Campbellites, meet the Campbells: Utah conference mixes sights, food, dialogue
At Brigham Young University, diverse panel discusses media coverage of religion — and what to do if a reporter calls. By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle PROVO, Utah — This is definitely not Church of Christ country. Utah boasts fewer than 1,100 adherents of Churches of Christ — to go along with, oh, 2 million or so Mormons. Suffice it to say that my wife, Tamie, and I were outnumbered during … Continue reading Campbellites, meet the Campbells: Utah conference mixes sights, food, dialogue
Gifts of property: Help donors get it right
Three examples demonstrate how to substantiate donations of land and buildings in accordance with tax law. This article is the first of a two-part series on substantiating noncash gifts. Part two, which will appear in the September issue, will focus on the special rules related to donations of noncash “personal property” — such as clothing, cars, boats, household items and stock. By Bobby Ross Jr. … Continue reading Gifts of property: Help donors get it right
Fifty years after historic meeting, race still divides Churches of Christ
‘We still have two brotherhoods,’ says longtime minister who helped organize 1968 conference. Third Place, Theme Issue, Section or Series, Associated Church Press By Bobby Ross Jr. and Hamil R. Harris| The Christian Chronicle In the summer of tumultuous 1968, more than 40 prominent black and white ministers gathered to discuss ways to improve race relations in Churches of Christ. The two-day national meeting — held … Continue reading Fifty years after historic meeting, race still divides Churches of Christ
U.S. mission groups stranded by Haiti unrest, and CNN — to its credit — reports on it
By Bobby Ross Jr. | GetReligion
Summer is prime time for faith-based mission trips.
Many U.S. church groups — often including teens and college students — travel all the world this time of year.
I just returned from a Christian Chronicle reporting trip to Puerto Rico, where I followed a Kentucky congregation helping with Hurricane Maria relief work. While there, I noticed the news about unrest in Haiti, a country I visited just a few months ago to report on water well drilling.
Just weeks ago, I reported on political violence prompting the cancellation of dozens of church mission trips to Nicaragua. Not so many years ago, of course, ongoing concerns over drug cartels began curtailing mission work in Mexico.
Not too often, though, do major news organizations cover the impact of the dangerous world on church mission trips, even though there’s frequently a compelling story there.
That’s why I was so pleased to see CNN tackle that angle amid the Haiti unrest:
• • •
All of my GetReligion columns (July 2018):
In red-state Oklahoma, marijuana ballot question splits people of faith
Oklahoma residents grapple with faith, legalizing medical marijuana. @washingtonpost version of my @RNS story on State Question 788 https://t.co/hmmIRp7xzJ — Bobby Ross Jr. (@bobbyross) June 10, 2018 Clergy on both sides of State Question 788, which would permit the distribution of medical marijuana, call it a moral issue. By Bobby Ross Jr. | For Religion News Service OKLAHOMA CITY — As Presbyterian minister Bobby Griffith … Continue reading In red-state Oklahoma, marijuana ballot question splits people of faith
1,000 wells around the world
A Tennessee-based ministry that drills for clean drinking water in Haiti and other nations hits a major milestone. Second Place, Feature Article, Evangelical Press Association By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle AKDESÉ, Haiti — In this remote mountain village, water gushes from a well drilled by Healing Hands International. As one woman pumps the handle, another gleefully splashes the clear, flowing liquid on her … Continue reading 1,000 wells around the world
Amid political violence in Nicaragua, dozens of church groups cancel mission trips
More than 90 people have died since clashes began six weeks ago between government forces and civilian protesters, according to observers. By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle Normally, a team from the Highway Church of Christ in Judsonia, Ark., would be sweating for God in the mountains of Jinotega, Nicaragua. For 15 straight summers, the congregation has sent teens and adults to help with Misión Para … Continue reading Amid political violence in Nicaragua, dozens of church groups cancel mission trips
Let’s be honest: Many voicing opinions about Colorado baker don’t know the facts
By Bobby Ross Jr. | GetReligion
Everybody, it seems, has an opinion about Jack Phillips.
But not everybody — trust me on this — has taken the time to review the facts of Phillips’ case.
Does the Colorado baker — in whose favor the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 7-2 this week — really “refuse service” to gays and lesbians as a matter of general business practice?
Not according to him.
His position — one that resonated with the court’s majority — is more complicated than that.
Yet headlines such as this one in USA Today serve only to fuel the misperception:
Poll: 51% of white evangelicals support business’ refusal of service to LGBT customers
Here is the question that the survey covered by the national newspaper asked:
Do you support or oppose allowing a small business owner in your state to refuse to provide products or services to LGBT individuals if doing so violates their religious beliefs?
I have the same concern with that question that I did one asked in a previous survey that I highlighted last year: I’m just not sure it’s the right one. There are better questions to get closer to the real issue.
• • •
All of my GetReligion columns (June 2018):
Continue reading “Let’s be honest: Many voicing opinions about Colorado baker don’t know the facts”
In Haiti, a calling — and a baby
When an infant’s mother died, missionaries from Kentucky suddenly found themselves with a new member of the family. By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle TITANYEN, Haiti — Ten days after Jason and Jennifer Carroll began Christian missionary work in this Caribbean island nation in 2014, they got an unexpected gift: a newborn boy. The mother of an infant named Edyson — “Edy” for short … Continue reading In Haiti, a calling — and a baby
Faith. Family. Fastballs. 