By Bobby Ross Jr. | For Religion News Service TULSA, Okla. — When Brant Lozano was 13, he thought the idea of a church for skateboarders was stupid. But a friend kept inviting him, and eventually, Lozano gave in. To his surprise, “Skatechurch” — a ministry hosted by the First United Methodist Church in downtown Tulsa — turned out not to be so lame, he said. … Continue reading Bible study and skateboards meet at Skatechurch
By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle As a Christian, U.S. Rep. Brett Guthrie worships with a bilingual congregation that shares the Gospel with Spanish speakers and feeds the hungry without concern for immigration status. As a congressman, the Kentucky Republican points to a definite “crisis at the border” and supports President Donald Trump’s push to build a $5.7 billion wall separating the United States from Mexico. The 54-year-old … Continue reading In border wall fight, compassion mixes with concern
Even with veteran congressman’s retirement, that’s the most in recent memory and perhaps ever. By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle In 2005, a freshman congressman named Ted Poe drove his gaudy Jeep with 35-inch tires, six front floodlights and a bumper sticker proclaiming “Texas is bigger than France” to a White House meeting. The colorful former state district judge, who earned his political … Continue reading Three members of Churches of Christ elected to U.S. House
Brenda Jones, a Michigan Democrat, reflects on her short-lived tenure in Washington. By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle When Brenda Jones took the oath of office for her brief tenure in the U.S. House, her first words related to her faith. “Mr. Speaker, let me start out by saying, ‘To God be the glory.’ I want to thank God for giving me this … Continue reading Five weeks in Congress: one Christian’s journey
While in a Tennessee prison for murder, Brown got a degree with the help of Lipscomb University. By Bobby Ross Jr. Each semester, the LIFE program at Nashville’s Lipscomb University, which is associated with the Churches of Christ, pairs students with inmates serving time in the Tennessee Prison for Women. This week, the most high-profile graduate of that academic program — offered behind the prison’s … Continue reading Cyntoia Brown, granted clemency, says Christian school’s program changed her life
By Bobby Ross Jr. | For Religion News Service Dr. Shahid Shafi, a trauma surgeon who is Muslim, declared victory over bigotry and a win for religious freedom after fellow Republicans in Texas’ most conservative urban county voted 139-49 with 10 abstentions to retain him in a key leadership position. The much-anticipated vote Thursday night (Jan. 10) by the Tarrant County GOP came during a … Continue reading Texas GOP leader who is Muslim declares victory over bigotry
By Bobby Ross Jr. | GetReligion
Regardless of which team prevailed in the College Football Playoff national championship Monday night, Jesus was going to get some credit.
Both Alabama’s Heisman Trophy runner-up quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa, and his Clemson counterpart, Trevor Lawrence, are known for giving the glory to their Lord.
As it turned out, Clemson cruised to a 44-16 win, putting the focus on the team’s coach, Dabo Swinney, as well as its heralded freshman QB, Lawrence, neither of whom is shy about emphasizing his strong Christian faith.
Coverage of Clemson’s national title run that ignored that fact missed an important angle.
But I was pleased to see a number of reports that caught the relevance of Swinney’s mention of God, including this one from the Sporting News:
• • •
All of my GetReligion columns (January 2019):
Continue reading “Yes, there’s a Jesus angle — and a Chick-fil-A one — in Clemson’s national title”
By Bobby Ross Jr.
My dream job would be pretty close to what I do right now: traveling all over the U.S. and even around the world to report the news.
I consider myself blessed to have enjoyed another (mostly) exciting year in journalism, including my full-time work with The Christian Chronicle and freelance gigs with media such as Religion News Service, The Washington Post and Christianity Today. (That’s not to mention my regular blogging for GetReligion.)
Since I love to look back and reflect, I compiled my Top 10 most memorable stories of 2018.
Here they are, in random order:
1. 25th anniversary of Waco inferno: I visited the Branch Davidian compound where David Koresh — leader of an apocalyptic religious sect known as the Branch Davidians — and 75 followers perished in a firestorm on April 19, 1993. My in-depth takeout for Religion News Service was picked up by USA Today. As part of that package, I did a Q&A with Bob Ricks, who was the face of the FBI during the Central Texas standoff — and whom I first interviewed a quarter-century earlier in the immediate wake of the siege.
Continue reading “Year in review: My Top 10 most memorable stories of 2018”
Religion played a role as the 42-year-old Democrat pulled off one a major upset. By Bobby Ross Jr. | For Religion News Service OKLAHOMA CITY — U.S. Rep.-elect Kendra Horn, D-Okla., knelt at the front of the sanctuary as the Rev. Joseph Alsay, rector of St. Augustine of Canterbury Episcopal Church, anointed her with chrism, a consecrated oil. “Kendra, may God bless you with enough … Continue reading How Kendra Horn turned Oklahoma’s 5th District blue for the first time in 44 years
