Author: Bobby Ross Jr.

Bobby Ross Jr. is an award-winning journalist who has reported from all 50 states and 20 countries.
Religion Unplugged

🏛️ #RNA2023: The news that has religion writers’ attention this week 🔌

Godbeat pros are meeting in the D.C. area. By Bobby Ross Jr. | Religion Unplugged BETHESDA, Md. — Greetings from just outside the nation’s capital. The Religion News Association’s annual meeting started Thursday, and I’m enjoying the opportunity to connect with old friends and make new ones. I attended my first RNA conference in Nashville, Tennessee, in the fall of 2002, just a few months after joining The … Continue reading 🏛️ #RNA2023: The news that has religion writers’ attention this week 🔌

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Religion Unplugged

🇩🇪 At least six dead, plus unborn baby and gunman, in Jehovah’s Witnesses shooting in Germany 🔌

Shooter identified as a former member with ‘ill-feelings.’ By Bobby Ross Jr. | Religion Unplugged Good morning, Weekend Plug-in readers! Among the stories we’re following this week: A South Carolina church held a prayer vigil after two members of its community were abducted and killed by a Mexican drug cartel, as WPDE-TV’s Jenna Herazo reports. Here in my home state of Oklahoma, voters trounced — somewhat surprisingly — … Continue reading 🇩🇪 At least six dead, plus unborn baby and gunman, in Jehovah’s Witnesses shooting in Germany 🔌

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Christian Chronicle

In a Mexican resort city, Christians care for homeless ‘angels’

The rescued children aren’t the only ones blessed — so are the American supporters who keep returning. By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle COZUMEL, Mexico — Scott Eller steered a rented Nissan March through this bustling Caribbean city as his wife, Andrea, talked about their “home away from home.” Driving away from the cruise ships and sandy beaches that draw thousands to Cozumel, Scott … Continue reading In a Mexican resort city, Christians care for homeless ‘angels’

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Christian Chronicle

Flight delays and new friends: My trip to Cozumel

A runway mishap contributes to a long day, but God’s beauty makes up for it. By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle COZUMEL, Mexico — When I told friends I was traveling to Cozumel on a reporting trip for The Christian Chronicle, they chuckled. “Uh huh,” their responses seemed to say, as if I might have ulterior motives. “No, really,” I insisted. I flew to the Mexican resort city to cover … Continue reading Flight delays and new friends: My trip to Cozumel

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Christian Chronicle

Asbury revival sparks prayer, reflection at Christian universities

‘Y’all, pay attention to what God is doing,’ a student worship leader tells his Generation Z counterparts. By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle “Nothing good happens after midnight. Except for this.” So proclaims the Facebook page for Midnight Worship, a weekly gathering hosted by the Highland Church of Christ in Abilene, Texas. More than 1,000 miles from Asbury University in Wilmore, Ky. — where a seemingly routine chapel … Continue reading Asbury revival sparks prayer, reflection at Christian universities

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Religion Unplugged

🇺🇸 No separation of church and state? NYC mayor sparks a furor 🔌

But some praise Eric Adams’ remarks at an interfaith breakfast. By Bobby Ross Jr. | Religion Unplugged Big Apple, big controversy: “Don’t tell me about no separation of church and state. State is the body. Church is the heart. You take the heart out of the body, the body dies.” New York City Mayor Eric Adams said that at an interfaith breakfast this week — remarks called “unhinged and … Continue reading 🇺🇸 No separation of church and state? NYC mayor sparks a furor 🔌

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Religion Unplugged

God and pot: Both sides cite faith in Oklahoma’s recreational marijuana fight

By Bobby Ross Jr. | Religion Unplugged OKLAHOMA CITY — Michelle Tilley says faith drives everything she does, including her fight to legalize recreational marijuana in her home state. Baptized at age 7 in the First Baptist Church of Comanche, Oklahoma, the longtime Democratic political consultant leads a group that has raised $3.2 million in support of State Question 820, a pro-marijuana initiative that the state’s voters … Continue reading God and pot: Both sides cite faith in Oklahoma’s recreational marijuana fight

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Religion Unplugged

📰 Surprise! Spiritual revival is big news, from New York Times to Christianity Today 🔌

Thousands seek God at Asbury University: something old and something new. By Bobby Ross Jr. | Religion Unplugged Good morning, Weekend Plug-in readers! It’s the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. This week’s roundup explores former President Jimmy Carter’s faith and Saddleback Church’s removal from the Southern Baptist Convention. But we start with a story Plug-in already covered last week. I explain why in 3, 2, 1 … Read the full … Continue reading 📰 Surprise! Spiritual revival is big news, from New York Times to Christianity Today 🔌

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Christian Chronicle

Bible conferences, Love’s Travel Stops and time on the road with Dad

Flying is faster, but an interstate journey can be full of adventure. HENDERSON, Tenn. — I love road trips. Except for all the driving. And the long days on the highway. And the would-be NASCAR stars weaving in and out of traffic. Seriously, I like cranking up my country music playlist and seeing America’s farms and high-rises through my car’s windows. When reporting for The Christian Chronicle, I usually fly. But for a … Continue reading Bible conferences, Love’s Travel Stops and time on the road with Dad

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