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. BETHESDA, Md. — “Don’t Call It a Cult.” That was the title of one of the more intriguing sessions at last week’s Religion News Association annual … Continue reading Just say no: The four-letter word religion writers really want to avoid

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. “Sexual harassment went unchecked at Christianity Today.” The headline shocked me. The source of the news stunned me as much as the content of it. “Women … Continue reading Why news of sexual harassment inside Christianity Today is doubly shocking

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. What’s religion got to do with Russia’s attack on Ukraine? A whole lot, according to some experts. Here at ReligionUnplugged.com, Richard Ostling stresses that journalists shouldn’t … Continue reading Russia attacks Ukraine: Why some experts insist Putin is motivated by religion

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. “Honk if you love Jesus.” That headline on a recent story by the Ottawa Citizen’s Blair Crawford sets the scene as the Canadian newspaper explains “Why … Continue reading How Canada truckers’ protest parallels American-style Christian nationalism

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 a hit song two decades ago, country music group Rascal Flatts offered banjo-tinged commentary on “the world spinning faster than it did in the old … Continue reading Not just nostalgia: Some pandemic-weary souls want to make Sunday a day of rest once again

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. Is online church good for your soul? Can real fellowship be attained through virtual reality? Amid a global pandemic, why has Wordle — yes, the online … Continue reading Online church and virtual spirituality in the pandemic age: Can we please have a Wordle?