— Bobby

I’m excited to be joining the exceptional team of contributors at GetReligion.org, a popular Web site that critiques the mass media’s coverage of religion news.

My introductory post appears on the site today:

For a faithful GetReligion reader such as myself, joining the team of contributors is like a baseball fan invited to sit in the press box and share his opinions during the World Series.

Although it’s not quite in the same league as my beloved Texas Rangers, I’m a big fan of this weblog and its endeavor to pinpoint and expose the religion ghosts in the secular news media.

Given my work with The Christian Chronicle, I’ll refrain from any GetReligion posts related to Churches of Christ.

Even if you’re not a religion news geek like me, I hope you’ll check out the site from time to time.

— Bobby

I posted a feature on The Christian Chronicle’s Web site today on “online church”:

Stuck at home after a snowstorm, youth minister Paddy Flanagan could not make it to a recent Sunday morning assembly.

However, that did not keep him from joining fellow members of the Concord Road Church of Christ in Brentwood, Tenn., in praising God.

Flanagan logged on to the church’s Web site and watched live streaming of the singing, prayers and sermon.

The story concerns the increasing number of congregations nationwide that make their Sunday assemblies available online as they happen.

I did not include my friend John Gann in the story, but he had an interesting blog post on his recent attempt to worship online:

I wake up in time for service, sure, I was a little late, but I got there. I checked Westover in Austin. No streaming today. Hmm, the website says that it streams the services, it lies. I head to Prestoncrest – bam – there it is, streaming church. You can only imagine my delight to find out that it’s Budget Sunday! Joy, oh Joy. I can do a budget Sunday, but I can’t do one that stops every few seconds while it buffers the video. Plus it doesn’t pick up where it paused, it jumps ahead so you are hearing a few seconds, then skipping ahead a few seconds. Can’t do this.

When I was researching my story, Chris Seidman, senior minister of the Farmers Branch Church of Christ in Texas, shared this insight:

The podcast thing and video of my messages online have really surprised me in terms of people watching and listening.

For one, our members who are traveling and such on any given weekend are still listening or watching the messages and experiencing continuity with whatever series I’m doing. Secondly, probably not a week that goes by that I don’t get an email from someone somewhere in the world, who doesn’t live in Dallas, but is listening or watching.

Just a couple of weeks ago, I was contacted from a couple in New Zealand who’ve been following. The same can be said for Rick Atchley. This does open up new questions for the preacher in terms of to what degree does he have an obligation to answer the questions and shepherd those watching or listening abroad?

And how much if any should that affect the content of what he does week to week? Not much in my opinion. My first obligation is to my local body.

But it does enter my mind, for instance when I show a video clip in the service do I acknowledge what it was we were just watching for those who aren’t there to see it?

Yada, Yada, Yada…..

Your turn: What has your experience been with streaming services or attending an online assembly? Are you excited or perplexed by the notion on cyber-church?

— Bobby

Despite my utter-cool hipness, I somehow had not heard of Humans vs. Zombies.

This is, for those of you as square and unaware as yours truly, a college-level game of tag involving all manner of strategy and Nerf guns. It’s apparently all the rage on university campuses. Way back in 2008, the almighty Washington Post devoted 4,300 words (a few major civil wars have received less ink) to this trend, describing the game this way:

At its most basic, Humans vs. Zombies (also known as H v. Z, or Zombies) is an immersive game of tag based upon the archetypal zombie narrative: All players except for the “original zombie,” or O.Z., begin the game as humans. The O.Z. feeds on the humans one by one, converting them to zombies who, in turn, “feed on” other humans by tagging them — and must make a kill every 48 hours or starve to death. Meanwhile, the humans avoid being eaten by the zombies either by hiding — holing up in their dorm rooms or sleeping in the library — or stunning the zombies for 15 minutes with Nerf darts and balled-up sock “grenades.” The game, which has fall and spring versions, is played all over campus 24 hours a day for days, and sometimes weeks, on end. It’s over when all of the humans have perished or all of the zombies have starved.

My introduction to this parallel zombie universe came courtesy of Lynn Stringfellow, who leads the CIA — Christians in Action — campus ministry at the Bay Area Church of Christ in Tampa, Fla.

Lynn explained that CIA and some other campus ministries associated with Churches of Christ are using Humans vs. Zombies as an outreach opportunity.

CIA is in the midst of an H v. Z event at the University of Southern Florida that started at midnight Sunday. Lynn sent me this note today in response to my query on “Zombies for Christ”:

Well, we are in the game now. It ends today at our “Root Beer Kegger/Sumo Wrestling Event.” We will cap the whole thing off with an all-out war. We had about 500 playing, and at least half of them are now Zombies. We set up a table in the Student Center for the Gam Mod’s and we met many people who wanted to know who we were and why we did this. Gave us a chance to tell them about our Christian group (CIA) and many have already started coming around. We had 25 visitors last night at weekly group gathering (Bible Study and discussion…etc.)

I already have a Bible Study with one guy set up. He asked me why a Christian group would have anything to do with Zombies and I said;”Well, Jesus was a Zombie.” Shocked, he asked “How?” I told him about Jesus being crucified, killed, buried and raised from the dead. He then said; “That is the coolest thing I have ever heard. My Pastor would never say something like that.” So we set up a time to start a Bible study.

Search the Facebook group USF HVZ and read the post there and you will get a feel for how the game is going.

Is this as new — and intriguing — to you as it is me? Or have I just been out of the loop?

Any Christian Zombies out there who’d like to weigh in?

— Bobby

My friend John Dobbs is a man of brilliant ideas.

For instance, back in 2005, he gave me the idea to start a blog. OK, not all of his ideas are so brilliant.

But his latest one is a winner.

In a message to a group of friends on Facebook, John suggested:

Hello brothers and sisters…and fellow bloggers!

I want to instigate a blog meme that I think will be of great value. With the passing of Jack Exum Sr. left the opportunity to express to him how much he was loved and appreciated.

All of us have had a minister or a few ministers who really stand out as major influences in our lives.

I’d like to propose that sometime next week we all post a blog about that person(s). Then, invite your readers to post a tribute to the minister that has blessed them the most as well.

The first one of these tributes that I came across was written by Paula Harrington, who reflected on her late father:

I’ll never forget the morning that my father addressed the Heath church of Christ for the last time. It was only a couple of years after doctors told him that he had Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (more commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease). His body was now weak and frail and slouched in a wheelchair. His voice was slurred and barely audible. I was around six or seven at the time, but even a child knew that this was a powerful day.

A powerful day … and a powerful post. Grab a tissue and bless yourself by reading the rest of it.

• • •

Paula Harington, with her father, cousin and aunt in 1974

• • •

Others have posted moving tributes as well, including:

• Timothy Archer

• John Dobbs (there’s that name again)

• Chris Gallagher

• Janice Tharp Garrison

• Joe Palmer

• Trey Morgan

• Doug Young

I am sure I have missed others, and I invite them to share a link in the comments section.

As for me, the minister who has influenced me the most is my father, Bob Ross. Here is a column I wrote a few years ago paying tribute to him and Mom for their 25 years of ministry as houseparents at Christ’s Haven for Children in Keller, Texas.

Your turn? Who would you like to thank?

— Bobby

]]> http://bobbyrossjr.com/2010/03/03/passing-the-torch-this-brilliant-idea-brought-to-you-by-john-dobbs/feed/ 16 Bobby Ross Jr. torch dadjohnniemeandsteve http://bobbyrossjr.com/2010/02/23/oklahoma-journalists-honor-philip-patterson-as-teacher-of-the-year/ http://bobbyrossjr.com/2010/02/23/oklahoma-journalists-honor-philip-patterson-as-teacher-of-the-year/#comments Tue, 23 Feb 2010 18:29:47 +0000 Bobby Ross Jr. http://bobbyrossjr.com/?p=1859 ]]>

Me, Steve Lackmeyer, Tamie, Linda Patterson, Murray Evans and Philip Patterson at Saturday night’s Oklahoma SPJ awards banquet

• • •

The Oklahoma Society of Professional Journalists honored my friend and mentor Philip Patterson as Teacher of the Year at its annual awards banquet Saturday night.

My friend and fellow Oklahoma Christian alumnus Christy Watson, an editorial writer for The Oklahoman, introduced Philip.

Here is Christy’s speech:

I’ve spent the better part of my journalism career writing about schools. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned about good teachers, it’s that they know developing a trusting relationship with students is really important.

Philip Patterson has made a career of developing those relationships with his students. While Oklahoma Christian is a small liberal arts university not as well known as larger Oklahoma universities like OU, OSU and UCO, Dr. Patterson has played a leading role in teaching and mentoring a number of graduates who have established careers as Oklahoma journalists. I county myself among that number along with Bobby Ross, Steve Lackmeyer, Murray Evans and our own Food Dude Dave Cathey.

Dr. Patterson has a bachelor’s degree in religion, a master’s degree in mass communication and earned a Ph.D. in political communication from the University of Oklahoma, and is a member of the editorial review board of the Journal of Mass Media Ethics and the author of a leading media ethics textbook used by a number of public and private universities. He’s also spent time working in a professional newsroom to make sure his classroom instruction stays fresh and relevant.

No journalism student is unimportant to him. He’s served for many years as advisor to the campus newspaper and taught capstone courses to graduating seniors. But he also teaches freshman-level courses, developing those all-important relationships with students from day one.

Let me share an example of his influence. In nominating him, Bobby Ross wrote that “In Dr. Patterson’s classes, I learned the basics of journalistic writing and media law and ethics. Working on the campus newspaper, I practiced those skills and enjoyed the freedom to both excel and make rookie mistakes. As editor in chief of our weekly student paper, I knew I could call Dr. Patterson or stop by his office at any time to seek insight or advice. I also knew that he’d back the staff and thwart any effort at administrative censorship.”

What I remember was his coursework required us to think outside our comfort zones and question what we thought we knew. For generations of Oklahoma Christian’s journalism students, Dr. Patterson’s role as a teacher and professor lasted long after graduation ceremonies. And we’ve learned from him that we have an obligation to share what we’ve learned with others. I know that well, having learned not just from Dr. Patterson but the students who came before me who continue to serve as professional mentors.

It’s a great honor to introduce Dr. Philip Patterson as the Society of Professional Journalists’ Teacher of the Year.

Our family, before Keaton’s baptism

* * *

Eight years ago, I had the privilege of baptizing my son Brady, then 8 years old.

It was a Saturday night — Sept. 8, 2001 — three days before a date that became infamous in our nation. Our home congregation was moving into a brand-new building that Sunday morning, and the new baptistery wasn’t fully heated. But Brady was ready to accept Christ. And he did:

After much reading and studying of the Bible and discussion with his parents, Brady came to the conclusion that he had sinned. My son, whose wisdom exceeds his age, decided he needed to profess Jesus Christ as his savior and be baptized for the forgiveness of sins.

In one of the greatest moments of my life, I walked into the baptistery with him and immersed him.

Last night, Brady stepped back into that same baptistery — this time to immerse his brother, Keaton, 12. The YouTube video below tells the story better than I ever could.

Let’s just say that Tamie and I are proud parents today. Even prouder than normal.

– Bobby

In many ways, Nashville, Tenn. — sometimes called the buckle of the Bible Belt — is Church of Christ country, as The Christian Chronicle has reported.

Davidson County, home of Music City, has 100 Churches of Christ with about 35,000 adherents (men, women and children in the pews), according to the 2009 edition of Churches of Christ in the United States. Among all religious groups, Davidson County’s Church of Christ population ranks second only to the 100,000 or so Southern Baptists, according to the 2007 Chronicle story I referenced earlier.

So when Nashville’s major daily newspaper, The Tennessean, runs a banner Page 1 story on Sunday reporting that Churches of Christ are dropping their “isolationist view” and working with other faiths, it’s probably a pretty big deal:

Since the late 1800s, Churches of Christ, one of Tennessee’s largest faith groups, have believed their approach to church — singing without instruments in worship, interpreting the Bible literally, taking Communion weekly and banning women from church leadership — was God’s way.

That meant they kept mostly to themselves, shunned other Christians and did not participate in interfaith projects for the community.

In recent years, congregations like Otter Creek have adopted a more progressive view of their faith. They’ve added instruments to church services on Sunday nights and during the week. And they’ve begun cooperating with other faith groups, especially on charitable projects.

(Doug) Sanders and others say this approach is faithful to their traditions and to the Bible. But critics say churches like Otter Creek have replaced real Christianity with a watered-down version.

The story was written by Bob Smietana, The Tennessean’s religion editor, a Facebook friend of mine who did a Blog Q&A with me last month.

Readers of the Chronicle are aware of the issues tackled by Bob, including the move by some progressive congregations to add instrumental worship services and the “identity crisis” that some believe our fellowship is experiencing.

Bob wraps up his piece by quoting Rubel Shelly:

Rubel Shelly, former minister at Woodmont Hills and now president of Rochester College in Michigan, believes Churches of Christ will have to adapt in the future or lose their effectiveness. “The notion that people in the 21st century are going to find their identity in a particular denomination is getting more and more unlikely,” he said.

“The issue increasingly is: Do you believe in God or not? And if you believe in God, do you believe in God as he is represented in Jesus or as he is present in Allah or in Buddhism?

“If we ever had the luxury of being divided at every nuance of belief, we are losing it in this culture.”

Shelly’s quotes reminded me of what Max Lucado told me during a 2004 interview for The Associated Press:

“It just seems like we’re in kind of a post-denominational society that those differences are not as important to people as they used to be,” Lucado said. “Now, the big issue isn’t so much Methodist or Baptist, but Jesus or Buddha.”

I am interested in your reactions to Bob’s story:

• Are Churches of Christ dropping an isolationist view? Does the term “isolationist” even fit our fellowship? Does being “in the world but not of the world” mean, by its very nature, a sort of isolationism?

• Are congregations such as Otter Creek reflective of what’s happening in our fellowship overall, or are most Churches of Christ retaining long-held doctrinal views on issues such as a cappella singing?

• Are Shelly and Lucado right when they speak of a post-denominational world where differences in Christian belief are not as important as whether one supports Christ or Buddha?

Trust me, I know how emotional discussions on such topics can be, so I ask that you pray before hitting the comment button and do your best to engage in a respectful, Christ-like dialogue.

– Bobby

BOBBY ROSS JR. | The Christian Chronicle

TACOMA, WASH. – On a recent reporting trip to the Pacific Northwest, I was blessed to worship with the Lakeview Church of Christ on a Sunday night.

About 35 miles south of Seattle, the Lakeview church is a 450-member congregation not far from the Fort Lewis Army post and McChord Air Force Base.

My main reason for visiting Lakeview was to interview couples involved with the church’s military outreach ministry. That story will appear in print and online soon.

But while at Lakeview, I enjoyed meeting minister Glenn Newton and learning about the congregation’s inspirational response to a terrible tragedy.

Read my full column on The Christian Chronicle Web site.

I’m so excited that the third interviewee is another of the nation’s premier religion writers: Julia Duin of The Washington Times. Read some of her recent stories here.

(Previously interviewed were Bob Smietana of The Tennessean newspaper in Nashville and Ann Rodgers of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Read Bob’s interview here and Ann’s interview here.)

Name: Julia Duin

Bio: Julia is The Washington Times’ religion editor. She has a master’s degree in religion from Trinity School for Ministry (an Episcopal seminary) and has covered the beat for three decades. Before coming to The Washington Times, she worked for five newspapers, including a stint as a religion writer for the Houston Chronicle and a year as city editor at the Daily Times in Farmington, N.M.

She has published five books. One of them, “Quitting Church: Why the Faithful Are Fleeing and What to Do about it,” was reviewed in The Christian Chronicle. She has won many regional and national awards for her writing and has been nominated twice by the Times for a Pulitzer. She has covered events ranging from the election of Pope Benedict XVI in Rome and sex-selective abortions in India to the huge popularity of Christian colleges in the United States and a “new sanctuary” movement in mainline Protestant churches involving aid to illegal immigrants. She has learned seven foreign languages to aid in researching her stories.

BR: Tell me a bit about your personal faith and religious background.

Julia Duin: Grew up Episcopalian but became born again at age 16 through a combination of reading Catherine Marshall’s book “Beyond Ourselves” (which showed me that folks raised in mainline Protestant churches like me still needed to personally accept Christ) and attendance at Young Life, an evangelical club for high schoolers. That decision really did change my life. I segued into the charismatic two years later at the age of 18. Have stayed in the evangelical/charismatic/Episcopal/Anglican grouping ever since although I like attending Assemblies of God churches for their unapologetic theology on the Holy Spirit which they refuse to change even though it’s no longer fashionable.

BR: How does your faith contribute, if at all, to your professional endeavors? Do you consider what you do a ministry? Why or why not?

Julia Duin: “I don’t consider my work as much a ministry as do a lot of people who read my stuff. People keep on telling me how tough it is to find journalists who report on what I do (for instance I do a lot on religious persecution around the world which a lot of reporters ignore) or who have my point of view. For instance, I just came out with what will be the best book I ever write: “Days of Fire and Glory: The Rise and Fall of a Charismatic Community.” It was 20 years in the writing and it took everything I had to write it, i.e., spending four years in true poverty. The people who read it are so surprised to find someone who journalistically assesses the charismatic movement and one of its greatest leaders and accepts the basic idea of it while criticizing some of the corrupt people therein. The fact that I actually believe not only the Nicene Creed but in the spiritual gifts really surprises people who rarely find a reporter who accepts the idea of moral absolutes and the supernatural.”

BR: What would be the headline and lead paragraph on your life story?

Julia Duin: “Hmm..at this point: ‘She finished her race.’ The sub-head would be ‘and it was a tough go.’ Lead paragraph…. ‘When Julia Duin converted to evangelical Christianity in her teens, she thought her life would follow her mother’s template: College, marrying a great guy, a few years of a career, then life as a stay-at-home mom while writing the Great American Novel. Reality was far different. The college part worked out fine but Prince Charming never arrived. A lifelong career as a reporter for five newspapers proved tougher and rockier than she would have liked. She did produce books, but it took much longer to write and sell them than she’d bargained for. She also produced a child — via adoption, that’s true — and what began as a decision criticized widely by her family and friends turned out to be one of the best life choices she ever made.“

BR: How familiar are you with Churches of Christ? What is your perception of this fellowship of 13,000 non-instrumental congregations in the U.S.? What questions do you have about Churches of Christ?

Julia Duin: “I encountered them while in college in Oregon but since then, I never run across a CoC congregation nor do they ever make news. Sorry.”

(Note to Julia: I’d humbly suggest that the 1.6 million adherents of Churches of Christ nationwide do make news, whether or not secular journalists choose to cover it. I will grant that covering Churches of Christ requires a journalist to attempt to understand a fellowship of autonomous congregations with no central denominational headquarters or annual convention to produce ready-made headlines. The Fairfax Church of Christ and the East Capitol Street Church of Christ in the D.C. area are interesting congregations that you might check out sometime. Anyway, my apologies for digressing …)

BR: You have the microphone. What else would you like to say?

Julia Duin: “I’ve had my share of reverses in life and if there’s anything I’d like to pass on, it’s learn how to make your misfortunes work for you. I had a horrible church experience 10 years ago and ended up walking out for about six years. I used all the insights from that unpleasant experience to build the “Quitting Church” book which is the bestselling of all my works so far. I used the misery of singleness as the basis for my first book about sexuality and singleness. If you can make money from your suffering – why not?“

Please leave a comment to thank Julia for her interview and offer any questions or reflections of your own.

— Bobby