Weekend Plug-In Year In Review: The Best Religion Journalism Of 2022
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) Earlier this week, veteran religion journalist Kimberly Winston invited me to talk about the year’s top religion stories for an upcoming feature on Interfaith Voices’ “Inspired” radio show.
Our discussion turned to the Religion News Association’s ballot for the top 10 national and international religion stories of 2022.
I boldly predicted that the overturning of Roe v. Wade would be the No. 1 national story and that Russian’s war on Ukraine would be the No. 1 international story.
Actually, those stories were obvious — not daring — choices. Sure enough, they topped RNA’s list of top stories announced after my recording session with Winston.
As I type this, I’m devouring my mom’s homemade fudge and watching Christmas movies. So rather than pick the week’s best reads and top headlines in the world of faith, as I normally do, I asked some of the nation’s top religion writers to share their favorite or most important story they wrote during 2022.
It’s a holiday week, so I didn’t catch up with everybody. But I sure appreciate my Godbeat colleagues who responded.
Power Up: The Year’s Best Reads
Journalists who write about religion pick their top story of 2022.
• Liam Adams and Cole Villena, The Tennessean: Williamson County, the suburban ‘new frontier’ for American evangelical Christianity, published Aug. 31.
• Cheryl Mann Bacon, Christian Chronicle: A final song, a familiar end, part of a yearlong special project, published March 30.
• Adelle M. Banks, Religion News Service: Amy Grant, ‘queen of Christian pop,’ feted at Kennedy Center Honors with sidebar Faith in the spotlight on Kennedy Center red carpet and stage at annual Honors gala, published Dec. 5.
• Deepa Bharath, Associated Press: Asian faiths try to save swastika symbol corrupted by Hitler, published Nov. 27.
• Michelle Boorstein, Washington Post: A rape survivor’s careful activism in a place where #MeToo feels taboo, published Dec. 13.
• Jillian Cheney, ReligionUnplugged.com: Leonard Cohen documentary ‘Hallelujah’ solidifies the power of a song, published Aug. 12.
• David Crary, Associated Press: Black Catholic nuns: A compelling, long-overlooked history, published April 30.
• Kelsey Dallas, Deseret News: Perspective: What Russell Moore taught me about arguing with my husband, published Feb. 12.
• Julia Duin, Newsweek: Evangelical Christian adoption movement hit by “tsunami” of mentally ill children, published June 12.
• Emma Green, New Yorker: The hidden life of a Christian-college professor, published June 30.
• Greg Garrison, AL.com: Gelato shop on US 280 bans cell phones, profanity, scantily clad patrons: ‘This place is different,’ published Nov. 17.
• Paul Glader, ReligionUnplugged.com: Adopting a Doodle puppy from Amish country’s epicenter of dog breeding, published May 6.
• Hamil R. Harris, Christian Chronicle: Church growth seminar promoted by Eugene Lawton proceeds, even after his death, published March 15.
• Luis Andres Henao, Associated Press: Climate migration: Alaska village resists despite threats, published Oct. 28.
• BeLynn Hollers, Dallas Morning News: Dallas faith leader spending Passover in Poland sees similarities in Exodus, Ukrainian refugees, published April 13.
• Audrey Jackson, Christian Chronicle: ‘This is wailing, weeping, heartfelt grief. This is what this town is feeling,’ published June 1.
• Jack Jenkins, Religion News Service: How the Capitol attacks helped spread Christian nationalism in the extreme right, published Jan. 26.
• Mark A. Kellner, Washington Times: Christian faith sustained Queen Elizabeth II throughout her life, times of trouble, published Sept. 8.
• Sam Kestenbaum, TheLAnd: Demon time: How a former actress-turned-Christian EDM singer from small-town New York became a Pentecostal faith healer for the TikTok era, published April 13.
• Danae King, Columbus Dispatch: COVID deaths impact Columbus Black church working on safe reopening, published March 17.
• Clemente Lisi, ReligionUnplugged.com: Lionel Messi thanks God for success in epic World Cup win, published Dec. 18.
• Frank E. Lockwood, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette: Elizabeth II mourned in England amid decline of church, published Sept. 17.
• G. Jeffrey MacDonald, Faith and Leadership: Pastors are uniquely positioned to help people contemplating suicide, published Aug. 23.
• Terry Mattingly, Universal Syndidate: Old enough? Faith, family and America’s falling marriage statistics (Part 1), published Oct. 4, and Mature enough? Can congregations and clergy help young adults prep for marriage? (Part 2), published Oct. 10.
• Emily McFarlan Miller, Religion News Service: You’ve seen ‘The Rings of Power,’ but have you heard of this tiny museum housing J.R.R. Tolkien’s treasures?, published Sept. 2.
• Kathryn Post, Religion News Service: Suds in the sanctuary: Craft breweries populate vacant US churches, published Feb. 1.
• Francis X. Rocca, Luciana Magalhaes and Samantha Pearson, Wall Street Journal: Why the Catholic Church is losing Latin America, published Jan. 11.
• Bobby Ross Jr. (hey, that’s me), Christian Chronicle: Breaking down barriers — new and old — to help tornado victims, published Jan. 15.
• Julie Roys, The Roys Report: John MacArthur shamed, excommunicated mother for refusing to take back child abuser, published March 8.
• Meagan Clark Saliashvili, ReligionUnplugged.com: Russian invasion reveals fissures among Orthodox Christians, published March 3.
• Kate Shellnutt, Christianity Today: Myanmar’s Christians fight for peace, published Oct. 17.
• Daniel Silliman, Christianity Today: Sexual harassment went unchecked at Christianity Today, published March 15.
• Bob Smietana, Religion News Service: How the ‘apocalyptic’ Southern Baptist report almost didn’t happen, published May 24.
• Peter Smith, Associated Press: Indigenous Canadians wary, hopeful as pope prepares apology, published July 22.
• Peggy Fletcher Stack, Salt Lake Tribune: New Heavenly Mother debate breaks out between LDS feminists and LGBTQ activists, published May 21.
• Erik Tryggestad, Christian Chronicle: ‘We would sing louder than the shelling,’ published July 6.
• Menachem Wecker, Washington Post Magazine, How a coming-of-age ritual for Jewish girls aided the rise of women’s rights, published March 1.
• Christopher White, National Catholic Reporter: Rome’s famed pine trees may face extinction. What will the Vatican do to save theirs?, published March 8.
• Kimberly Winston, ReligionUnplugged.com: Decades after war, Bosnian Jews who lost homes, synagogues still await restitution, published Jan. 27.
• Deena Yellin, NorthJersey.com: Can a bagel brunch bridge the Jewish-Muslim divide? This New Jersey group is trying, published June 10.
The Final Plug
Next week we’ll do another special year-end Weekend Plug-in and highlight the best of ReligionUnplugged.com from 2022.
Happy Friday, everyone! Enjoy the holiday 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.