Bobby's middle finger suffers spiritual attack?

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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) This is going to be a much more concise Weekend Plug-in than normal.

Bobby is dealing with a finger infection that makes it difficult and painful to type. (But on the other hand, he’s completely fine.) We at Religion Unplugged wouldn’t even wish that on someone’s pinky finger, and there’s just no replacing Bobby’s work on this column.

So maybe you, like us, are shaking a full-fingered fist at the spirits in the sky that have taken Bobby away from the Weekend Plug-in this Friday. He’s taking antibiotics and hopes to charge ahead to regularly scheduled plugging next Friday.

In the meantime (in a proverbial flipping the bird at the source of his infection), he’s still rounded up the best stories in religion to share with you. All additional comments are from Religion Unplugged’s Poynter-Koch fellow Jillian Cheney.

Power Up: The Week’s Best Reads

1. Evangelical leaders are encouraging their congregants — many of whom are skeptical — to get the vaccine.

2. A Nashville church is planting a community garden to survive after the building was destroyed in tornadoes last year.

3. The NCAA final match was between Baylor and Gonzaga, two faith-based schools. Baylor’s win was attributed to their “culture of joy” and Christian motto.

More Top Reads

Inside The Godbeat: Behind The Bylines

Buzzfeed News announced at the beginning of April that it will no longer be including the hyphen in “antisemitism,” countering the standards of both some dictionaries and AP style. Here’s why.

The Conversation is also hiring for a Religion and Ethics editor, preferably based in Brooklyn or Boston.

The Associated Church Press Awards were held last night, and Religion Unplugged carried away quite the virtual haul.

First Place News Story: George Floyd's Ministry Friends Say He Was Their 'OG,' A 'Man Of Peace' (by Liza Vandenboom)

First Place In-depth: COVID-19 Is Fueling A New Jesus Movement (by Meagan Clark and Haeven Gibbons)

Third Place Theme Issue: God And Guns: Why American Churchgoers Are Packing Heat (by Paul Glader)

Second Place Column: Inside The $100 Million Russian Church Meant To Honor Putin, Stalin And War (by Alexei Lidov)

Second Place Best In Class Video Production: Church Van Plays Gospel Music To Calm Police And Protesters In Brooklyn (by Micah Danney)

Congratulations to all winners!

Charging Station: In Case You Missed It

Here is where you can catch up on recent news and opinions from Religion Unplugged.

The Final Plug

A squirrel got trapped in a Michigan church overnight and caused some serious property damage. Most notably, a crucifix dating back to the early 1900s was destroyed.

My favorite part of this story is that Jim Morse, the church’s maintenance engineer, just so happened to have an art degree, and was able to repair and repaint the Jesus with a great deal of success. Maybe they should’ve hired Morse to take care of other art restorations gone notoriously wrong, like the infamous Jesus fresco of 2012.

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Thanks for reading! I’ve enjoyed lending a hand this week, but am looking forward to having Bobby back in full spirits next week. And if you like Weekend Plug-in, be sure to give us a “thumbs up” and share on social media.

Bobby Ross Jr. is a columnist for Religion Unplugged 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.

Jillian Cheney is a Poynter-Koch fellow for Religion Unplugged who loves consuming good culture and writing about it. She also reports on American Protestantism and evangelical Christianity. You can find her on Twitter @_jilliancheney.