Author: Bobby Ross Jr.

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

‘We lost everything, but we didn’t lose everything’: Where was God in Mayfield tornado?

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. Words fail to convey the emotions in Mayfield, Kentucky, after last weekend’s devastating tornado. Let’s try anyway, directly from the mouths of those relying on … Continue reading ‘We lost everything, but we didn’t lose everything’: Where was God in Mayfield tornado?

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Christian Chronicle

Serving Jesus and soft drinks — at 38,000 feet

From flight attendant to funeral director, secular jobs help pay the bills for bivocational ministers. By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle NEWNAN, Ga. — On a typical Sunday, Alan Henderson shares God’s word with 100 to 110 souls at the Newnan Church of Christ, about 35 miles southwest of Atlanta. The rest of the week, the part-time preacher lives out his faith from a different vantage point: … Continue reading Serving Jesus and soft drinks — at 38,000 feet

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Religion Unplugged

Americans favor religious exemptions for COVID-19 vaccines — to a point

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. What a difference a year makes. Or not. Fifty-two weeks ago, this news topped Weekend Plug-in: Trump calls COVID-19 vaccine ‘a medical miracle,’ but many religious … Continue reading Americans favor religious exemptions for COVID-19 vaccines — to a point

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Associated Press, Christian Chronicle, Oklahoman

‘Best of the Best’: Bobby Ross Jr. earns Best Reporter prize from Oklahoma SPJ

This was a nice surprise. The Society of Professional Journalists’ Oklahoma professional chapter honored me as Best Reporter at its 2021 virtual awards ceremony on Oct. 29. The “Best of the Best” prize recognized a portfolio of five stories that I wrote for The Christian Chronicle, The Associated Press and The Oklahoman: 1. ‘The world doesn’t stop’: Her 15-month-old daughter died in the bombing but … Continue reading ‘Best of the Best’: Bobby Ross Jr. earns Best Reporter prize from Oklahoma SPJ

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Religion Unplugged

Touch, prayer and the role of clergy at executions

U.S. Supreme Court weighs religious freedom. 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. The U.S. Supreme Court will hear religious freedom arguments Tuesday in the case of a Texas death-row inmate named John … Continue reading Touch, prayer and the role of clergy at executions

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Religion Unplugged

Boo! Just in time for Halloween, five frightening headlines about evangelicals

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. Here’s a scary thought: Who wants to dress up as an evangelical for Halloween? Except, exactly what would that look like? Would it involve wearing a … Continue reading Boo! Just in time for Halloween, five frightening headlines about evangelicals

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Associated Press

A moving ‘reunion’ for descendants of Holocaust survivors

By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Associated Press WESTLAKE, Texas — Anna Salton Eisen found the old pictures — wallet-size, black-and-white images of Jewish prisoners who survived the Holocaust — in a folder her late father, George Lucius Salton, kept most of his life. The Texas woman recognized the names of some of the teens and young men from stories her father told. For three years, … Continue reading A moving ‘reunion’ for descendants of Holocaust survivors

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Religion Unplugged

Ransom demands and prayers: The kidnapping of a mission group in Haiti

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. As a journalist who covers religion, I’ve been blessed to report firsthand from countries such as Israel, Mexico, Nicaragua and South Africa. As a result, when … Continue reading Ransom demands and prayers: The kidnapping of a mission group in Haiti

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Christian Chronicle

Picket signs, honking horns and sidewalk sermons: Inside an anti-abortion ministry

Michigan church members say the Gospel, not politics, motivates them to gather at clinics and urge women not to end pregnancies. By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle WEST BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. — A bullhorn amplified Conner Westerby’s words as he stood on a public sidewalk and tried to gain the attention of a woman entering a clinic about 75 feet away. Westerby, a 24-year-old Christian … Continue reading Picket signs, honking horns and sidewalk sermons: Inside an anti-abortion ministry

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