Terry Mattingly

Written By Overby Center

Terry Mattingly is a veteran religion-beat journalist who, for 35 years, has written the national “On Religion” column, currently with Andrews McMeel Universal syndication. He is a senior fellow at Saint Constantine College in Houston. Mattingly previously led the Washington Journalism Center program for the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities and taught mass media and religion at Denver Seminary, Milligan University, and Palm Beach Atlantic University. For 20 years, he led GetReligion.org, which is now a research archive on mainstream religion-news coverage. Mattingly majored in journalism and history at Baylor University, as well as earning an M.A. in Church-State Studies. He has an M.S. in communications from the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. The Mattinglys live in Elizabethton, Tenn., and attend Christ the Savior Orthodox Church.

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Significant membership declines continue in mainline faith denominations 
By Terry Mattingly
History & Perspective, USA at 250
Significant membership declines continue in mainline faith denominations 
By Terry Mattingly
History & Perspective, USA at 250

Terry Mattingly, writer of the national "On Religion" column for the Andrews McMeel Universal syndicate and "Rational Sheep," a Substack newsletter on faith and mass media, writes about membership decline in faith denominations.

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By Terry Mattingly
History & Perspective, USA at 250
In reports about growth in worship attendance, it helps to keep asking questions
By Terry Mattingly
History & Perspective
In reports about growth in worship attendance, it helps to keep asking questions
By Terry Mattingly
History & Perspective

Terry Mattingly, a member of the Overby Center panel of experts, discusses the growth in worship attendance for churches and urges people to keep asking questions about why attendance is growing or shrinking. Mattingly writes the national "On Religion" column for the Andrews McMeel Universal syndicate and "Rational Sheep," a Substack newsletter on faith and mass media.

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By Terry Mattingly
History & Perspective
Robert Duvall on sin, redemption and the true South
By Terry Mattingly
Robert Duvall on sin, redemption and the true South
By Terry Mattingly

Terry Mattingly, a member of The Overby Center panel of experts, discusses Robert Duvall and his movie “The Apostle”. He touches on the influence that faith and the Deep South had on the movie.

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By Terry Mattingly
There’s wisdom to be learned from Lane Kiffin’s latest sideline pulpit swap
By Terry Mattingly
History & Perspective
There’s wisdom to be learned from Lane Kiffin’s latest sideline pulpit swap
By Terry Mattingly
History & Perspective

Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin’s exit caused hard feelings around the university and the state of Mississippi. Terry Mattingly, a member of the Overby Center panel of experts, comments on a recent article by Baptist Press that uses Kiffin’s leaving for advice to pastors. 

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By Terry Mattingly
History & Perspective
Charlie Kirk’s death has created new debates on the First Amendment
By Terry Mattingly
Politics
Charlie Kirk’s death has created new debates on the First Amendment
By Terry Mattingly
Politics

Terry Mattingly, Senior Fellow on Communications and Culture at Saint Constantine College in Houston and a member of the Overby Center panel of experts, discusses the new debates on the First Amendment created after Charlie Kirk’s death.

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By Terry Mattingly
Politics
For Christian comedian Jeff Foxworthy, jokes about religion cut too close to the bone
By Terry Mattingly
History & Perspective
For Christian comedian Jeff Foxworthy, jokes about religion cut too close to the bone
By Terry Mattingly
History & Perspective

Southern comedian Jeff Foxworthy has made the meme “you might be a redneck if…” famous. He tells Terry Mattingly of the Overby Center that since “we agree on about 85% of stuff,” he likes to stay in his own lane in his comedy routines.

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By Terry Mattingly
History & Perspective
In Western North Carolina, devastating floods have left only faith and hope for Christmas
By Terry Mattingly
History & Perspective
In Western North Carolina, devastating floods have left only faith and hope for Christmas
By Terry Mattingly
History & Perspective

Terry Mattingly of the Overby Center panel of experts reports that historic storms from Hurricane Helene have left North Carolina people without homes and still in desperate need of help.

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By Terry Mattingly
History & Perspective
By Terry Mattingly
Politics
Evangelicals again likely to give overwhelming support to Trump
By Terry Mattingly
Politics

Terry Mattingly, a member of the Overby Center panel of experts, discusses evangelicals likely to have overwhelming support for former president Donald Trump.

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By Terry Mattingly
Politics
Overby Center

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