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) Good morning, Weekend Plug-in readers!

Today’s edition marks the launch of Plug-in’s fifth year. If you enjoy it, please encourage friends to subscribe.

Black churches were hit hardest by the pandemic but did more to promote vaccines, according to a new study cited by ReligionUnplugged.com’s Clemente Lisi and Religion News Service’s Adelle M. Banks.

The Israel-Hamas war “has exposed a generational rift among U.S. Christians and their perceptions about the conflict.” Lifeway Research’s Aaron Earls details the differing views of young and old believers.

And a new national poll explores why most Republicans think former President Donald Trump is a person of faith. The Deseret News’ Samuel Benson delves into the findings.

This is our weekly roundup of the top headlines and best reads in the world of faith. We start by looking ahead to the (expected) major news of 2024.

What To Know: The Big Story

Campaign 2024: Hey, guess what? It’s a presidential election year.

ReligionUnplugged.com’s Clemente Lisi rounds up everything you need to know about the candidates.

At The Conversation, Tobin Miller Shearer predicts how politics and religion will mix in 2024. He suggests three trends to track.

What will make news?: It’s impossible to know — in advance — what stories will dominate our attention in 2024.

But Religion News Service’s stellar journalists share the headlines they anticipate — from papal reforms to psychedelics to the aforementioned presidential voting.

More prognostication: Lisi offers five Catholic storylines to watch this year, while the Houston Chronicle’s Eric Killelea and The Oklahoman’s Carla Hinton assess the potential big religion news in their regions.

And the Deseret News’ Kelsey Dallas has a suggestion for 2024: “Make a new friend of a different faith and then commit to actually talking to them about what they believe.”

Power Up: The Week’s Best Reads

1. Leonard Leo’s influence: If that name doesn’t ring a bell, he’s seen as the architect of the conservative Supreme Court — and he’s poised to take on the wider culture, the National Catholic Reporter’s Heidi Schlumpf writes.

At Politico, Heidi Przybyla reports that Leo’s allies are advancing a new cause, “public Christian schools,” starting with a Catholic charter school in Oklahoma.

A podcast series, “We Don’t Talk About Leonard,” was produced last year by ProPublica and WNYC’s “On The Media.”

2. How a Sikh Marine made history: A 30-year-old religious freedom law helped as Private 1st Class Jaskirat Singh “completed boot camp with a turban and beard — two essential parts of his Sikh faith.”

As illustrated by Singh’s case, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act serves as “an essential tool for lesser-known faith groups,” the Deseret News’ Kelsey Dallas notes.

3. Sign dispute at NBA game: A Utah rabbi claims the Jazz made him put down his “I’m a Jew and I’m proud” sign after a complaint by the Dallas Mavericks’ Kyrie Irving, but Irving says he didn’t complain.

The Salt Lake Tribune’s Eric Walden details the controversy, which also drew coverage by the Dallas Morning News’ Joy Ashford.

More Top Reads

Members of a prominent Little Rock church rallied around a former associate pastor arrested on a charge of sexual assault, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette’s Frank Lockwood reports. … Native Hawaiian salt makers combat climate change and pollution to protect a sacred tradition, The Associated Press’ Deepa Bharath writes. … Worshipers in Texas try to balance safety with a welcoming spirit, the Fort Worth Report’s Marissa Greene explains. … What were 48,000 pie crusts doing in the alley behind a Minneapolis church? The Star Tribune’s Rachel Hutton has the answer. … Thou shalt not print errors, so Bible proofreaders weed out typos and recipes, according to the Washington Times’ Mark A. Kellner. … Beth Moore “has always been dangerous” to the Southern Baptist Convention, the Houston Chronicle’s Eric Killelea reports. … Faith groups say more foster families are needed to care for the children coming to the US alone, AP’s Giovanna Dell’Orto reports. … What is the Epiphany? AP explains. … Meanwhile, ReligionUnplugged.com’s Clemente Lisi provides a history of La Befana, Italy’s annual Epiphany tradition.

Inside The Godbeat

GetReligion has published at least one piece of new content every single day since its launch on Feb. 2, 2004, according to its editor, Terry Mattingly.

”That streak will end … on our 20th anniversary,” Mattingly reveals. “The website will close, although some of our features will live on — to one degree or another — on other websites. We will share more details before we close, so hold that thought.”

I contributed to GetReligion for nearly 10 years, developing a niche as the media criticism site’s “good cop.” Since I left GR to start Plug-in 2020, tmatt has republished this newsletter/column on Mondays, which I appreciate.

I wish all my GR friends — including Godbeat legend Richard Ostling — the best during the upcoming transition.

Charging Station: ICYMI

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

Paul Glader and Mary Cuddehe explore religion’s role in the life of a convicted fraudster pardoned by former President Donald Trump.

The Final Plug

“It’s amazing.”

Hulk Hogan is praising God for the response his baptism video has received, ChurchLeaders.com’s Jesse T. Jackson reports.

At Christianity Today, Stefani McDade references Hogan in an opinion piece headlined “Friends in High Places.”

“We love celebrity conversions, but this obsession may not be as gospel-centered as it seems,” McDade writes.

Happy Friday, everyone! Enjoy the weekend.

Bobby Ross Jr. writes the Weekend Plug-in column for ReligionUnplugged.com and serves as 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 18 nations. He has covered religion since 1999.