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!

Greece has become the first Orthodox Christian country to legalize same-sex marriage, The Associated Press’ Nicholas Paphitis reports.

Meanwhile, antisemitism and safety fears are surging among U.S. Jews, AP’s Tiffany Stanley writes, citing a new national survey.

This is our weekly roundup of the top headlines and best reads in the world of faith. We start with five takeaways from Sunday’s shooting at Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church in Houston.

What To Know: The Big Story

1. What happened: Genesse Moreno, 36, “allegedly fired an AR-style rifle and was also carrying a .22-caliber rifle when she walked into Joel Osteen’s megachurch that afternoon and began shooting, according to police. Two off-duty officers working security shot and killed Moreno. Her 7-year-old son and a 57-year-old man were wounded in the exchange.”

That’s the synopsis from the Houston Chronicle’s Matt deGrood. Read more coverage from ReligionUnplugged.com’s own Clemente Lisi and the New York Times’ J. David Goodman, Edgar Sandoval and Ruth Graham.

2. Warning signs: While the shooter’s motive remains unclear, her criminal record and documented history of mental illness have come under scrutiny, as reported by The Associated Press’ Juan A. Lozano, the Washington Post’s Molly Hennessy-Fiske and Michelle Boorstein and the Chronicle’s Ariana Garcia.

3. Legal gun purchase: Despite Moreno’s “red flags,” Texas gun loopholes likely allowed her to purchase firearms legally, according to the Chronicle’s Kennedy Sessions and AP’s Lozano and Jim Vertuno.

This was the 24th fatal shooting at a church in the past 25 years, according to Lifeway Research’s Aaron Earls.

4. Familiar face: Why was this shooting such big news?

Osteen is “one of the most familiar faces in American religion,” as AP’s Ben Finley notes:

The 60-year-old regularly preaches to about 45,000 people a week in a former basketball arena and he’s known to millions more through his television sermons.

Finley’s profile of the pastor quotes extensively from a 2004 AP interview with Osteen. I remember that story because I wrote it while covering religion for AP in Texas. (That interview was nearly 20 years ago. Time flies!)

5. Sunday is coming: Osteen is inviting Houston residents to attend this weekend’s services, saying, “We are not people of fear. We are people of faith.”

Chronicle religion reporter Eric Killelea provides details:

In a short, glossy clip posted to Osteen's social media accounts, the pastor extended an invitation to Lakewood's "special services" this Sunday—"a time of healing and restoration" for one of the nation's largest congregations. "Yes, it's been a difficult week, something we never dreamed we would have to deal with," he said. "But we look back now, and we see the faithfulness of God, how He protected and watched over us."

Catch up on all the extensive coverage from the Houston newspaper.

Power Up: The Week’s Best Reads

1. Chocolate and ashes: What happens when Valentine’s Day meets Ash Wednesday?

“Death reminds us of the limits of romantic love, but it also sets romantic love free,” Esau McCaulley writes for The Atlantic.

See related coverage by ReligionUnplugged.com’s Clemente Lisi, the New York Times’ Ruth Graham, the Los Angeles Times’ Karen Garcia, Religion News Service’s Roxanne Stone and Emily McFarlan Miller and the Washington Times’ Mark A. Kellner.

2. An unlikely friendship: Kate Linthicum, an international correspondent for the Los Angeles Times, “wondered how Arab/Israeli friendships had weathered this war.”

To find out, she “hung out with two teens from opposite sides of the Jewish-Palestinian divide. Their story is inspiring.”

Read the story.

3. Brigham Young University’s new reality: The Mormon university’s “move to the Big 12 marked an all-in play on big-time, big-money athletics. It also marked a stress test.”

The Athletic’s Brendan Quinn delves into the “ideology of the institution vs the realities of power conference living.”

More Top Reads

In Kansas City, the Chiefs’ Super Bowl celebration turned to unimaginable loss, the National Catholic Reporter’s Brian Roewe reports. … Jordan Peterson is wrestling with God, as Meagan Saliashvili details for Religion News Service. … On the Super Bowl broadcast, the “He Gets Us” ads featuring Jesus stood out for their change-of-pace message, The Associated Press’ Tiffany Stanley writes. … Baptist-pastor-turned-U.S.-senator James Lankford was behind the failed border bill, Christianity Today’s Harvest Prude explains. … Nicaragua’s crackdown on the Catholic Church has spread fear among the faithful — there and in exile, AP’s Giovanna Dell’Orto reports. … And Christian high schoolers in Las Vegas hold a weekly Taylor Swift-themed Bible study, according to the Washington Times’ Mark A. Kellner.

Inside The Godbeat

The 75-year-old Religion News Association seeks a new director.

Potential candidates can check out the position details and requirements.

Charging Station: ICYMI

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

As the Israel-Hamas war rages on, students in Ohio have revived a kosher-halal dining co-op.

Read the story by Deborah Miszak.

The Final Plug

No religion angle per se, but both Elmo and Grover have had a social media moment lately.

So I have to ask: What other Muppets should I be following on Twitter — er, X?

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.