A heavenly day at the ballpark
Stranger’s kindness makes granddaughter’s first Texas Rangers game even more memorable. By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle ARLINGTON, Texas — In my family, births, weddings and baptisms count as major milestones. So does one’s first time to attend a Texas Rangers game. I’ve followed Rangers baseball — through pulse-pounding wins and heart-wrenching losses — for 40 years. I still chuckle at the intro to his devo No. 60 … Continue reading A heavenly day at the ballpark
Tears at a military church
Congregation that trains members for service around the world honors its retiring minister. By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle JACKSONVILLE, N.C. — Fifty years after preaching his first sermon, Ron Edwards jokes that he knows the secret to ministry. Change churches every three years. Actually, Edwards — who is retiring from full-time preaching — spent the past 37 years serving the Roosevelt Drive Church of Christ in … Continue reading Tears at a military church
Why faith matters to America: We talk to the author of an insightful new book
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. Religion reporter Bob Smietana’s “aha!” moment came a few years ago while covering a hurricane. When a tornado, flood or other disaster occurs, so-called faith-based FEMA … Continue reading Why faith matters to America: We talk to the author of an insightful new book
‘We only need one to live’
Desperate to save a beloved older member, a church ran an ad seeking a kidney donor. A thousand miles away, a young believer felt God prick her heart. By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle NEW BERN, N.C. — Sam Birmingham needed a kidney. He desperately needed a kidney. His quality of life — his life itself — depended on it. But the longtime Christian, who had … Continue reading ‘We only need one to live’
Why my old school district removed 41 books, including the Bible, from its libraries
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. KELLER, Texas — I don’t remember the Keller Independent School District making national headlines when I was a student here in the 1980s. Even back then, this … Continue reading Why my old school district removed 41 books, including the Bible, from its libraries
How five Nashville churches came together
As attendance numbers shrink nationwide, these sister congregations see their future as ‘Greater Together.’ By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle Aaron Tremblay, now a minister in the Nashville, Tenn., area, preached for 10 years for the 75-member Leominster Church of Christ in Massachusetts. In Tremblay’s native New England, congregations tend to be small and isolated, the 37-year-old minister noted. “But what helps them continue on, even though … Continue reading How five Nashville churches came together
Fear, shock, questions follow the fatal shootings of four Muslim men in Albuquerque
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. First, fear. Then, shock. Now, questions. Lots of questions. The Muslim community in Albuquerque, New Mexico — and even nationwide — has dealt with a gamut of … Continue reading Fear, shock, questions follow the fatal shootings of four Muslim men in Albuquerque
Sunflower State surprise: 5 takeaways as Kansas keeps right to abortion in Constitution
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. Catholic churches and dioceses in Kansas spent millions of dollars in support of a referendum to remove the right to abortion from the state’s constitution. But … Continue reading Sunflower State surprise: 5 takeaways as Kansas keeps right to abortion in Constitution
Teaching the Gospel, via Zoom
Senior Christians in Virginia overcome technological fears to share Jesus around the world. By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle FAIRFAX, Va. — It’s just before 1 p.m. on the East Coast as Jerri Harrington hits the play button on a video about Jesus. Roughly 7,500 miles away, it’s almost 8 p.m. in the capital of Kenya as six African girls watch the film, part of … Continue reading Teaching the Gospel, via Zoom
Faith. Family. Fastballs. 