Category: Religion News Service

Religion News Service

Amid partisan din, Sen. James Lankford walks a fine line: Pastor and politician

Second Place, Election Reporting, Oklahoma Society of Professional Journalists By Bobby Ross Jr. | For Religion News Service OKLAHOMA CITY — As music plays softly and the Quail Springs Baptist Church prepares to sing “Jesus Is Tenderly Calling,” the guest speaker urges the crowd to bow and pray. “Here’s my very simple invitation,” the fill-in preacher tells the congregation. “There’s a God who loves you … Continue reading Amid partisan din, Sen. James Lankford walks a fine line: Pastor and politician

Unknown's avatarBobby Ross Jr.
Religion News Service

The pope praised him for providing for his parents; now Texas may want to deport them

By Bobby Ross Jr. | For Religion News Service FORT WORTH, Texas — For the past two years, Mexican immigrant Ricardo Ortiz felt he had an advocate. Pope Francis, speaking via satellite, had praised Ortiz for “the way you gave everything you could as a boy, when you supported your family.” Now, the 21-year-old Ortiz — like numerous other Hispanics in Texas  — worries about how the Lone … Continue reading The pope praised him for providing for his parents; now Texas may want to deport them

Unknown's avatarBobby Ross Jr.
Religion News Service

Amid scandal, Baylor’s first woman president brings fresh start to Baptist university

Linda Livingstone has a history of bucking tradition. By Bobby Ross Jr. | For Religion News Service WACO, Texas (RNS) Two decades before she took office as the first woman president in Baylor University’s 172-year history, Linda Livingstone helped break down a different barrier in this Central Texas city. Then and now, Livingstone — who first nurtured her Christian faith in a little white church building in … Continue reading Amid scandal, Baylor’s first woman president brings fresh start to Baptist university

Unknown's avatarBobby Ross Jr.
Religion News Service, USA Today

As major cities crack down on panhandling, many wrestle with their consciences

In a number of cities, the ordinances are sparking legal battles with civil liberties advocates, who accuse communities of treating the homeless as ‘human blight.’ Third Place, Government Reporting, Oklahoma Society of Professional Journalists By Bobby Ross Jr. | For Religion News Service OKLAHOMA CITY (RNS) Driving to his downtown clothing business, Hans Herman Thun finds it impossible to ignore the beggars. They catch his … Continue reading As major cities crack down on panhandling, many wrestle with their consciences

Unknown's avatarBobby Ross Jr.
Religion News Service

Bible Belt state with nation’s highest execution rate considers death penalty flaws

The Oklahoma Death Penalty Review Commission recommends that the moratorium on the death penalty be extended. Third Place, Criminal Justice Reporting, Oklahoma Society of Professional Journalists By Bobby Ross Jr. | For Religion News Service OKLAHOMA CITY (RNS) Most Oklahomans believe the devil is real. State Rep. Mike Ritze thinks that’s why they overwhelmingly support capital punishment, despite highly publicized problems with lethal-injection drugs that prompted state … Continue reading Bible Belt state with nation’s highest execution rate considers death penalty flaws

Unknown's avatarBobby Ross Jr.
Religion News Service

Faith helped baseball coach Tony Beasley beat cancer

Texas Rangers’ ‘inspiration’ sings the national anthem on Opening Day. By Bobby Ross Jr. | For Religion News Service ARLINGTON, Texas (RNS) Tony Beasley never lost faith, even when he was diagnosed with cancer. “It’s been an opportunity for me to be who I said I am,” said Beasley, the third base coach for the Texas Rangers. “My favorite verse is 2 Corinthians 5:7: ‘For we … Continue reading Faith helped baseball coach Tony Beasley beat cancer

Unknown's avatarBobby Ross Jr.
Religion News Service

In rural Canada, churches that once shunned one another open their hearts to Syrian refugees

By Bobby Ross Jr. | For Religion News Service DAUPHIN, Manitoba (RNS) Ken Yakielashek, a Roman Catholic and semiretired farmer in the Canadian Prairies, says he remembers when Christians of varying denominations “wouldn’t talk to one another.” To Yakielashek, that makes what’s happened in Dauphin — a rural community 200 miles northwest of the provincial capital of Winnipeg — all the more remarkable. A year … Continue reading In rural Canada, churches that once shunned one another open their hearts to Syrian refugees

Unknown's avatarBobby Ross Jr.
Religion News Service

In a red state, the culture war shifts

Voters still care about traditional values, but there is growing anger over underfunded schools and crumbling infrastructure. By Bobby Ross Jr. | For Religion News Service EDMOND, Okla. (RNS) In one of the reddest of the red states, appeals to traditional values have long resonated with many voters. But while lawmakers in this Bible Belt state of 3.9 million have been debating proposals to criminalize … Continue reading In a red state, the culture war shifts

Unknown's avatarBobby Ross Jr.
Religion News Service

Stripping away the stigma: Ministries help women escape sex industry

Stripping away the stigma (reporting from Colleyville, Texas): Christian ministries help women escape sex industry. By Bobby Ross Jr. | For Religion News Service COLLEYVILLE, Texas (RNS) — The smoke, the loud music and the smell of perfumes trigger uncomfortable memories for Polly Wright. But Wright ignores those reminders of her past as she and a troupe of women make their way to the strip club’s … Continue reading Stripping away the stigma: Ministries help women escape sex industry

Unknown's avatarBobby Ross Jr.