Amid tornado wreckage, one man's faith offers a huge measure of hope
Weekend Plug-in 🔌
Editor’s note: Every Friday, “Weekend Plug-In” features analysis, insights and top headlines from the world of faith. Got feedback or ideas for this column? Email Bobby Ross Jr. at therossnews@gmail.com.
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. — Heartbreak and hope.
It’s a combination I’ve witnessed repeatedly when covering catastrophes, from the Oklahoma City bombing to Hurricane Katrina to, most recently, the March 3 Tennessee tornadoes that killed 25 people and injured hundreds.
In a ravaged neighborhood of this community 80 miles east of Nashville, I met a survivor slammed into his basement by the EF-4 twister that destroyed his home.
But rather than lament what he had lost, the man, Gary Flatt, thanked God for fellow Christians who had come to his aid.
“Someone looked at the house and said, ‘It’s unbelievable what a tornado can do,’” Flatt told me, standing amid the scattered debris. “And I told them, ‘No, it’s unbelievable what a bunch of loving Christians can do.’”
Yes, it’s true: People of faith do more than pray after a disaster such as this.
Here’s how religion writer Holly Meyer of The Tennessean described the religious community’s response to the tornadoes:
They transformed their houses of worship into de facto relief centers, organized droves of volunteers for cleanup, raised money and met the basic needs of storm survivors.
These belief-driven helpers have been at it for days.
In 2018, I enjoyed writing a feature (“18 wheels and a heart to serve”) about a faith-based disaster relief truck driver’s all-night drive from Nashville, Tenn., to Panama City, Fla., after Hurricane Michael.
The theme: Heartbreak and hope.
Power Up: The Week’s Best Reads
1. Wash your hands before reading the rest of this, Part 2: Has it only been a week since our last roundup of news coverage concerning the coronavirus outbreak? This is one of those stories that seems to be, um, spreading faster than I can hyperlink URLs. No doubt you’ve seen the numerous reports on houses of worship canceling services (or not). But I will point you to a few interesting angles, such as The Deseret News’ Kelsey Dallas asking, “Why do worship services involve so many germs?” Also, the Washington Post’s Michelle Boorstein profiles the prominent D.C. church quarantined by the virus, and Religion News Service’s Adelle M. Banks notes that sales are up for prepackaged Communion cups and wafers. Finally, the Sacramento Bee’s Ryan Sabalow reports on a California megachurch that believes prayers can heal the sick and raise the dead — and yet canceled services this weekend as well as trips to the hospital to “faith-heal” the sick.
2. Don’t they make movies about stuff like this?: Speaking of COVID-19, Roberta Green Ahmanson wrote an exquisite piece for Religion Unplugged on “Rome in the time of coronavirus.” The photos are equally amazing. “The recent closures make two experiences we had last week even more precious than they seemed at the time,” notes Ahmanson, a philanthropist, art collector and writer who started her career as a religion reporter at the San Bernadino Sun and Orange County Register. “Just last Thursday, my husband and I along with our friend who is a top Vatican guide had the entire Vatican Museum, the Rafael Rooms and the Sistine Chapel to ourselves. Us and the guards with the keys.” (Scroll down to the “Charging Station” for more of my Religion Unplugged colleagues’ excellent coverage of the coronavirus.)
3. The Friars’ Briar — Canada’s clergy curling tournament — puts faith and fellowship on ice: Who needs a fun story right about now? Enter Religion News Service’s Emily McFarlan Miller with just such a feature from Canada, eh. Miller reports on “the Friars’ Briar, a clergy version of the Tim Hortons Brier, the annual Canadian men's curling championship, which ended Sunday.” And that last line is probably the most serious one of the whole piece. Do read it all and smile.
Inside The Godbeat: Behind The Bylines
Looks like a few of us — a few million or billion, that is — are going to be working from home in the near future.
Want to know how to be productive in your pajamas (or whatever you choose to wear during this new normal)?
Washington Post religion writer Sarah Pulliam Bailey has some great suggestions.
Charging Station: In Case You Missed It
Here is where you can catch up on recent news and opinions from Religion Unplugged.
CORONAVIRUS
• Jews and Christians join forces to help West Bank coronavirus patients (by Gil Zohar)
• What Christian art and 'The Black Death' teaches us about COVID-19 (by Clemente Lisi)
• Through plague and panic, priests persist in their work (by Terry Mattingly)
• Purim celebrations amid the Coronavirus outbreak teaches kids how to face a crisis (by Caroline Wambui)
• Coronavirus fears cause world's largest faith groups to pause pilgrimages, rethink tradition (by Gil Zohar and Meagan Clark)
OTHER
• Kashmiri politician's release spotlights other detainees awaiting freedom (by Zaffar Iqbal)
• ‘I am Patrick’ shatters many myths to highlight life of Ireland’s beloved saint (by Clemente Lisi)
• As climate change worsens, pastoral counselors talk hope (by Micah Danney)
• After tornado, a teen grieves her 4-year-old friend (by Bobby Ross Jr.)
The Final Plug
No handshakes? No hugs? No kisses on the cheek?
No problem, says Dan Rosenberg in The Forward.
That’s because, Rosenberg says, there’s an alternative via “Star Trek”: Spock’s germ-free “Live Long and Prosper” gesture.
Bobby Ross Jr. is a columnist for Religion Unplugged and editor-in-chief of The Christian Chronicle. A former religion writer for The Associated Press and The Oklahoman, Ross has reported from all 50 states and 15 nations. He has covered religion since 1999.