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) The story of the Southern Baptist Convention’s sex abuse crisis is not going away.

At least not anytime soon.

Southern Baptists delegates overwhelmingly adopted abuse reforms this past summer, but concerns about the culture of the nation’s largest evangelical denomination remain.

Case in point: Religion News Service’s Bob Smietana broke this news Tuesday:

Disgraced former Southern Baptist Convention President Johnny Hunt plans a return to ministry after completing a restoration process overseen by four pastors, according to a video released last week.

That news, just seven months after the allegations against Hunt were made public, prompted Bart Barber, the current SBC president, to release a lengthy statement via Twitter.

Barber declared:

I would permanently “defrock” Johnny Hunt if I had the authority to do so. In a fellowship of autonomous churches, I do not have the authority to do so. Yet it must be said that neither do these four pastors have the authority to declare Johnny Hunt to be “restored.”

At The Tennessean, Liam Adams reports:

The news of Hunt’s return to ministry is the latest high-profile example of an issue the Nashville-based SBC is wrestling with: if and how pastors accused of abuse can return to the pulpit.

In his own follow-up report, Smietana delves into the outcry over the Hunt news:

Tiffany Thigpen, an abuse survivor and longtime advocate of abuse victims, said Hunt’s return to ministry is a sign that the legislated reforms have yet to change Southern Baptist culture.

“We are always going to have this network of powerful men who can do whatever they want and think they can get away with it,” she said. “And they are right.”

Thigpen said Hunt, like anyone, can be forgiven by God. But that does not mean he should be given power and a platform in the church. She said pastors like the ones who endorsed Hunt dole out cheap grace in order to protect their friends.

“They don’t care,” she said.

As noted by the Washington Times’ Mark A. Kellner, two of the four pastors involved in Hunt’s “restoration” serve churches affiliated with the SBC.

Most pastors believe clergy involved in sexual misconduct should withdraw from public ministry permanently, according to a 2021 Lifeway Research study.

In reviewing coverage of the latest SBC news, I discovered that Robert Downen — the lead reporter on the 2019 “Abuse of Faith” series that detailed hundreds of cases of sexual abuse within the denomination — has left the Houston Chronicle. Somehow I missed this earlier.

Downen moved to the Texas Tribune this fall to tackle the democracy beat, but that doesn’t mean he’s left religion stories behind entirely. The headline on his latest story, published this week: Jewish Texans see surge in antisemitism as a precursor to fascism. Congrats to Robert on his new gig, which he describes as a dream job!

Back to the SBC: The Hunt news isn’t the only recent development in the abuse crisis.

Despite admitting sexual misconduct, a former seminary professor has sued SBC leaders and entities, claiming they conspired with an abuse survivor to ruin his reputation, as reported this week by both Adams and Smietana.

Meanwhile, Adams details 21 SBC state conventions addressing abuse at their recent meetings. For more on those actions, see coverage by The Oklahoman’s Carla Hinton and the Birmingham News’ Greg Garrison.

Power Up: The Week’s Best Reads

1. Asian faiths try to save swastika symbol corrupted by Hitler: “The equilateral cross with its legs bent at right angles is a millennia-old sacred symbol in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism that represents peace and good fortune, and was also used widely by Indigenous people worldwide in a similar vein,” The Associated Press’ Deepa Bharath reports.

“But in the West, this symbol is often equated to Adolf Hitler’s hakenkreuz or the hooked cross — a symbol of hate that evokes the trauma of the Holocaust and the horrors of Nazi Germany. White supremacists, neo-Nazi groups and vandals have continued to use Hitler’s symbol to stoke fear and hate.”

2. A Nordic’s journey to understand 2022 Christianity in America: In a five-part series published here at ReligionUnplugged.com, Norwegian journalist Tore Hjalmar Sævik explores the changing dynamics of Christianity in America.

Sævik filed stories from New Jersey, New York, Tennessee and Texas as part of the series.

3. 114 executions and counting: An Oklahoma priest’s quest to uphold the ‘dignity of life’: Since 1995, the Rev. Bryan Brooks has traveled to the Oklahoma State Penitentiary repeatedly to pray for death row inmates who are being executed.

“I really don’t like doing this. God knows there are a lot of other things to do, to plan,” Brooks tells Oklahoma Watch’s Whitney Bryen. “But this is just where I’m supposed to be and I know that without a doubt.”

I interviewed Brooks more than two decades ago for a story I wrote on a typical execution day in Oklahoma.

BONUS: Religion News Service’s Emily McFarlan Miller does an excellent job covering Native American religion.

She recently delved into this question: “What does healing look like to survivors of the U.S. Indian boarding school system?”

This week, RNS’ Alejandra Molina and Miller report on how Native Americans across the U.S. are fighting to preserve sacred land.

A personal plug: In case you missed it, The Associated Press published my piece last week on the bison’s relocation to Native lands reviving a spiritual bond.

More Top Reads

• A Christian nation no more? Census numbers fuel debate on Britain’s identity, Christianity’s future (by Mark A. Kellner, Washington Times)

• How faith leaders reacted to Senate passage of same-sex marriage protections (by Kelsey Dallas, Deseret News)

• Falwell in exile (by Josh Moody, Inside Higher Ed)

• Bagels and challah for Jews keeping kosher at World Cup (by Mariam Fam, Associated Press)

• Evangelical influencers pan Trump as driven by ‘grievances and self-importance’ (by Yonat Shimron, Religion News Service)

• Clinging to ancient faith, India tribes seek religion status (by Sheikh Saaliq, AP)

• Amy Grant conquered Christian music. That was just her first act (by Emily Yahr, Washington Post)

• Amid rising homelessness, Catholic-run tiny home villages build more than shelter (by Katie Collins Scott, National Catholic Reporter)

• First-ever Muslims elected to Texas House reflect on their wins: ‘A very proud moment’ (by Taylor Goldenstein, Houston Chronicle)

• As war drags on, Ukraine bishops declare a ‘Year of Mercy’ (by Elise Ann Allen, Crux)

• Church leaders counter drag queen events for children with ‘Pastor’s Story Hour’ at libraries (by Mark A. Kellner, Washington Times)

• A once-dying church hopes to reinvent itself with coffee and kindness (by Bob Smietana, Religion News Service)

• Pastors say Christmas Eve is most-attended holiday service (by Aaron Earls, Lifeway Research)

• Think piece: A very long discernment (by Elizabeth Felicetti, Christian Century)

Inside The Godbeat: Behind The Bylines

The Jesuit magazine America published an exclusive interview with Pope Francis this week.

In addition, check out Kerry Weber’s behind-the-scenes account of the interview.

Charging Station: In Case You Missed It

Here is where you can catch up on recent news and opinions from ReligionUnplugged.com.

• What if heaven isn’t a place beyond the stars, but a kingdom already here, now? (by Paul Prather)

• Malawian rebel and U.S. trained preacher immortalized in London statue (by Joseph Hammond)

• Nazi Germany occupied Tunisia, but WWII experiences often go unheard (by Sarah Abrevaya Stein and Aomar Boum)

• This family has tattooed Christian pilgrims for 28 generations (by Jovan Tripkovic)

• Archbishop Timothy Broglio elected USCCB president: What it means for the Catholic church (by Clemente Lisi)

• Hong Kong finds Cardinal Joseph Zen guilty over pro-democracy protest fund (by Clemente Lisi)

• Gazing into a niche-media future: How politicized might evangelical radio become? (by Richard Ostling)

• Hillsong megachurch revenue fell almost 20% in last two years, report shows (by Jessica Eturralde)

The Final Plug

“Jesus Christ, Streaming Star.”

That’s the stellar headline atop a feature by the New York Times’ Ruth Graham on “The Chosen,” the hit TV series — and now box office smash.

Here at ReligionUnplugged.com, a review by Joseph Holmes declares the premiere of “The Chosen” Season 3 “a triumphant mixed bag.”

Happy Friday, everyone! Enjoy the weekend.

Bobby Ross Jr. is a columnist for ReligionUnplugged.com 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.