Posts by Bobby Ross Jr.
🇺🇸 Trump’s Comeback: What It Means For Immigrants, People Of Faith And The Press 🔌

This week’s Weekend Plug-in explores three key storylines after the election — again — of Donald Trump as president.

Read More
An Ordinary Christian Couple Left Behind A Little Farm And A Giant Legacy

The story of the late Bob and Helen Bland is as ordinary as it is extraordinary, right down to their last name. Yet on a blue-sky Sunday afternoon, a crowd of friends, family and fellow Christians gathered amid 100-foot cottonwood trees with a slight whiff of nature in the breeze to celebrate the couple’s legacy.

Read More
🗳️ What Do The 1968, 1996 and 2024 Elections Have In Common? Hint: It Involves A Cake 🔌

For Weekend Plug-in columnist Bobby Ross Jr., Nov. 5 will mark not just the presidential election but also his birthday. This is the third time this has happened in his lifetime, and it made him curious about 2024’s parallels, if any, with 1968 and 1996.

Read More
🏟️ Faith And Baseball: Why These Fans Feel A Special Connection To MLB’s Playoff Teams 🔌

It's baseball playoff time, and six remaining teams look to make it to baseball's proverbial promised land. Here's why some of their fans have such a special — even spiritual — connection to the teams.

Read More
⛈️ With Chainsaws And Supply Runs, The ‘Faith-Based FEMA’ Responds To Hurricane Helene 🔌

In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, faith-based disaster relief ministries are working alongside neighbors to feed survivors and clear damage.

Read More
🏀 Small-College Coach Garth Pleasant Never Made Excuses — And He Became A Legend 🔌

When a legend invites you to the Big House, you go. The story of how our columnist ended up at a Michigan Wolverines game with basketball coach Garth Pleasant, who won 720 games and four small-college national championships.

Read More
Why These Christians Feel Compelled To Talk About Sexual Trauma

As the two-year Adventures in Missions program — known as AIM — begins, participants get instruction on stewardship, security procedures, personal hygiene and respectful treatment of the Sunset Church of Christ members who house them. For nearly a decade, another topic — one often avoided by Christians — has gained prominent attention at AIM’s annual orientation. Sexual trauma.

Read More
📰 Is A Pulitzer Winner’s Move From The WSJ To A Catholic Paper Surprising? Not Overly 🔌

A Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist is leaving the Wall Street Journal for the National Catholic Reporter. Why this is a surprise — and why it's not.

Read More
‘God, I Need Help’: 9/11 Military Heroes With PTSD Still Fighting A War At Home

SOF Missions helps veterans who — like retired Air Force Lt. Col. Damon Friedman — struggle with PTSD and other challenges from military service. At the 23rd anniversary of 9/11, many of those who served their country overseas still fight a war at home. “I’m telling you, I was going to become a statistic,” Friedman said.

Read More
📽️ ‘Reagan’ Movie: God’s Purpose In President’s Life Emerges As A Central Theme 🔌

The new "Reagan" biopic focuses on Ronald Reagan's role in the Cold War and the fight against Soviet communism. But faith emerges as a major storyline in the 135-minute biopic.

Read More
🍿 The Real-Life Faith Story Behind The New Baseball Movie ‘You Gotta Believe’ 🔌

The new movie "You Gotta Believe," about a youth baseball team's improbable journey all the way to the Little League World Series, offers a fleeting glimpse of faith. But in real life, religion played a more crucial role.

Read More
Why A Tennessee Congregation Sold Its Building And Moved Into A School

The New Garden Church is not a traditional Church of Christ. Then again, it’s not trying to be. The church plant — which grew out of the Hermitage Church of Christ, a half-century-old congregation that closed in 2018 — seeks to reach a new generation with the Gospel.

Read More
MAGA Champion And Church Of Christ Member: Who Is Ryan Walters?

Ryan Walters, Oklahoma’s superintendent of public instruction, spoke recently inside the Board of Education conference room at the state Capitol complex in Oklahoma City. The interview came amid a national debate that every teacher in Oklahoma must be provided with physical copies of the Bible, the U.S. Constitution, the Declaration of Independence and the Ten Commandments.

Read More
🚸 To Understand The Wrangling Over Religion In Public Schools, Consider These 3 Questions 🔌

Like it or not, fights over religion in public schools seem unlikely to vanish any time soon. Look for such controversies to remain prominent in the news.

Read More
📰 He’s Fired! No, He’s Not! Behind The Scenes Of The Week’s Craziest Religion Story 🔌

News doesn’t happen on a 9-to-5 schedule. Particularly during the 24/7 era of social media, journalists find themselves on the clock pretty much all the time.

Read More
🇺🇸 We Have To Ask: Where Does God Almighty Stand On Biden Vs. Trump? 🔌

Does God Almighty want President Joe Biden to exit the race? Does God Almighty want a second term for former President Donald Trump? America’s presidential candidates keep invoking a higher power in the 2024 campaign.

Read More