🏆 Weekend Plug-In Year In Review: The Best Religion Journalism Of 2024 🔌
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.
(ANALYSIS) Welcome to a special year-end edition of Weekend Plug-in!
I asked some of the nation’s top religion journalists to share their favorite or most important story from 2024.
It’s the holiday season, so I didn’t catch up with everybody. But once again this year, I sure appreciate my Godbeat colleagues who responded — more than 60 in all!
Weekend Plug-in’s year-end best religion journalism list has become an annual tradition. (Shutterstock photo)
Feel free to jump straight to the list, but I can’t resist a few quick notes:
• I’m wrapping up five years since launching Plug-in. This column goes to nearly 10,000 subscribers via email before it’s published on the Religion Unplugged homepage. I’m so grateful for everyone who reads and shares Plug-in.
• Many of the journalists who provided links found it difficult to pick just one. Several submitted multiple possibilities and asked me to choose, which I was happy to do. For the record, Menachem Wecker was not among those journalists. “Having been called out last year for filing 10, here's just one for this year,” he quipped in his email. Thank you for making me smile, my friend! I allowed more than one link from only one writer: Clemente Lisi. He is Religion Unplugged’s executive editor and the boss, after all!
• Religion News Association members picked Donald Trump’s re-election as 2024’s top domestic story and the Israel-Hamas War as the top international story. Many of the pieces below relate to those major headlines and others cited by RNA.
• A confession before we get to our list: I started this year-end approach a few years ago as a way to do a quick, easy post during the holidays. What in the world was I thinking? The reality is that this takes much longer than a normal Plug-in, but that’s OK. I am truly blessed to connect with my fellow journalists and share their best work.
Enjoy!
Inside The Godbeat
Journalists who write about religion pick their top story of 2024.
• Liam Adams, The Tennessean: Coverage of the shifting landscape for LGBTQ+ people in the United Methodist Church, including this story from Nashville, published March 7.
• Adrian Ashford, Dallas Morning News: Child sex abuse allegations divide family behind Daystar Television Network from Dallas, published Dec. 13.
• Cheryl Mann Bacon, Christian Chronicle: Imperfect storms: Flood of insurance cancellations wreaks financial challenges for churches in Texas, Louisiana and beyond, published Jan. 22.
• Adelle M. Banks, Religion News Service: Black America's 'twin pillars' partner to boost vote, published Oct. 31.
• Camillo Barone, National Catholic Reporter: Addiction recovery has been a full-time ministry for this diocesan priest from Toms River, New Jersey, published Aug. 15.
• Emily Belz, Christianity Today: How doubt derailed a train town from East Palestine, Ohio, published March.
• Deepa Bharath, Associated Press: Native Hawaiian salt makers combat climate change and pollution to protect a sacred tradition from Hanapepe, Hawaii, published Jan. 3.
• Michelle Boorstein and Laura Meckler, Washington Post: Billions in taxpayer dollars now go to religious schools via vouchers, published June 3.
• Gregg Brekke, Sojourners: How can churches serve people who use drugs?, published August.
• BeLynn Buckley, Religion News Service: Indigenous leaders bring first case under Texas' COVID-19-era religious liberty measure, published Dec. 10.
• Michele Chabin, Religion News Service: Their son captive in Gaza, parents dedicate a Torah scroll to 120 remaining hostages from Jerusalem, published July 19.
• Ken Chitwood, New Lines Magazine: Tampa’s Muslims thrive, but political crosscurrents create dilemmas, published July 17.
• Calvin Cockrell, Christian Chronicle: Kingdom over country: Amid a tense election, ministers remind Christians where their allegiance lies, published Aug. 15.
• David Crary, Associated Press: Defrocked in 2004 for same-sex relationship, a faithful Methodist is reinstated as pastor, published May 22.
• Kelsey Dallas, Deseret News: For BYU runners, it’s faith and family over everything from Madison, Wisconsin, published Nov. 24.
• Giovanna Dell’Orto, Associated Press: France is proud of its secularism. But struggles grow in this approach to faith, school, integration from Marseille, France, published May 23.
• Elizabeth Dias and Lisa Lerer, New York Times: The untold story of the network that took down Roe v. Wade, reporting from 16 states, published May 28.
• Aaron Earls, Lifeway Research: Gray matters: Aging believers can serve an eternal kingdom, published Jan. 26.
• Mariam Fam, Associated Press: She became a mother after Islamic State captivity. A decade on, Yazidi community shuns her children from Dohuk, Iraq, published July 31.
• Greg Garrison, AL.com: The long, slow death of Birmingham-Southern: What killed an Alabama college with 168-year-old roots? from Birmingham, published April 3.
• Claire Giangravé, Religion News Service: The Catholic Church wants to have a say on the future of AI from Vatican City, published April 29.
• Ruth Graham, New York Times: In a first among Christians, young men are more religious than young women from Waco, Texas, published Sept. 23.
• Marissa Greene, Fort Worth Report: Gateway Church congregants take up Morris’ offer to get ‘money back’ on tithes from Fort Worth, Texas, published Nov. 8.
• Hamil R. Harris, Religion Unplugged: Notre Dame Religious Liberty Summit: Advocates spotlight growing global tensions from South Bend, Indiana, published July 18.
• María Teresa Hernández, Associated Press: One day, their children didn’t make it back home. Faith helps these Mexican mothers’ search for them from Mexico City, published Aug. 30.
• Aleja Hertzler-McCain and Jack Jenkins, Religion News Service: Threats to Catholic Charities staffers increase amid far-right anti-migrant campaign, published March 22.
• Luis Andres Henao, Associated Press: Afro-Cuban drums, Muslim prayers, Buddhist mantras: Religious diversity blooms in once-atheist Cuba from Havana, published May 16.
• Joseph Holmes, Religion Unplugged: ‘The Chosen’ and ‘Am I Racist?’ now typify success for faith-based movies, published Sept. 25.
• B.T. Irwin, Christian Chronicle: Live in Michigan: A church for the sake of world, published Oct. 2.
• Audrey Jackson, Christian Chronicle and Religion Unplugged: Amid rubble, Turkish churches build foundations from Antakya, Turkey, published April 15.
• Jesse T. Jackson, ChurchLeaders: ‘Today’s a good day to be unpopular’ — John Cooper urges a spiritual ‘Revolution’ with new Skillet single, published Aug. 9.
• Mark A. Kellner, Washington Times: ‘Unlikely’ preacher Joel Osteen to deliver 1,000th sermon at megachurch, marks 25 years as pastor, published May 16.
• Sam Kestenbaum, Harper’s: The demon slayers: The new age of American exorcisms from Mount Juliet, Tennessee, published August.
• Eric Killelea, Chron.com in Houston: Are Texas churches safe for liberal Christians?, published Dec. 13.
• Sophia Lee, Christianity Today: Fractured are the peacemakers from Israel and Palestine, published April.
• Clemente Lisi, Religion Unplugged: Caitlin Clark: How the Catholic star captivated a nation and rewrote the record books from New York, published April 4, Meet the Swiss Guard: 500 years of protecting the papacy from Vatican City, published Sept. 12. Gazing at the heavens: The Vatican Observatory’s mission to study faith and science from Castel Gandolfo, Italy, published Nov. 8.
• Frank Lockwood, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette: Southern Baptist Convention president advises his congregation to leave politics out of Sunday School from Farmersville, Texas, published June 1.
• G. Jeffrey MacDonald, Religion News Service: Episcopal Church grapples with 'transformative role' in Native American residential schools, published June 18.
• Terry Mattingly, GetReligion: Farewell, after 20 years: Why we did what we did, published Feb. 2.
• Holly Meyer, Associated Press: One church, two astronauts. How a Texas congregation is supporting its members on the space station, published Aug. 4.
• Richard Ostling, Religion Unplugged: Do Southern Baptists now qualify as neo-fundamentalists?, published June 18.
• Ted Parks, Christian Chronicle: Preserving to serve: Historic church balances maintenance needs and its mission from Nashville, Tennessee, published Feb. 27.
• Kathryn Post, Religion News Service: Polyamorists look for their place in church as the practice loses its taboo, published Sept. 9.
• Harvest Prude, Christianity Today: Why both parties want Hispanic evangelicals in 2024 from Texas and Arizona, published July/August.
• Francis X. Rocca, The Atlantic: The Vatican’s gamble with Beijing is costing China’s Catholics, published May 14.
• Arno Rosenfeld, The Forward: American Jews asked to pick sides in wrenching debate over how to rebuild kibbutz hit hardest on Oct. 7 from Beit Nir, Israel, published Oct. 4.
• Bobby Ross Jr. (hey, that’s me!), Christian Chronicle: No phones allowed, but machetes OK: Global program aims to build teens’ faith from Port Vila, Vanuatu, and Brisbane, Australia, published Jan. 18.
• Meagan Saliashvili, Texas Monthly: Inspired by the Confederacy and czarist Russia, ‘Ortho Bros’ are on the rise from Spring, Texas, published April.
• Katie Collins Scott, National Catholic Reporter: 2 conservative groups influence US Catholic transgender policies, published May 21.
• Kate Shellnutt, Christianity Today: Many Southern Baptist women care more about calling than what they’re called, published June 6.
• Josh Shepherd, The Roys Report: 300 evangelical leaders from various backgrounds challenge ‘political idolatry’ in statement, published Sept. 9.
• Daniel Silliman, Christianity Today: He told Richard Nixon to confess, published July/August.
• Bob Smietana, Religion News Service: We tried Christian nationalism in America. It went badly from North Middleboro, Massachusetts, published Oct. 30.
• Peter Smith, Associated Press: As a scholar, he’s charted the decline in religion. Now the church he pastors has closed its doors, published July 21.
• Warren Cole Smith, MinistryWatch: Retirees: Embrace purposeful service in Christian ministries, published Nov. 15.
• Peggy Fletcher Stack, Salt Lake Tribune: 30 years of longing: How I lost my twin girl and joined the throngs of forever-grieving parents from Salt Lake City, published Jan. 20.
• Tiffany Stanley, Associated Press: How a small group of nuns in rural Kansas vex big companies with their investment activism from Atchison, Kansas, published Aug. 15.
• Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star: Woman says IHOPKC founder groomed, sexually abused her when she was 14 in the 1980s from Kansas City, Missouri, published March 25.
• Erik Tryggestad, Christian Chronicle: As Christians in the Baltics watch Russia’s war in Ukraine, they ponder: Are we next? from Ogre, Latvia, published Oct. 16.
• Sarah Ventre, The World: Neturei Karta: an Orthodox Jewish sect that doesn’t believe in the concept of a Jewish state of Israel from Jerusalem, published March 19.
• Jessie Wardarski, Associated Press: No twerking. No drinking. No smoking. But plenty of room for Jesus at this Christian nightclub from Nashville, Tennessee, published March 2.
• Menachem Wecker, Jewish News Syndicate: With 275 years of ghosts, Charleston’s Jewish leaders bullish on its future from Charleston, South Carolina, published May 10.
• Christopher White, National Catholic Reporter: The Radcliffe resurrection: Meet Pope Francis' synod preacher from Oxford, England, published July 18.
• Deena Yellin, NorthJersey.com and USA Today Network: 'Oct. 7 changed everything' for an Israeli orphan and an NJ counselor. How they'll move on from New Jersey, published Oct. 3.
The Final Plug
While you’re catching up on year-end reading, here are a few of my favorite Plug-in columns of 2024 that you might have missed:
• Symbol of hope: Church’s stained-glass windows survive monster tornado
• Planes, trains and automobiles (and even motorcycles): The road to religion news
• Will there be hound dogs in heaven? Beliefs differ on furry friends in eternity
Happy holidays, everyone! Enjoy the weekend.
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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 18 nations. He has covered religion since 1999.