Author: Bobby Ross Jr.

Bobby Ross Jr. is an award-winning journalist who has reported from all 50 states and 18 countries.
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Religion Unplugged

🇫🇷 Love in many languages: Diverse Christians connect in Mediterranean melting pot 🔌

Editor’s note: Every Friday, “Weekend Plug-in” meets readers at the intersection of faith and news. Click to join nearly 10,000 subscribers who get this column delivered straight to their inbox. Got feedback or ideas? Email Bobby Ross Jr. By Bobby Ross Jr. | Religion Unplugged MARSEILLE, France — God and Google can bring people together in any language. Melanie van der Vorst, a social worker from the Netherlands, speaks Dutch, English and … Continue reading 🇫🇷 Love in many languages: Diverse Christians connect in Mediterranean melting pot 🔌

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Christian Chronicle

Bonjour! How an Algerian immigrant couple found their calling in France

Khaled and Djedjiga Hassani see God at work in the renovation of a dilapidated former monastery. By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle MARSEILLE, France — A stained-glass chapel — a symbol of institutional religion — anchors one end of the Betheline. At the other end, friends and strangers alike find a “house church.”  That’s how missionary Craig Young describes the informal welcoming presence of Khaled and … Continue reading Bonjour! How an Algerian immigrant couple found their calling in France

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Religion Unplugged

🎃 Inside the Halloween tailgating trend gaining popularity at houses of worship 🔌

Editor’s note: Every Friday, “Weekend Plug-in” meets readers at the intersection of faith and news. Click to join nearly 10,000 subscribers who get this column delivered straight to their inbox. Got feedback or ideas? Email Bobby Ross Jr. By Bobby Ross Jr. | Religion Unplugged OKLAHOMA CITY — Jesus loves the little children — all the princesses, Peppa Pigs and “Paw Patrol” characters of the world. Is it just me, or do … Continue reading 🎃 Inside the Halloween tailgating trend gaining popularity at houses of worship 🔌

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Religion Unplugged

⚠️ Warning: Baptisms, funerals and giant fish can be hazardous to preachers’ health 🔌

Editor’s note: Every Friday, “Weekend Plug-in” meets readers at the intersection of faith and news. Click to join nearly 10,000 subscribers who get this column delivered straight to their inbox. Got feedback or ideas? Email Bobby Ross Jr. By Bobby Ross Jr. | Religion Unplugged EDMOND, Okla. — A glitch washing away a tall man’s sins.  A mishap at a military veteran’s graveside service.  An accident inside the huge fish — an inflatable … Continue reading ⚠️ Warning: Baptisms, funerals and giant fish can be hazardous to preachers’ health 🔌

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Religion Unplugged

🚜 Off the beaten path: It’s where to find some of the best faith stories 🔌

Editor’s note: Every Friday, “Weekend Plug-in” meets readers at the intersection of faith and news. Click to join nearly 10,000 subscribers who get this column delivered straight to their inbox. Got feedback or ideas? Email Bobby Ross Jr. By Bobby Ross Jr. | Religion Unplugged MIDVALE, Idaho — I’ve reported from most of the nation’s largest cities. New York. Chicago. Los Angeles. Houston. Washington. I love covering the news in such important … Continue reading 🚜 Off the beaten path: It’s where to find some of the best faith stories 🔌

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Christian Chronicle

144-year-old Idaho church survives and thrives

Pacific Northwest congregation celebrates its history while embracing renewed life. By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle MIDVALE, Idaho — Sunflowers and knee-high yellow grass line U.S. Highway 95, the two-lane blacktop through this blink-and-miss-it farm town. Little green signs at each edge of Midvale —  known as Middle Valley until the post office adopted the shortened name in 1903 — give the population as 222. Amid … Continue reading 144-year-old Idaho church survives and thrives

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Christian Chronicle, Religion Unplugged

🎬 ‘The Chosen’ films the Crucifixion: How it’ll be different from Mel Gibson’s ‘Passion’ 🔌

Editor’s note: Every Friday, “Weekend Plug-in” meets readers at the intersection of faith and news. Click to join nearly 10,000 subscribers who get this column delivered straight to their inbox. Got feedback or ideas? Email Bobby Ross Jr. By Bobby Ross Jr. | Religion Unplugged OKLAHOMA CITY — More than two decades ago, I covered the opening of Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ” movie for The Associated Press. I wrote … Continue reading 🎬 ‘The Chosen’ films the Crucifixion: How it’ll be different from Mel Gibson’s ‘Passion’ 🔌

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Religion Unplugged

✝️ Forgiving Charlie Kirk’s killer: Grieving widow, Trump offer differing theologies 🔌

Editor’s note: Every Friday, “Weekend Plug-in” meets readers at the intersection of faith and news. Click to join nearly 10,000 subscribers who get this column delivered straight to their inbox. Got feedback or ideas? Email Bobby Ross Jr. By Bobby Ross Jr. | Religion Unplugged PARIS — “I forgive him.” Erika Kirk’s emotional words Sunday concerning her 31-year-old husband’s assassin reached all the way across the Atlantic Ocean. I heard them in … Continue reading ✝️ Forgiving Charlie Kirk’s killer: Grieving widow, Trump offer differing theologies 🔌

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Christian Chronicle

Oklahoma SPJ again honors Bobby Ross Jr. as Print Reporter of the Year

By Bobby Ross Jr. OKLAHOMA CITY — I was pleased to receive the Print Reporter of the Year award in the Oklahoma Society of Professional Journalists’ 2025 annual contest. I earned this honor for the second year in a row and the third time in five years. In the 2025 contest, I was recognized for a portfolio of five stories I wrote for The Christian Chronicle: 1. “Culture warrior, MAGA … Continue reading Oklahoma SPJ again honors Bobby Ross Jr. as Print Reporter of the Year

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