For decades, religion-beat journalists in the mainstream press knew how to produce stories that would land on the front page.
The formula was stated in jest, but there was truth in it. I heard this version in 1982: “Three local anecdotes, some national poll numbers and a quote from Martin Marty.”
At the peak of his career, Time magazine said Marty was “generally acknowledged to be the most influential living interpreter of religion in the U.S.”
The church historian wrote more than 60 books and influenced hundreds more. For 50 years he was an editor and columnist at The Christian Century and, for 41 years, wrote his own biweekly Context newsletter, followed by Sightings essays online.
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