An Annual Conference on 19th Century Media and Free Expression
Michael Smith
The Jesus Newspaper: How Charles M. Sheldon Intergrated a Christian Approach in The Topeka Daily Capital March 13-17, 1900
The Rev. Dr. Charles M. Sheldon, a Congregationalist minister, wrote In His Steps, a bestñselling novel in 1887, and gained international recognition. This novel depicted ordinary people who were inspired to change radically by asking themselves, "What would Jesus do" In the novel, a newspaper editor applied that question to his business and altered his advertising and editorial policies to conform to standards he believed Jesus would practice. In 1900 Sheldon was invited to become that fictional newspaper editor and edit a daily newspaper from March 13 to March 17, 1900. This research examines the way Sheldon's approach to journalism formed a web of meaning for his audience that reflected his worldview. For six issues, Sheldon spread his vision of good, evil, and the path to restore the world to a heaven on earth. His six signed editorials are used to explore Sheldon's vision of the world during a time in America when the social gospel was popularized in melodramatic novels such as In His Steps.Ä While Sheldon's work is often seen as amateurish, his newspaper pioneered some conventions that are commonly used by the modern American press.
Dr. Kittrell Rushing or Dr. David Sachsman 311 Frist Hall Communication Department The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Chattanooga, Tennessee 37403-2598 http://www.utc.edu/commdept/conference/
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