c. 2000 Religion News Service

(Rabbi Rudin is the senior interreligious adviser of the American Jewish Committee.)

(UNDATED) Recently my wife, Marcia, and I drove from New York City to Champaign-Urbana, Ill., to attend her high school reunion, and from there we motored down to Sanibel, Fla., for a brief vacation. Zooming along for 2,200 miles on interstate highways provided a unique opportunity to observe America’s countryside, talk with “real people” during frequent pit stops, and listen to lots of local radio programs.

Here are some impressions from a weary traveler:

The Midwest and South are super-saturated with religiously based radio stations that combine gospel/rock music with theologically conservative sermons and endless requests for financial contributions to support various “ministries of the air.” All of the stations stressed a strong brand of evangelical Protestant Christianity.

A first-time visitor to the United States from overseas who heard only those programs would never know of America’s extraordinary religious diversity.

The presence of millions of Roman Catholics, mainline Protestants, Eastern Orthodox Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus and other faith communities was never mentioned or acknowledged on the programs I carefully listened to for many hours. Surprisingly, the presidential election, the Middle East crisis and other major news stories were significantly under-reported. It often appeared the status of first century Jerusalem was more important to the religious broadcasters than the current situation in Israel’s capital city.

As part of my full immersion into Christian radio, I deliberately avoided tuning in network news and National Public Radio. What emerged from my car’s speakers was a constant stream of preachers who broadcast a myriad of biblical texts to validate their spiritual beliefs. While this is nothing new _ it has been going on for thousands of years _ I was struck by the sheer number of radio stations that call themselves “evangelical Christian.” Other religious groups, take notice!

Since Marcia and I love country music, I was also impressed by both the quality and quantity of singers who have easily merged the commercially successful “Nashville sound” with a strong religious message. Sometimes the gospel music was far better than conventional country songs.

Carefully nestled among the sermons, music and appeals for money were radio advertisements for a host of “Christian” services and products, including lawyers, accountants, physicians, dentists, insurance agents and even massage therapists.

One commercial rest stop south of Atlanta on I-75 featured a large parked truck that served as a portable chapel. All long-distance car drivers are well aware of the huge number of massive trucks they must deal with on interstate highways. One hopes the makeshift chapel does some good for the frequently over-fatigued and stressed-out truck drivers.

Even though the intense religiosity of the radio filled my ears, something far different frequently caught my eye just off the highways: prominently placed billboards advertising rural pornographic parlors. The billboards had blatant messages aimed at speeding motorists: “We Bare All,” “Live Entertainment, No Videos” and “Couples Invited.”

Just like the motels and fast-food restaurants situated at interstate exits, the porno shop billboards are strategically placed miles in advance of their actual location, allowing plenty of time for drivers to make a decision to stop for some recreational sexual activity.

Pulling off I-57 at a remote crossroads in southern Illinois, Marcia and I were confronted with two stark choices: a gas station housing an unappetizing restaurant filled with cigarette smoke and the scent of beer or a large wooden building without windows that promised “Adult Times” to all who entered its precincts. We eschewed both the greasy food and the sex, and settled instead for some urgently needed gasoline.

Clearly, there is a severe disconnect between the religious message being broadcast in America’s heartland and the existence of porno rest stops. Every spiritual leader intellectually understands and recognizes the eternal tension between ethical behavior and sin, but it is something else to hear continual radio sermons calling for repentance while cruising at 70 miles per hour past a proliferation of porno shops.

Finally, after looking at the rear bumpers of thousands of cars during our interstate journey, I noticed an almost total absence of political stickers. While my empiric evidence may not be as scientific as the pollmeisters, it is clear the 2000 election has not elicited the kind of emotional response that was so much a part of past campaigns.

Indeed, the most frequent bumper sticker proclaimed the driver’s child was an honor student at a local high school. Clearly, family pride has transcended political advocacy.

DEA END RUDIN