No more ‘us and them’: At 50th anniversary of Detroit riot, churches model unity
Second Place, Best Reporter portfolio, Oklahoma Society of Professional Journalists Third Place, Diversity Reporting, Oklahoma Society of Professional Journalists By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle DETROIT — The boys — one black, one white — were 10 years old. Ive Edwards lived close to where the chaos started. Smoke filled his nostrils as arsonists set his hometown ablaze. Looters ran by his window. Army … Continue reading No more ‘us and them’: At 50th anniversary of Detroit riot, churches model unity
Robert Jeffress on God, Trump and North Korea: A pastor explains his politics
By Bobby Ross Jr. | For Religion News Service DALLAS — Anyone who knows the Bible shouldn’t take issue with the idea that God has given President Trump authority to take out North Korea’s dictator, said Pastor Robert Jeffress, the Dallas megachurch leader who drew sharp rebukes for stating just that. Jeffress sat down for an interview with RNS after his sermon Sunday (Aug. 13), … Continue reading Robert Jeffress on God, Trump and North Korea: A pastor explains his politics
Elvis Week reading: Faithful hordes still swarming the King’s castle
From the archives: Lead story of package my wife and I wrote at 20th anniversary of Elvis Presley’s death. By Bobby Ross Jr. and Tamie Ross| The Oklahoman MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Goose bumps formed just below James Hubert’s earphones as he followed the Graceland Mansion tour group into the dining room. As Priscilla Presley recounted on audiotape how Elvis Presley chomped southern cooking, played poker and … Continue reading Elvis Week reading: Faithful hordes still swarming the King’s castle
‘Father Stan’s Our Man’: Farm town honors hometown hero on path to sainthood
By Bobby Ross Jr. | For Religion News Service OKARCHE, Okla. — Past the grain elevator and the bar famous for its fried chicken, Oklahoma Highway 3 leads to a century-old church where the Rev. Stanley Francis Rother served as an altar boy. A tall, white steeple atop the red-brick Holy Trinity Catholic Church — which opened in 1903, four years before Oklahoma became the 46th state — points … Continue reading ‘Father Stan’s Our Man’: Farm town honors hometown hero on path to sainthood
Amid partisan din, Sen. James Lankford walks a fine line: Pastor and politician
Second Place, Election Reporting, Oklahoma Society of Professional Journalists By Bobby Ross Jr. | For Religion News Service OKLAHOMA CITY — As music plays softly and the Quail Springs Baptist Church prepares to sing “Jesus Is Tenderly Calling,” the guest speaker urges the crowd to bow and pray. “Here’s my very simple invitation,” the fill-in preacher tells the congregation. “There’s a God who loves you … Continue reading Amid partisan din, Sen. James Lankford walks a fine line: Pastor and politician
The pope praised him for providing for his parents; now Texas may want to deport them
By Bobby Ross Jr. | For Religion News Service FORT WORTH, Texas — For the past two years, Mexican immigrant Ricardo Ortiz felt he had an advocate. Pope Francis, speaking via satellite, had praised Ortiz for “the way you gave everything you could as a boy, when you supported your family.” Now, the 21-year-old Ortiz — like numerous other Hispanics in Texas — worries about how the Lone … Continue reading The pope praised him for providing for his parents; now Texas may want to deport them
Under new Texas law, faith-based adoption agencies win protections
Despite opposition from gay-rights groups, Lone Star lawmakers passed the Freedom to Serve Children Act. By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle ABILENE, Texas — At age 17, Jennifer Griffith discovered she was pregnant. The daughter of a pro-life advocate, Griffith knew she couldn’t abort her baby. Instead, the unmarried teen turned to Christian Homes and Family Services for help. The 55-year-old ministry — based … Continue reading Under new Texas law, faith-based adoption agencies win protections
Absolutely shocking news! Sarah Huckabee Sanders reads Christian devotionals
By Bobby Ross Jr. | GetReligion
Shocking!
Absolutely shocking!
Perhaps you saw the news today — via a tweet by the New York Times to its nearly 39 million followers — about White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders.
In case you’re standing, I’ll hold on just a second so you can sit down.
OK, brace yourself. Here it is. Deep breath, everyone!
Without further weeping and gnashing of teeth, the tweet from the Times:
Did you catch that!?
To repeat, Sanders IS AN EVANGELICAL WHO READS A CHRISTIAN DEVOTIONAL BEFORE NEWS BRIEFINGS.
Stop the presses!
I kid. I kid. But more than a few folks on Twitter chuckled at the Times’ characterization of Sanders’ spiritual discipline:
• • •
All of my GetReligion columns (August 2017):
Continue reading “Absolutely shocking news! Sarah Huckabee Sanders reads Christian devotionals”
The high costs of an abuse claim: Five guidelines to help churches of all sizes
Prevention, right coverage are critical to protecting churches. By Bobby Ross Jr. | For Church Finance Today Sexual abuse of a minor is the number one reason churches end up in court. It’s a statistic that’s been true for a number of years, according to attorney Richard R. Hammar. And churches must do all they can to prevent this type of tragedy. But churches also … Continue reading The high costs of an abuse claim: Five guidelines to help churches of all sizes
Faith. Family. Fastballs. 