✅ Pop Quiz Time: How Closely Do You Follow Weekend Plug-in? 🔌
Weekend Plug-in 🔌
Editor’s note: Every Friday, “Weekend Plug-in” meets readers at the intersection of faith and news. Click to join nearly 10,000 subscribers who get this column delivered straight to their inbox. Got feedback or ideas? Email Bobby Ross Jr.
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“How’d you get into journalism?”
“What motivated you to cover religion?”
“Where have you traveled on the job?”
I love it when people ask me about my life and career.
But occasionally, I’m tempted to reply: “Well, actually, I did a column about that. Didn’t you read it?”
LOL.
Here’s the truth: I’ve written over 300 Weekend Plug-in columns since 2020. We’re talking about nearly half a million words — or roughly five or six full-length novels.
That’s a whole lot of information and details to absorb. Even I have to check the archive to remember some of it.
Still, I’m curious to know what sticks. So it’s time for a Plug-in pop quiz. Make your mental notes, and see the right answers at the end.
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1. In 1984, I took my first journalism class as a high school sophomore. What school did I attend?
A. Big Horn High School in Wyoming
B. Broken Arrow High School in Oklahoma
C. Keller High School in Texas
D. Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida
E. None of the above
The late Jack O’Pelt and Bobby Ross Jr. read a newspaper decades ago. O’Pelt urged Ross to join him in taking a high school journalism class. (Photo provided by Bobby Ross Jr.)
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2. In the late 1980s, I worked late nights on the student newspaper at this university with ties to Churches of Christ.
A. Abilene Christian University in Texas
B. Freed-Hardeman University in Henderson, Tennessee
C. Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas
D. Oklahoma Christian University in Oklahoma City
E. Pepperdine University in Malibu, California
• • •
3. In 1990, I drove a light blue 1978 Volkswagen Beetle to my first full-time job at this newspaper.
A. Birmingham News in Alabama
B. Charlotte Observer in North Carolina
C. Daily Planet in Metropolis
D. Stillwater NewsPress in Oklahoma
E. Wyoming Tribune Eagle in Cheyenne
A Volkwagen Beetle similar to the one that Bobby Ross Jr. drove early in his newspaper career. (Shutterstock photo)
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4. In 1999, I tackled my first big Godbeat assignment. Which of these religion stories did I cover?
A. New book on Abraham Lincoln’s faith
B. Pope John Paul II’s visit to St. Louis
C. Religious debate over gun control measures
D. United Methodist divide over same-sex blessings
E. Y2K phenomenon and apocalyptic fears.
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5. In 2001, I followed my wife, Tamie, as religion editor for this daily newspaper.
A. Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
B. Fort Worth Star-Telegram
C. Los Angeles Times
D. The Oklahoman
E. The Tennessean
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6. I never considered myself a dog person … until this lovable canine came to live with my wife and me in 2024. What’s her name?
A. Bella
B. Frannie
C. Lassie
D. Scoop
E. Waffle
Bobby Ross Jr. plays with his favorite canine. (Photo by Tamie Ross)
• • •
7. During the 2024 presidential campaign, I found myself reflecting on my early years working for this major chain.
A. Discount Tire
B. Home Depot
C. Krispy Kreme
D. McDonald’s
E. Walmart
• • •
8. On a reporting trip in fall 2025, my wife and I got lost in the middle of the night near a famous cathedral. What country were we in?
A. Argentina
B. France
C. Italy
D. Russia
E. Ukraine
The view as Bobby and Tamie Ross searched for their rideshare driver in the wee hours. (Photo by Bobby Ross Jr.)
• • •
9. I’m on a journey — a “Field of Dreams” pilgrimage, if you will — to visit every Major League Baseball stadium. At the beginning of the 2026 season, what ballpark did I check off my bucket list?
A. Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia
B. Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas
C. PNC Park in Pittsburgh
D. Target Field in Minneapolis
E. Yankee Stadium in New York
• • •
10. I’ve lived my dream as a roving religion journalist. Which of the following have I done on the job?
A. Cleared customs in Australia, Cuba and South Africa
B. Dodged thousands of riders during South Dakota’s Sturgis Motorcycle Rally
C. Helicoptered across Israel
D. Tightened my seat belt on a bumpy, windy mountain road in Mexico
E. All of the above
• • •
Right Answers (And Related Columns)
Question 1: C. Keller High School in Texas. Lessons Learned In High School Journalism Class Still Resonate
Question 2: D. Oklahoma Christian University in Oklahoma City. ‘My Friend’s Cancer Battle’: This Is Going To Be One Really Cool Obituary’
Question 3: D. Stillwater NewsPress in Oklahoma. My 35 Years In Full-Time Journalism: What’s Changed And What Hasn’t
Question 4: B. Pope John Paul II’s visit to St. Louis: How Covering Pope John Paul II’s 1999 Visit To St. Louis Changed My Journalism Career
Question 5: D. The Oklahoman: How A Career Choice By My Wife Led Me To The Godbeat 25 Years Ago
Question 6: B. Frannie. Will There Be Hound Dogs In Heaven? Beliefs Differ On Furry Friends In Eternity
Question 7: D. McDonald’s. In The Race For President, Why Are We Talking About McDonald’s?
Question 8: B. France. Godbeat Globetrotting: 5 Memorable Moments In World Religion Reporting
Question 9: A. Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. Rituals, Miracles, Sacred Days: New Film Delves Into The Religion Of Baseball
Question 10: E. All of the above. Planes, Trains And Automobiles (Even Motorcycles): The Road To Religion News
Bobby Ross Jr. takes notes during a visit to a church-operated farm in Limonar, Cuba. (Photo by Candice Pinzón)
How’d you do on the quiz?
I’d love to know.
Inside The Godbeat
A Zoom I did Monday night with the Religion News Association’s emerging journalists cohort inspired this column.
Given that it’s summertime, a smaller group than usual showed up.
But I enjoyed meeting Sharlee DiMenichi, a staff writer for the Friends Journal, and catching up with Marissa Green, faith and fellowship editor for the Fort Worth Report, and Kathryn Post, a national reporter for Religion News Service.
With about 20 active members, the cohort brings together early career, second career and student journalists who cover religion. Post co-founded the group in 2024 with former Tennessean religion reporter Liam Adams, former Dallas Morning News faith writer BeLynn Hollers, University of Georgia journalism professor Lori Johnston and FāVS.News founder and executive director Tracy Simmons.
Besides Post and Greene, the network’s facilitators include independent journalist Flavius Mihaies and new Houston Chronicle religion writer Adrian Ashford.
Life on the Godbeat made for a terrific conversation.
Interested in joining the cohort? Here’s how.
The Final Plug
There’s still time.
Still time to support Religion Unplugged’s independent journalism — including my own — and have your donation doubled if you give by Aug. 17.
We’d be deeply grateful for any amount.
Real People. Real Reporting. Donate to Religion Unplugged now through Aug. 17, and your gift will be doubled.
A quick programming note: I’m on vacation next week, but I look forward to seeing you back in this same space in two weeks.
Happy Friday, everyone! Enjoy the weekend.
Bobby Ross Jr. writes the Weekend Plug-in column for Religion Unplugged 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 20 nations. He has covered religion since 1999.