‘Dear Jesus, send some angels’: Faith and prayer inside Southwest Flight 1380

By Bobby Ross Jr. | GetReligion

Several years ago, I was flying home from a reporting trip when the pilot came on the loudspeaker and reported trouble with the controls that direct the plane.

He said we needed to make an emergency landing, and rescue vehicles would be waiting as a precaution. But he stressed that the flashing lights on the ground shouldn’t alarm anyone because he didn’t expect any problem landing the plane.

That statement would have provided more comfort if I hadn’t kept asking myself: If the plane were going to crash, would he be so candid as to say so?

“Attention, passengers, I fully expect that we are all about to die. Please buckle your seat belts and get your affairs in order.”

For an anxious flyer such as myself, that experience was scary enough.

But I can’t even imagine what the passengers of Southwest Flight 1380 endured this week. As you no doubt heard, one passenger was killed and seven others wounded Tuesday after an engine exploded.

However, as I noted Wednesday, devout Christian pilot Tammie Jo Shults is being praised for her “nerves of steel” in calmly maneuvering the plane to the ground and avoiding a much worse catastrophe.

Since I wrote that post, I’ve come across more faith-filled news coverage that needs to be highlighted.

Read the full column.

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All of my GetReligion columns (March 2018):

• Pearly has taught me the beauty of being weak’: A 5-year-old odds-defier’s must-read obituary. Published April 3.

• #MLK50: On anniversary of King’s assassination, five faith-filled links to insightful coverage. Published April 4.

• Holy ghosts in sports stories? It turns out somebody besides GetReligion has noticed them. Published April 5.

• Friday Five: YouTube shooter, Pearl Joy, Trump’s Latino adviser, a mom’s Easter Taser and more. Published April 6.

• Concerning evangelicals, Trump and Stormy Daniels, named sources are more credible. Published April 9.

• Hey Houston Chronicle, what does it mean that superintendent accused of bullying ‘found God?’ Published April 10.

• The holy ghost in House Speaker Paul Ryan’s decision not to seek re-election. Published April 12.

• Friday Five: tmatt’s big milestone, Hybels’ resignation, White House Bible study and more. Published April 13.