By Yonat Shimron, development director

For years, Paul R. Carlson was torn between two callings, one as a religion reporter, the other as a pastor. But Carlson, now 82, has never been torn about the Religion Newswriters Association, a group he joined in 1957.

In recognition of his many contributions to religion reporting and to the RNA, the RNA Board voted this spring to recognize Carlson with the William A. Reed Lifetime Achievement Award. The award will be given during the Oct. 4-6 RNA Conference in Bethesda, Md.

A reporter for many years–first with the Binghamton (NY) Sun, and later with United Press, The Stroudsburg Record (now The Pocono Record), and finally, Religion News Service–Carlson loved religion reporting before it was ever popular.

"The biggest value of the job,” he wrote, "was to widen my encounter and understanding of religion beyond the narrow parameters of Baptist beliefs, as well as Protestant fundamentalism in general.”

After serving for many years in public relations, including as Secretary for Publicity with the World Council of Churches in Geneva, Switzerland, Carlson was ordained and served as a pastor of a Presbyterian church in Queens, N.Y. He also completed a doctorate in Education from New York University. His dissertation subject was interfaith relations, a concern that runs throughout his life’s work.

His seminal book on the subject is Christianity After Auschwitz: Evangelicals Encounter Judaism in the New Millennium. He has written seven other books.

Last year, Carlson wrote a short memoir of his life as a religion reporter titled A Scribe By Trade: A Religion Reporter’s Sentimental Journey

In February, RNA published the piece on its website, calling it "a love story.” And there’s really no better way to describe his affection for RNA and for religion reporters generally.

"Now in the sunset of life,” Carlson wrote, "I can look back on my twin careers as a cleric and as a journalist and say quite frankly that I have far more happy memories of my association with fellow journalists than I do with many clergy.”

Carlson, and his wife, Myrtle, have been attending RNA meetings off and on through the years. They plan to attend this year’s conference, health permitting.

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