Caricatures and dichotomies

At the annual meeting, going on now in Washington, D.C., one of the research panels focused on the inclusion/exclusion of religious content, and one attendee commented on how because of the conflict value that is pre-eminent in news, coverage tends to either create apparent controversy or to highlight the bizarre or silly. This article about a new homemaking degree at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary does both. The top highlights a college degree with 23 hours in cooking, sewing and childcare (the silly/bizarre frame), while the bottom contrasts the blogged opinion of DFW area pastor Benjamin Cole with quotations from Southwestern President Paige Patterson.

There is a discussion of the political aspects of the role of women, as considered in Baptist politics, but minimal discussion of the theological issues. The article also does not interview any women presently taking courses at the seminary.