Author: Bobby Ross Jr.

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

Ten years after Hurricane Katrina, survivors keep counting blessings

‘God allowed us to make it through’ (reporting from New Orleans): At the 10-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, Christians who survived keep counting their blessings. NEW ORLEANS — Ten years after Hurricane Katrina waged war on the Gulf Coast, Christians in hard-hit New Orleans are looking back — and ahead. Frank J. Harden, an elder of the Louisa Street Church of Christ, recalls fleeing 260 … Continue reading Ten years after Hurricane Katrina, survivors keep counting blessings

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The Ross News

In the heat of the pennant race, it’s nice to be back ‘Deep in the Heart of Texas’

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“Take me out to the ball game” is my blog on major-league ballparks and the wonders of witnessing America’s favorite pastime up close.

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By Bobby Ross Jr.

ARLINGTON, Texas — If you’re a regular reader of my MLB ballparks blog (I love you, Mom!), you know how much I enjoyed my first-ever visit to Detroit’s Comerica Park last weekend.

But Friday night, my Rangers were back home at Globe Life Park in Arlington — and my sons Brady and Keaton and I made a quick trip down from Oklahoma City to see the game.

We had great seats along the first-base line and got to see a masterful pitching performance —  just one run and two hits allowed over eight innings by new Texas ace Cole Hamels — as the Rangers defeated the Baltimore Orioles, 4-1.

The Rangers maintained a half-game lead over the Minnesota Twins for the AL’s second wild card and moved within four games of the Houston Astros in the AL West.

A few pictures from the game:

Continue reading “In the heat of the pennant race, it’s nice to be back ‘Deep in the Heart of Texas’”

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Christian Chronicle

Online wars over doctrine spark concern

Online wars over doctrine spark concern (reporting from New Orleans): Amid heated talk on social media, two-day symposium brings together leaders for face-to-face dialogue.  NEW ORLEANS — And they’ll know we are Christians by our … vitriol on Facebook? Scriptural and responsible use of the Internet was a key point of discussion as more than 100 ministers and church leaders gathered for the recent “We … Continue reading Online wars over doctrine spark concern

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The Ross News

Rangers and Tigers and baseball, oh my! Joyfully checking Comerica Park off my bucket list

“Take me out to the ball game” is my blog on major-league ballparks and the wonders of witnessing America’s favorite pastime up close.

• • •

By Bobby Ross Jr.

DETROIT — Comerica Park did not disappoint.

On a reporting trip to the Motor City — timed to coincide with my beloved Texas Rangers playing the Detroit Tigers in a four-game series — I was able to see three games.

Comerica — No. 3 on my bucket list of ballparks I had yet to experience — definitely lived up to the rave reviews of diehard Tigers fans such as my friend Ron Hadfield.

The tiger statues out front, the postcard-perfect downtown skyline beyond the outfield walls, the raucous fans totally committed to (and occasionally, totally frustrated with) the hometown heroes with the Old English “D” on their caps — all of these things add to the ambience of this 15-year-old baseball shrine.

Continue reading “Rangers and Tigers and baseball, oh my! Joyfully checking Comerica Park off my bucket list”

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Religion Unplugged

5Q+1 interview: Melissa Binder on the thriving Godbeat in America’s least-religious city

5Q+1 interview: Melissa Binder on the thriving Godbeat in America’s least-religious city Melissa Binder is rocking the Godbeat in one of the unlikeliest of places – Portland, Ore. “Who else is going to tell you what religion in the rest of the United States might look like in 50 years?” The Oregonian writer responds when asked about covering faith and values in America’s least-religious city. Binder’s … Continue reading 5Q+1 interview: Melissa Binder on the thriving Godbeat in America’s least-religious city

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Christian Chronicle

Love the preacher who left? You won’t like the new one

Love the preacher who left? You won’t like the new one (reporting from Wichita, Kan.): Instead of hiring a ‘sacrificial lamb,’ interim ministry advocates urge a process of reflection and discernment. WICHITA, Kan. — Mark Frost drives a Ford Focus. His other vehicle, he quips, is a Cessna. “So I feel like I’m coming home,” Frost jokes as he introduces himself to the RiverWalk Church of … Continue reading Love the preacher who left? You won’t like the new one

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Religion Unplugged

August 2015: GetReligion

Ghostbusters: Solving faith mystery of CEO who cut his $1 million salary to pay employees more. Published Aug. 3. Hard-hitting journalism on Baptist church’s acceptance of same-sex marriage? Not exactly. Published Aug. 4. Hey, enjoy some pretend journalism on ‘a fake church in a real church.’ Published Aug. 5. Mennonite husband and wife say they have no hatred toward gays; media say they’re ‘anti-gay.’ Published Aug. … Continue reading August 2015: GetReligion

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Christian Chronicle

Same-sex marriage legalized — now what?

Landmark ruling alarms Christians who view marriage as a sacred union between one man and one woman. By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle “If Caesar gives it, he can take it away.” So warns minister and lawyer Melvin Otey in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark 5-4 decision legalizing same-sex marriage. Despite declarations of support for religious freedom by President Barack … Continue reading Same-sex marriage legalized — now what?

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