Weekend Plug-in 🔌

Editor’s note: Every Friday, “Weekend Plug-in” features analysis, fact checking and top headlines from the world of faith. Subscribe now to get this newsletter delivered straight to your inbox. Got feedback or ideas? Email Bobby Ross Jr. at therossnews@gmail.com.

(ANALYSIS) “As they impose COVID-19 vaccine mandates, company leaders across the country are facing a flood of requests for religious exemptions,” the Deseret News’ Kelsey Dallas reports in a story explaining how employers judge such requests.

“As the Biden administration prepares a federal vaccine mandate and more states and companies impose them to help accelerate the pandemic's end, letter-writing efforts by religious leaders (supporting exemptions) are being reinforced by legal advocacy groups such as Liberty Counsel,” according to Reuters’ Tom Hals.

“The prelate who oversees Catholics in the U.S. military issued a statement Tuesday (Oct. 12) supporting service members who have refused to get vaccinated against COVID-19 on religious grounds,” Religion News Service’s Jack Jenkins notes.

Here we go again.

For the seventh time in the last year (yes, I counted), news of religion and the COVID-19 vaccines tops the latest Weekend Plug-in. See previous installments here, here, here, here, here and here.

Why does Plug-in keep focusing on this subject? Because it remains major news. And it likely will for a while.

Here are a few more related stories that caught my attention this week:

• Latino Catholics are among the most vaccinated religious groups. Here’s why. (by Alejandra Molina, RNS)

• ‘It’s not Satanism’: Zimbabwe church leaders preach vaccines (by Farai Mutsaka, Associated Press)

• The pandemic has helped religion’s reputation. Do religious vaccine resisters put this progress at risk? (by Kelsey Dallas, RNS)

• ‘A safe space’: Black pastors promote vaccinations from the pulpit (by Liam Stack, New York Times)

Power Up: The Week’s Best Reads

1. How one Chicago church is stepping up to help Afghan evacuees: Through the lens of a single congregation, Religion News Service’s Emily McFarlan Miller tells a bigger story.

“Across the country, churches like Immanuel Presbyterian Church are finding practical ways to partner with refugee resettlement agencies as they assist Afghan evacuees now settling into their new homes,” Miller reports.

2. A loyal Catholic’s mission to protect the church from youth football: “Denny Doyle is concerned about the risk of brain injuries to children who play tackle football. And he worries that his beloved church will also pay a price,” the New York Times’ Ken Belson reports.

This is a compelling take on, as Belson describes it, one man’s “mission to get the church out of the business of tackle football.”

3. ‘A hypocrite’: Israelis in publishing say Sally Rooney is turning her back on Hebrew readers: Jerusalem-based religion journalist Michele Chabin reports for The Forward on a controversy involving an Irish author.

“To many in Israel’s literary world, the stand Rooney took to support Palestinians smacks of hypocrisy,” Chabin writes.

BONUS: Now, it’s time for our weekly update on Liam Adams, the new — and extremely busy — religion reporter for The Tennessean, Nashville’s daily newspaper.

Seriously, don’t miss his latest coverage of the Southern Baptist Convention, including breaking news Thursday night:

• Southern Baptist Convention committee president resigns amid controversy over sex abuse inquiry

• How a series of top committee resignations could further tensions within the Southern Baptist Convention

• Southern Baptists' longtime law firm resigns amid loss of attorney-client privilege in sex abuse inquiry

• 'The time that God saw fit': Q&A with Southern Baptist leader amid controversy over sex abuse inquiry

More Top Reads

• The relaxing and tingly world of Christian ASMR (by Jessica Mundie, Religion News Service)

• She’s 51, a mother and a devout Catholic. She plans to die by euthanasia on Sunday (by Samantha Schmidt and Diana Durán, Washington Post) Update

• The Christians who mock wokeness for a living (by Emma Green, The Atlantic)

• Study: Attendance hemorrhaging at small and midsize US congregations (by Yonat Shimron, RNS)

• Politics, religion, race divide Americans: Pew report (by Mark A. Kellner, Washington Times)

• Texas executions face delays over religious rights claims (by Juan A. Lozano, Associated Press)

Inside The Godbeat: Behind The Bylines

I neglected to mention this news earlier, but the Los Angeles Times has appointed a journalist to cover faith and spirituality: Deborah Netburn.

“This is a wide-ranging job aimed at exploring religion, beliefs, values and ethics in diverse and creative ways, from the mainstream to the alternative and everything in between,” said Shelby Grad, the Times’ deputy managing editor. “Ultimately, it will focus on the larger questions of spirituality and the many ways people look for and find faith and meaning in their lives. California has long wrestled with these issues and produced some of the most influential (and controversial) theological movements.

“Netburn brings to this beat deep empathy, a love for narrative writing and the ability to connect with readers in intimate ways,” Grad added. “She spent the last few years on the science desk, helping cover the pandemic, and before that handling a wide array of stories including space exploration, medicine and ecology. She’s a regular contributor to Column One, a feature in which she specializes in profiling some of Southern California’s most interesting people.”

Charging Station: In Case You Missed It

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

• Crypto contribution? Engiven lets churches take cryptocurrency gifts (by Steve Rabey)

• Exorcist details his ongoing battle against demons in new book about possession (by Clemente Lisi)

• The love of money has influence everywhere — even matters of morality (by Dr. Michael Brown)

• Pastor gets 8 years in prison after Ponzi scheme nets nearly $10 million (by Anne Stych)

• An apology to the Afghan girl (by Ewelina U. Ochab)

• After falling from grace, televangelist Jim Bakker is still on the air (by Jillian Cheney)

• Fred Gray, Christian Civil Rights lawyer for MLK, gets Montgomery Street named after him (by Audrey Jackson)

• Child sexual abuse is despicable enough, but even more so in the church (by Dr. Michael Brown)

• God becomes the latest subject of the 'woke' pronoun wars (by Richard Ostling)

• Targeted killing of civilians in Kashmir triggers fears of religion-based violence (by Zaffar Iqbal)

The Final Plug

Last week, we highlighted the winners in the Religion News Association’s annual journalism contest.

For anyone who’d like to check out the honored stories, RNA has posted links to them.

Happy Friday, everyone! Enjoy the weekend.

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.