In the wake of Christa Pike’s botched lethal injection in Tennessee, Weekend Plug-in columnist Bobby Ross Jr. reflects on the role of spiritual advisers at executions. The practice has a history that precedes the founding of the United States.
Read MoreAn anti-Islam rally promoted as a “Christian Crusader March” drew hundreds of demonstrators and counterdemonstrators to this majority Arab American city of Dearborn, Michigan. A few participants carried assault rifles as police in riot gear patrolled. The Sunday after the recent protest, minister Wayne Beason felt compelled to speak up for his Muslim neighbors.
Read MoreOn the 25th anniversary of 9/11 last month, Weekend Plug-in columnist Bobby Ross Jr. found myself in the Detroit suburb of Dearborn, Michgan. He came to work on a story related to America’s ongoing war over words over Muslims and their place in U.S. society. While coincidental, the timing struck Ross as ironic.
Read MoreGarth Pleasant, a legendary small-college basketball coach who won 720 games and four national championships in 38 seasons at Rochester Christian University in Michigan, offers life lessons from his 77 years on planet Earth.
Read MoreClemente Lisi was a 26-year-old general assignment reporter for the New York Post on Sept. 11, 2001. “Every day you’d get up, and you didn’t know what you were gonna do,” said Lisi, now Religion Unplugged’s executive editor. “One day it was covering a fire. The next day you’re covering a murder.” On that Tuesday, he was told that a plane had hit the World Trade Center.
Read MoreChristianity and pornography don’t mix. Except that they often do — whether believers and church leaders want to talk about it or not.
Read MoreSince the news broke Tuesday that Dolly Parton “is in the arms of Jesus,” Weekend Plug-in columnist Bobby Ross Jr. has joined countless millions of fans in reflecting on her life, her legacy — and yes, her faith.
Read More“American Martyr: The Stanley Rother Story” — a new feature-length documentary narrated by actor Martin Sheen — premieres in theaters Aug. 25 and 26 in English and Aug. 27 in Spanish. An Oklahoma farm boy who grew up to become a priest, Rother spent 13 years as a missionary to Guatemala. He died in 1981 at age 46 when three masked assassins entered his rectory during that Central American nation’s civil war.
Read MoreThe Chicago White Sox gave away 40,000 miter-shaped hats Tuesday in honor of the team’s most famous fan, Pope Leo XIV. Here are five interesting facts to know about “Pope Night.”
Read MoreFor Charli Turner and Julie Montgomery, the idea of starting a school that could serve as a Christian mission started years ago. “We had this funny vision that we were going to take in all the lost, hurting kids,” Turner said. Finally, they’re realizing their dream in rural North Idaho.
Read MoreA few years before Oklahoma became the 46th state in 1907, a church split occurred over using an organ in worship. Those who objected to the instrumental music left the Christian Church and formed a Church of Christ. After meeting in a smaller building, the Church of Christ erected a larger one at Seventh and Beech in 1917, said Jane Roberts Lewis, whose late grandmother was a niece of Cal Maddux.
Read MoreWe’re curious to know what sticks. So it’s time for a Weekend Plug-in pop quiz. When you click the right answer, the related column will appear.
Read MoreWhat could feel more like summer than a bonfire after worship service? From Denali in Alaska to the Everglades in Florida, a ministry works to share Jesus in national parks across the U.S. and Canada.
Read MoreIt’s a call you never want to receive. “I’ve got cancer,” your loved one says. Not only that, but it’s pancreatic cancer — often a death sentence. Immediately, your brain goes into a fog.
Read MoreFifty years ago, America celebrated its Bicentennial. The 200th anniversary of the nation’s founding occurred on a Sunday. For many, celebrations mixed faith, family and fireworks.
Read MoreWeekend Plug-in columnist Bobby Ross Jr. is passionate about Major League Baseball. In recent years, his love for the game has inspired him to delve into the trend of MLB teams hosting faith days.
Read MoreThe Texas Rangers’ recent “Faith and Family Day” was not the team’s first. But for multiple reasons, the latest one became a culture war flashpoint — stirring debate across the country and on social media, sparking comments by everyone from the governor of Texas to the Catholic bishop of Fort Worth. June is dedicated to LGBTQ Pride, and other sports teams often set aside a night to celebrate.
Read MoreWhen Maurice Costabile first showed up at a Houston church a few years ago, members had no clue his late father, Duilio, was a beloved TV cameraman dubbed the “Mayor of Yankee Stadium.” They just knew he looked homeless — and desperately needed a bath.
Read MoreThe Southern Baptist Convention, meeting in Orlando, Florida, this week, moved forward on banning churches with women pastors and elected a right-wing president concerned the denomination has become too woke and liberal.
Read MoreFemale. Conservative. Young. Pope Leo XIV’s appointment of Maria Montserrat “Montse” Alvarado to lead the Vatican’s communications office stands out for three major reasons.
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