Year in review: Ten religion stories that stuck with me in 2019, including one of my own
By Bobby Ross Jr. | GetReligion Did Santa bring everything you wanted for Christmas? I hope so. As we head toward a new year, I wanted to pull a few items out of my gift bag. Here, in no particular order, are 10 of the most memorable religion stories that I read (and one I even wrote) in 2019: Read the full column. • • • All … Continue reading Year in review: Ten religion stories that stuck with me in 2019, including one of my own
Ministry serves the poor in hard-hit steel town
Faith-based nonprofit in Ohio offers physical and spiritual support. By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle LORAIN, Ohio — This struggling Rust Belt city of 64,000 souls can use a little hope. A ship-building company, an automotive plant and steel mills along Lake Erie — at the mouth of the Black River — once provided thousands of jobs for the community 30 miles west of … Continue reading Ministry serves the poor in hard-hit steel town
Despite ‘unthinkable’ grief, Christian couple has hope for the holidays
Oklahoma parents who lost a daughter — and then a son — work to help others. By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle EDMOND, Okla. — Twelve days before Christmas, Allen and Jeanette Wiederstein celebrated the graduation of their 22-year-old grandson, Hunter, from Oklahoma Christian University. They thought about how proud his mother, April, would have been. The Wiedersteins lost their beloved daughter in 2003, exactly a month before … Continue reading Despite ‘unthinkable’ grief, Christian couple has hope for the holidays
Love in three languages
Christians in Ohio join together to praise God in English, Spanish and Twi dialect of Ghana. By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle COLUMBUS, Ohio — The hymns were familiar, even if all the words were not. At an areawide assembly hosted by the Northland Church of Christ, Ghanaian immigrants full of joy sang “Yɛn Nyame Te Ase” — “Our God, He Is Alive” — in their native dialect of … Continue reading Love in three languages
Story behind the story: How a busy weekend turned into front-page news
The behind-the-scenes narrative of our deadline coverage of the memorial events for Jack Evans Sr. By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle TERRELL, Texas — Over the weekend, and on deadline for our December print edition, I made a 42-hour trip to this town 30 miles east of Dallas. My mission: to cover the memorial events for Jack Evans Sr., the trailblazing longtime president of Southwestern Christian … Continue reading Story behind the story: How a busy weekend turned into front-page news
‘A giant has fallen’
Life of Jack Evans Sr., influential preacher, crusade speaker and Christian college president, celebrated. By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle TERRELL, Texas — Jack Evans Jr. rose from his seat on the front row of the Graham-Kennedy-Farmer Auditorium at Southwestern Christian College. Dressed in a black suit with a white shirt and tie, the oldest son of Jack Evans Sr. — one of the most influential … Continue reading ‘A giant has fallen’
In advance of Tom Hanks movie, AP explores Mister Rogers’ faith
By Bobby Ross Jr. | GetReligion Terry Mattingly is our resident Mister Rogers expert here at GetReligion. Most recently, he posted — and talked — about the spiritual implications of the late Presbyterian pastor’s “neighborhood.” All the discussion is, of course, tied to Friday’s opening of “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood,” starring Tom Hanks as Mister Rogers. In tmatt’s recent post, he lamented a … Continue reading In advance of Tom Hanks movie, AP explores Mister Rogers’ faith
‘I’m a dealer, but I don’t gamble’
Christians in Sin City differ on whether it’s sinful to wager on a game of chance. By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle LAS VEGAS — I hit the jackpot on a recent Sunday. No, I didn’t win big money at the slot machines or blackjack tables. Since I don’t gamble, that would be impossible. But I did strike it rich in terms of how … Continue reading ‘I’m a dealer, but I don’t gamble’
From global justice champion to Christian university president
A Ugandan teenager imprisoned on false murder charges. An American law professor inspired to follow God’s calling. The story behind a life-changing meeting, an African nation’s reforms and Pepperdine’s surprising choice. By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle MALIBU, Calif. — A few hours after Jim Gash’s inauguration this fall as Pepperdine University’s eighth president, his wife, Joline, showed up at her husband’s fourth-floor executive … Continue reading From global justice champion to Christian university president
Faith. Family. Fastballs. 