based on what I read in the papers and see on television. And at the moment, that information would address no significant questions about polygamy, religion or the law. Instead, I can find a deep gratification in knowing that Gallimore wears tight jeans and lifts weights, and I can ponder his status as a "hunk."
But what are the arguments for and against polygamy? What do current and past authorities on Scripture have to say? What are the social consequences for either point of view? More to the point, what are Gallimore's real teachings on this issue?
A thoughtful interview and analysis, reported by someone with an adequate level of knowledge on religious matters, would do more to present the truth than the superficial rhetoric presently being used. Close scrutiny of this man's beliefs would either confirm him as an exploitive fraud or a true believer with something different to say to us. This would serve both Gallimore - for he deserves a fair hearing - and your readers far better than a three-page spread, complete with sidebars and color photos. For an example of what I mean, please see page A4 of the very same issue, "Colson says America imperiled by loss of religion." His religious views are reported in a concise but responsible manner.
When you ignore important issues in favor of glitz, you not only bore your readers but provide free publicity to career-minded preachers. You should be doing neither. DEBORAH T. SIMON RADFORD