Where the buffalo roam, a Passion play approaches the century mark
Oklahoma’s version of old Jerusalem provides the setting for what organizers describe as North America’s longest continuously running outdoor Passion play. By Bobby Ross Jr. | For Religion News Service WICHITA MOUNTAINS WILDLIFE REFUGE, Okla. — Before the sun sets at a remote mountain attraction called Holy City of the Wichitas, Jesus and a band of white-winged angels walk through a crowd gathering on the … Continue reading Where the buffalo roam, a Passion play approaches the century mark
Papa Ross, World War II hero and loving grandfather, was born 100 years ago today
Lloyd Lee Ross, my grandfather, was born on March 24, 1918. Today would have been his 100th birthday. Papa Ross was one of a kind. And I — like so many others whose lives he touched — loved him so much. After he died in 2011, I wrote a column about him that appeared in the Father’s Day edition of The Commercial Appeal newspaper in … Continue reading Papa Ross, World War II hero and loving grandfather, was born 100 years ago today
When adoption agencies can turn away gay prospective parents, what happens to the kids?
Those who study the issue say it’s hard to tell exactly how such rules governing adoption affect the numbers of children placed in “forever” homes. By Bobby Ross Jr. | For Religion News Service OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma lawmakers may soon sanction private adoption agencies turning away same-sex couples and other prospective parents who don’t meet their religious criteria, a possibility cheered by the Roman … Continue reading When adoption agencies can turn away gay prospective parents, what happens to the kids?
Guiding bivocational ministers through the tax maze
Special considerations for ministers who also work outside the church. By Bobby Ross Jr. | For Church Finance Today Vince Stover left a full-time pastor’s job in 2014 and moved 250 miles with his wife, Katie, to a city where the couple didn’t know a soul. He found a job in insurance sales and planted Bible Pathway Baptist Church in Lexington, Kentucky. The couple started … Continue reading Guiding bivocational ministers through the tax maze
After a rescinded invitation, Ken Ham talks about God at an Oklahoma university
Its president cited the historic commitment of the public university to the critical and civil examination of ideas, no matter how controversial. By Bobby Ross Jr. | For Religion News Service EDMOND, Okla. — Students at the University of Central Oklahoma got a lesson in free speech as the 16,000-student public university welcomed a presentation by Ken Ham, a nationally known creationist who rejects Charles … Continue reading After a rescinded invitation, Ken Ham talks about God at an Oklahoma university
#ChurchToo: Sexual abuse victims ‘fed up’ with silence
Social media advocacy empowers survivors, pedophile preacher’s son says. By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle For far too long, victims have been silenced. Finally, they have an outlet to spotlight their painful ordeals. That’s how Jimmy Hinton characterizes the social media movements — first #MeToo and now #ChurchToo — where sexual abuse survivors are recounting their real-life nightmares. “Quite simply, millions of abuse survivors are fed … Continue reading #ChurchToo: Sexual abuse victims ‘fed up’ with silence
Reporters delve into the religion of Mark Conditt, the dead man identified as Austin’s serial bomber
By Bobby Ross Jr. | GetReligion
For residents of Austin, Texas, weeks of terror ended Wednesday when Mark Conditt — identified as the serial bomber responsible for killing two people and badly wounding four others — blew himself up.
As reporters began delving into the 23-year-old Conditt’s background, religious details — some more concrete than others — quickly emerged.
My thanks to GetReligion reader Deann Alford, a Texas-based journalist and author, who alerted us to crucial facts in an Austin American-Statesman story. The key: The religious questions linked to this story are valid hooks to investigate — right now. But authorities say they see no clues, so far, to motives in these acts.
The Austin newspaper interviewed Jeremiah Jensen, 24, who was homeschooled in the same community as Conditt:
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All of my GetReligion columns (March 2018):
Battle over religion in public schools waged in one of America’s fastest-growing cities
By Bobby Ross Jr. | For Religion News Service McKINNEY, Texas — Public school officials in one of the nation’s fastest-growing cities are being accused of violating the separation of church and state. The controversy has been simmering in this once-tiny cotton-farming community, about 30 miles north of Dallas, since last summer when Rick McDaniel, superintendent of the McKinney Independent School District, prayed at a pulpit … Continue reading Battle over religion in public schools waged in one of America’s fastest-growing cities
Billy Graham never lived in Texas but belonged to a Dallas church for 54 years
By Bobby Ross Jr. | For Religion News Service DALLAS — In 1953, Robert Jeffress’ mother, Judy, got saved at a Billy Graham crusade at Dallas’ Cotton Bowl. After the crusade, Graham — the world-famous evangelist who died Wednesday at age 99 — gave a guest sermon at First Baptist Dallas. “The day he preached, he also joined the church,” said Robert Jeffress, who grew up in … Continue reading Billy Graham never lived in Texas but belonged to a Dallas church for 54 years
Faith. Family. Fastballs. 