Faith emerges as a vital part of Uvalde’s story, even as attention focuses on police and guns

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. In the 10 days since a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, questions about the incompetent police response … Continue reading Faith emerges as a vital part of Uvalde’s story, even as attention focuses on police and guns

‘May God heal their little hearts, their little souls’: Prayer and lament in Uvalde

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. Another week. Another mass shooting — this time at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas. I lack the words to convey the enormity of this tragedy. Instead, … Continue reading ‘May God heal their little hearts, their little souls’: Prayer and lament in Uvalde

‘An apocalypse’: Probe into Southern Baptist sex abuse turns up ‘bombshell’ findings

Editor’s note: This is a special Monday edition of “Weekend Plug-in,” which each Friday 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. “It is an apocalypse,” declares Russell Moore, former president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty … Continue reading ‘An apocalypse’: Probe into Southern Baptist sex abuse turns up ‘bombshell’ findings

This political reporter says journalism has made him a better Christian — he’s not alone

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. Say what? Jon Ward, chief national correspondent for Yahoo! News, writes in an essay for Christianity Today that his profession has made him a better Christian. Ward knows many of his … Continue reading This political reporter says journalism has made him a better Christian — he’s not alone

Abortion bombshell

After Supreme Court leak, panel explores the likely overturning of Roe v. Wade. 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. News that the U.S. Supreme Court’s conservative majority might overturn Roe v. Wade … Continue reading Abortion bombshell

Can a high school coach pray at 50-yard line? 5 key takeaways from high court arguments

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 case of Joseph Kennedy, a Bremerton, Washington, high school football coach who wants to kneel and pray at the 50-yard line, made it to the … Continue reading Can a high school coach pray at 50-yard line? 5 key takeaways from high court arguments

Disney deja vu: The religious roots of the fight over so-called ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law

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. I’ve never visited Walt Disney World, but I did make it to Disney church one Sunday. Mickey, Minnie and friends are, as you might have noticed, … Continue reading Disney deja vu: The religious roots of the fight over so-called ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law

Reflections on a reporting trip to Alaska, plus all the week’s top religion news

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. ANCHORAGE, Alaska — On my first reporting trip to Alaska several years ago, I saw a moose by the highway and stopped to take a picture. On … Continue reading Reflections on a reporting trip to Alaska, plus all the week’s top religion news

In Alaska, a Russian-speaking church becomes a hub for helping Ukrainians

By Bobby Ross Jr. | Religion Unplugged ANCHORAGE, Alaska — An elevated cross reaches toward the blue sky at a nondescript corner of Alaska’s largest city. Viewed from the right vantage point, the cross towers over the snow-capped mountains that adorn Anchorage’s horizon. Inside a nearby church building, a few dozen immigrants from Ukraine, Russia and other Slavic nations gather in a circle at a Thursday … Continue reading In Alaska, a Russian-speaking church becomes a hub for helping Ukrainians