By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle Dear Norah Esther Ross, Welcome to the world, my precious granddaughter. What an amazing, beautiful gift from God you are. Your Papa — that’s my name, Papa — loves you so much. Please forgive me for crying when I first met you. I couldn’t help it. Your Nana loves you like crazy, too. She has an entire sewing room filled … Continue reading A letter to my newborn granddaughter
Discovery at a former residential school offers a ‘painful reminder of that dark and shameful chapter’ in the nation’s history. By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle At age 6, Brenda Cyr was taken from her family and forced to live at a church-run residential school — part of a 120-year Canadian government effort to assimilate Indigenous children. In seven years at two such schools, Cyr, … Continue reading In Canada, a reckoning after remains of 215 Indigenous children are found
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. Look for a little thunder today, but I don’t see any rain in the Nashville, Tennessee, forecast for next week. That’s probably a good thing because … Continue reading Leaks turn up the heat in advance of Southern Baptists’ Nashville meeting
I contributed to a Washington Post front-page story by national health reporter Dan Diamond on COVID-19 vaccine trends. My feed from Oklahoma City: Making the shots convenient Health providers in Oklahoma, where 54 percent of adults have gotten one shot, also have seen demand slow to a trickle. Greg Clyde, a bowtie-wearing independent pharmacist in Oklahoma City, said that when he began administering coronavirus vaccines … Continue reading Vaccination rates fall off, imperiling Biden’s July Fourth goal
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 Southern Baptist Convention’s annual meeting is a hot ticket once again. Flash back to 1985: At the height of the battles between the denomination’s conservatives … Continue reading Coming soon: Southern Baptist Convention’s biggest annual meeting in a quarter-century
‘When we’re segregated … then how can we look like Christ?’ one minister asks. By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle BROKEN ARROW, Okla. — At the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre, two preachers — one Black, one White — stand on stage at a suburban church. They face each other, hold hands and bow their heads. “Help us, Father, to learn to erase the … Continue reading At Tulsa massacre’s centennial, two Oklahoma churches focus on racial unity
Rep. Regina Goodwin and Sen. Kevin Matthews both attend the same predominantly Black congregation, near where the 1921 mob violence occurred. By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle TULSA, Okla. — Two weeks after her 107th birthday, Viola Fletcher traveled to Washington, D.C., this month to tell a congressional subcommittee what happened to her as a little girl. Fletcher, the oldest living survivor of the Tulsa … Continue reading Christian faith drives two leading advocates of Tulsa Race Massacre justice
By Bobby Ross Jr. | Religion Unplugged TULSA, Okla. — The words on the wall are jarring. They are filled with racist language and victim blaming. Worst of all, they are taken from the mouths of professed men of God — from sermons preached on the Sunday after the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921. “I got emotional about some of the things that I did not know,” … Continue reading Tulsa Race Massacre prayer room highlights churches’ 1921 sins, seeks healing
After a year away because of the pandemic, history major returns to campus. By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle MALIBU, Calif. — My 21-year-old daughter, Kendall, and I are driving through a dark tunnel on a twisty canyon road when a perfect dad joke hits me. At just the right moment, as the sun beams up ahead, I try out my bit of humor. … Continue reading As daughter graduates, just one request
Faith. Family. Fastballs. 