Author: Bobby Ross Jr.

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

5 key facts as Pope Francis travels to Canada to apologize to Indigenous peoples

By Bobby Ross Jr. | Religion Unplugged Editor’s note: Every Friday, “Weekend Plug-in” features analysis, fact checking and top headlines from the world of faith. Subscribe now to get this newsletter delivered straight to your inbox. Got feedback or ideas? Email Bobby Ross Jr. at therossnews@gmail.com. Pope Francis is traveling to Canada this weekend. The purpose of the Catholic leader’s seven-day trip: to apologize to Indigenous peoples for abuses at church-run residential … Continue reading 5 key facts as Pope Francis travels to Canada to apologize to Indigenous peoples

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Christian Chronicle

When the editor gets COVID-19

Colleagues at The Christian Chronicle step up in time of need. By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle ELGIN, Ill. — COVID-19 stinks. That’s not exactly breaking news, right?   For 2½ years, I somehow avoided the coronavirus. But during a recent reporting trip to Chicago, I tested positive for the first time. So instead of doing the work I love, I isolated myself in my hotel room. Apparently, … Continue reading When the editor gets COVID-19

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Christian Chronicle

Christians reflect on Fourth of July parade shooting that claimed seven lives

‘It’s just a somber place to be right now,’ one church member says of Chicago’s North Shore, where the attack occurred. By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle HIGHLAND PARK, Ill. — On a lazy Fourth of July morning, Nicole Estes and her husband, Steve, decided to make a quick trip to Home Depot. Before they could pull out of their subdivision on Chicago’s North … Continue reading Christians reflect on Fourth of July parade shooting that claimed seven lives

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Christian Chronicle

Time to share a little good news

At a time of distressing headlines, enjoy these positive stories. By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle “We sure could use a little good news today,” Anne Murray sang in a No. 1 country hit in 1983. Nearly four decades later, negative headlines abound: Mass shootings. The war in Ukraine. Church closings. Even when the news is bad, The Christian Chronicle strives to highlight Christians living out their faith in inspiring ways, as you’ll notice … Continue reading Time to share a little good news

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Religion Unplugged

5 key takeaways: Sex abuse reforms top Southern Baptists’ actions at annual meeting

By Bobby Ross Jr. | Religion Unplugged Editor’s note: Every Friday, “Weekend Plug-in” features analysis, fact checking and top headlines from the world of faith. Subscribe now to get this newsletter delivered straight to your inbox. Got feedback or ideas? Email Bobby Ross Jr. at therossnews@gmail.com. 1979 was a highly consequential year for the direction of the Southern Baptist Convention. So was 1985. And 2021, come to think of it. No doubt … Continue reading 5 key takeaways: Sex abuse reforms top Southern Baptists’ actions at annual meeting

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The Ross News

I hated how I left a newspaper job in 1993. Three decades later, I got to write a better ending.

By Bobby Ross Jr. EDMOND, Okla. — I interned at the Edmond Evening Sun my senior year at Oklahoma Christian University. That was way back in the Stone Age, circa 1989-1990. The Sun — launched a century earlier in Oklahoma Territory — published Tuesday through Friday afternoons and Sunday mornings. It had a daily circulation of roughly 10,000 (I don’t recall the exact figure). I made … Continue reading I hated how I left a newspaper job in 1993. Three decades later, I got to write a better ending.

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Religion Unplugged

God and guns

People of faith debate solutions to America’s string of mass shootings. By Bobby Ross Jr. | Religion Unplugged Editor’s note: Every Friday, “Weekend Plug-in” features analysis, fact checking and top headlines from the world of faith. Subscribe now to get this newsletter delivered straight to your inbox. Got feedback or ideas? Email Bobby Ross Jr. at therossnews@gmail.com. TULSA, Okla. — God and guns. After a string of mass shootings nationwide, conversations with people of faith … Continue reading God and guns

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Christian Chronicle

After yet another mass shooting, Tulsa church prays, reflects: Is there a solution?

Two doctors, a receptionist and a clinic visitor were killed in a medical office attack. By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle TULSA, Okla. — Shock. Tears. Prayers. Gun debate. All ripple through The Park Church of Christ, a 2,000-member congregation that is a microcosm of Tulsa, as yet another American city mourns lives lost in a mass shooting. “A few days ago, we all found … Continue reading After yet another mass shooting, Tulsa church prays, reflects: Is there a solution?

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Christian Chronicle

‘The mass shooting that would end mass shootings’ didn’t

For some Christians, the recent attacks in Buffalo, N.Y.; Uvalde, Texas; and elsewhere rekindle painful memories. By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle When a gunman killed 32 people at Virginia Tech in 2007, Seth Terrell was a 21-year-old campus minister for the nearby Blacksburg Church of Christ. Freshly graduated from Freed-Hardeman University in Henderson, Tenn., with a double-major in Bible and history, Terrell suddenly faced the biggest challenge of his young … Continue reading ‘The mass shooting that would end mass shootings’ didn’t

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