Plaintiff’s daughter sets the record straight on landmark school desegregation case. By Bobby Ross Jr. | Religion Unplugged OKLAHOMA CITY — You may think you know the story of the Rev. Oliver Brown, the lead plaintiff in the landmark 1954 case Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas. You probably don’t. Nearly seven decades ago, the African Methodist Episcopal pastor’s name was etched in … Continue reading The truth of Brown v. Board of Education
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’
While in a Tennessee prison for murder, Brown got a degree with the help of Lipscomb University. By Bobby Ross Jr. Each semester, the LIFE program at Nashville’s Lipscomb University, which is associated with the Churches of Christ, pairs students with inmates serving time in the Tennessee Prison for Women. This week, the most high-profile graduate of that academic program — offered behind the prison’s … Continue reading Cyntoia Brown, granted clemency, says Christian school’s program changed her life
Number of freshmen who identify with Churches of Christ hits new low, annual survey finds. By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle OKLAHOMA CITY — Brynn Walker always thought she’d attend a large state university. But this fall, the 18-year-old from Fort Smith, Ark., packed up and trekked west on Interstate 40 to enroll at 2,300-student Oklahoma Christian University. “The introvert in me loved the smaller … Continue reading Christian universities face ‘extremely difficult’ recruiting outlook
By Bobby Ross Jr. | For Religion News Service OKLAHOMA CITY — On a recent weekend, Pamela Jennings brought her 7-year-old granddaughter, Amara, and 4-year-old grandson, Trend, to People’s Church, an evangelical congregation. But though Jennings is a Christian, the family didn’t come for worship. Instead, they were drawn by the church’s Day of Hope — an annual Saturday event where volunteers give away 3,200 … Continue reading Houses of worship mobilize for back-to-school time
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
Sharp decline seen in number of freshmen who identify with the numerically declining fellowship. By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle Since today’s college freshmen were infants, roughly 1,200 Churches of Christ in the United States have closed, and the number of men, women and children in the pews nationally has shrunk by 200,000. In the same 18-year period, universities associated with the fellowship … Continue reading Christian universities feeling the pinch as Churches of Christ shrink
By Bobby Ross Jr. | For Religion News Service SHAWNEE, Okla. — Duncan Tiemeyer chose St. Gregory’s University because he wanted a faith-based education that would teach him more than how to succeed in a career. The 550-student Catholic liberal arts college in Oklahoma traces its roots to French monks who moved to Indian Territory in 1875, intent on developing the bodies, minds and souls of … Continue reading Closing doors: Small religious colleges struggle for survival
Linda Livingstone has a history of bucking tradition. By Bobby Ross Jr. | For Religion News Service WACO, Texas (RNS) Two decades before she took office as the first woman president in Baylor University’s 172-year history, Linda Livingstone helped break down a different barrier in this Central Texas city. Then and now, Livingstone — who first nurtured her Christian faith in a little white church building in … Continue reading Amid scandal, Baylor’s first woman president brings fresh start to Baptist university
Faith. Family. Fastballs. 