The Church of the Savvy, unlike the churches usually covered here, is made up of journalism's Grand Poobahs, the Washington, D.C. mainstream media elite. It's these folks, says Rosen, who make and shape the news—in implicit collusion (or misguided over-identification) with their sources. (For a historical perspective of the phenomenon, Rosen suggests Sally Quinn's 1998 piece on why the DC establishment turned on Bill Clinton.)

Rosen's use of the term "church" is chockablock with nasty nuances, since many of the so-called savvy would hate being linked to something as oblique, opaque, and old-fashioned as religion. But Rosen's made the connection before. Back in 2004, he wrote that journalism is itself a religion—with creeds, theological schools, high priests and orthodoxies. He also made a prediction:

"We're headed, I think, for schism, tumult and divide as the religion of the American press meets the upheavals in global politics and public media that are well underway. (Not to mention the roaring force of the market.) Changing around us are the terms on which authority can be established by journalists. . . The Net is opening things up, shifting the power around. Consumers are being producers and readers can be writers. Consensus is breaking apart on the definitions of the The Good in journalism. And that may be a healthy turn for citizens and for our future experiments with a free press."

So true and now, five years later, Rosen and his twitterbuds are documenting the tumult and schism, playing up the Church's coziness with the political establishment. But their metaphor also illumines the mainstream media's treatment of religion and politics.

The Church of the Savvy views religion instrumentally: how will a religious bloc vote; which religious leaders have juice; and what religion stories bring eyeballs. Coverage falls into familiar set pieces: He said/she said (did evolution occur?); horse races (how will Catholics vote) and conflict (the debate of gay marriage or Shi'a vs. Sunni or Jew vs. Muslim). The problem is that these narratives only go so far: they do little to explain issues, ideas or even the complex human calculus that goes into accepting the demands of a life of faith.

Fortunately consumers are becoming producers and readers are turning into writers. Some of their efforts are fairly well-known—Pastor Dan, Jewschool and Altmuslim for starters. But we're always looking for more. Know anyone storming the Church of the Savvy? We'll post blogs and websites that are overturning the tables.

Diane Winston