Weekend Plug-in 🔌

Editor’s note: Every Friday, “Weekend Plug-in” features analysis, fact checking and top headlines from the world of faith. Got feedback or ideas for this column? Email Bobby Ross Jr. at therossnews@gmail.com.

(ANALYSIS) Fasten your seatbelt, dear reader.

There’s cussing up ahead.

That’s right: R-rated language made it into the religion news. Again.

Before we cite the specifics, let’s consider this guidance from the Associated Press Stylebook — aka “the journalist’s bible” — on obscenities, profanities and vulgarities:

Do not use them in stories unless they are part of direct quotations and there is a compelling reason for them.

In this week’s examples, the words in question showed up in coverage of “Disloyal: A Memoir,” a new book by Michael Cohen, “President Trump’s longtime fixer,” as the Wall Street Journal described him.

The Journal reported:

Mr. Cohen describes the president as lacking either faith or piety and recounts him disparaging various groups, including his own supporters. In 2012, after meeting with religious leaders at Trump Tower, where they asked to “lay hands” on Mr. Trump, Mr. Cohen recalls his asking: “Can you believe that bull****?…Can you believe people believe that bull****?”

Note: The asterisks were not used in the actual Journal news story.

The White House dismissed the book’s claims as “lies” by “a disgraced felon and disbarred lawyer.”

But whether the quote is fact or fiction, the notion of Trump uttering a profanity is not difficult to believe.

After all, the future president was caught on videotape delivering the famous “Grab-em-by-the-p****” line. And Politico wrote last year about Trump irritating evangelicals by “using the Lord’s name in vain.”

Perhaps more surprising — then again, maybe not given recent allegations — was the quote Reuters attributed to Becki Falwell. She is the wife of Jerry Falwell Jr., the prominent evangelical leader who recently resigned as president of Liberty University.

The book ties Falwell Jr.’s 2016 endorsement of Trump to Cohen “helping to keep racy ‘personal’ photographs of the Falwells from becoming public.”

Reuters reported:

After this story was published, Jerry Falwell spoke by phone with Reuters. He said that “someone stole some pictures I took of my wife in the back yard. Topless. Big deal. OK?” But he said his endorsement of Trump had nothing to do with Cohen’s role in suppressing the racy photographs.

“It was no quid pro quo,” Falwell said. “There was no me supporting Trump because of whatever Michael was doing.”

Falwell said he endorsed Trump, at Cohen’s behest, because Falwell “believed that a businessman needed to run this country.”

Toward the end of the call, Becki Falwell, who has not commented on the Cohen book or the photographs, could be heard urging her husband to cut short the conversation with Reuters. “Hang up the god**** phone,” she told her husband. “Hang up the phone, Jerry!”

Note: The asterisks were not used in the actual Reuters story.

So, were there compelling reasons for major news organizations publishing the quotes cited — including the profanity?

Yes, I would say so.

In the case of Trump, the alleged quote speaks directly to the president’s true feelings about his crucial evangelical base.

Meanwhile, Becki Falwell’s use of profanity gives helpful insight into an influential couple already accused of not living up to espoused values, as highlighted earlier by Ian Lovett, the WSJ’s national religion writer.

Power Up: The Week’s Best Reads

1. Mark Galli, former Christianity Today editor and Trump critic, to be confirmed a Catholic: Late last year, the retiring Galli broke the internet — or at least crashed his publication’s own website — with an editorial making the case for the president’s removal from office.

The editorial went viral — and drew the attention of Trump — because of Christianity Today’s status as a leading evangelical magazine.

That’s what makes it so fascinating that Galli is now converting from Protestant Christianity to Catholicism, as detailed in a revealing profile by Religion News Service’s Yonat Shimron.

2. How the Episcopal Church is trying to fill Alaska's priest shortage with natives: This colorful, detailed feature from Fairbanks conjured fond memories from my own brief exposure to the Last Frontier.

The talented Julia Duin, a veteran religion journalist based in the Pacific Northwest, wrote the in-depth piece for Religion Unplugged.

She followed it up with an excellent spot news report for Religion News Service. The topic: a Christian musician holding a defiant Seattle worship protest after a concert was banned because of COVID-19.

3. With families struggling with virtual school and the digital divide, here's how some Tennessee religious groups are helping: Under any circumstances, this is a timely, interesting story by Holly Meyer, The Tennessean’s religion writer.

This makes it even more impressive: She wrote it while quarantining after a positive COVID-19 test.

“I'm thankful to have a job that makes remote work possible,” Meyer tweeted, “but also encourages me to take care of my health.”

More Top Reads

• GOP attacks Kamala Harris amid battle for Catholic voters’ support (by Elana Schor, The Associated Press)

• ‘Kayak Church’ gathers Pennsylvania church in person — and on the water — amid pandemic (by Emily McFarlan Miller, Religion News Service)

• Navy cancels Catholic Masses at area bases while other religious services continue (by Andrew Dyer, San Diego Union-Tribune) (update)

• Christian colleges are changing to survive. Is it working? (by Liam Adams, Christianity Today)

• Trump’s travel ban motivated Muslims to participate in politics. Now, they’re eyeing local office (by Sarah Parvini, Los Angeles Times)

• Jesus 2020: Alabama church campaign goes nationwide (by Greg Garrison, Birmingham News)

• He turned his life around. Then a gunman showed up at his church (by Juliana Kim, New York Times)

• COVID-stricken pastor could barely breathe. He kept fighting for the right of Black people to vote (by Michael Finnegan, Los Angeles Times)

• As Africa’s COVID-19 cases rise, faith is put to the test (by Rodney Muhumuza, AP)

• Baylor, SWBTS allege 'secret coup' by Paige Patterson to siphon millions from charitable foundation (by Robert Downen, Houston Chronicle)

• Evangelicals need to address the QAnoners in our midst (opinion by Ed Stetzer, USA Today)

Inside The Godbeat: Behind The Bylines

I registered this week — along with my Religion Unplugged colleagues Meagan Clark and Jillian Cheney — for the Religion News Association’s virtual annual conference Sept. 24-25.

There’s still time — but not much — to join us at the early-bird rate. The deadline is today. We’d love to see you there (via Zoom, of course).

Charging Station: In Case You Missed It

Here is where you can catch up on recent news and opinions from Religion Unplugged.

• In India, a Baul mystic is singing COVID-19 advice to rural communities (by Priyadarshini Sen)

• What comes next for Liberty University (by Terry Mattingly)

• How a faith community is providing safe spaces for public school kids' online learning (by Chelsea Langston Bombino)

• Up in flames: Falwell scandal represents the controversy of American evangelical Christianity (by Michael Metzger)

• International Uighur tribunal to investigate China's abuses (by Ewelina U. Ochab)

• Pope Benedict becomes longest-living pope in history (by Timothy Nerozzi)

• Netflix's 'Cuties' accused of anti-Islamic message, sexualizing young girls (by Jillian Cheney)

• How a man named Crow joined the church of 'outcasts' worshipping with rock, metal and motorcycles (by Liza Vandenboom)

• 'Genius & Anxiety' connects complex, neurotic Jewish lives (by Richard Potts)

• Jimmy Lai, Chinese Catholic financier, acquitted of first in a series of charges (by Timothy Nerozzi)

• Religion-haunted 2020 campaign lurches into the fall (by Richard Ostling)

The Final Plug

Lauren Daigle’s “You Say” has hit 100 weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Christian Songs chart.

It’s the first time that has happened in any genre, as noted by Christianity Today’s Kate Shellnutt.

If you somehow haven’t heard it, give it a listen.

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.