Posts in Weekend Plug-In
💒 5 Takeaways From Dallas: SBC Seeks Same-Sex Marriage Reversal And More 🔌

At its annual meeting in the Dallas, the nation’s largest Protestant nomination tackled social issues such as same-sex marriage, online porn and sports betting.

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🏀 OKC Thunder In A League Of Their Own — When It Comes To Pregame Prayer 🔌

Just one of the NBA’s 30 franchises tips off each game with an invocation: the Oklahoma City Thunder. It’s a tradition that dates back to the Seattle SuperSonics’ move to OKC in 2008 — and even before that when the Bible Belt city served as the temporary home of the New Orleans Hornets after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

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⚾️ ‘New Pope, New Me’: Devout Catholic Baseball Star Finds His Hitting Groove 🔌

Texas Rangers slugger Jake Burger’s return to form coincided with the election of a fellow Midwesterner as the first U.S.-born pope. Faith is ingrained in the devout Catholic athlete and his family.

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🎸 Top 10 Faith-Infused Country Songs: The ACM’s All-Time Best Honorees 🔌

Sure, drinking and cheating songs characterize a whole lot of the country music genre, known for its roots in working-class, blue-collar American life. But faith, too, infuses many Nashville hits, as illustrated by the 60th annual Academy of Country Music Awards.

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⛪️ ‘The Pope Is Dead!’: News Outlets Prepared In Advance To Cover Francis’ Passing 🔌

When the leader of the world’s estimated 1.4 billion Catholics passes, it’s always banner-headline news. 

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📝 ‘We Will Never Forget’: How Covering The Biggest Story Of My Life Changed Me 🔌

On the 30th anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing, our columnist reflects on how covering the biggest story of his life changed him.

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🤖 #RNA2025: What The Nation's Top Religion Writers — And AI — Are Talking About 🔌

Religion News Association members gathered this week just outside the nation’s capital for their annual meeting. They discussed topics ranging from AI to reporting on religion in small markets.

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🔥 After Monster Storm, The Story Can’t Be Told Without Recognizing Faith 🔌

When covering a tragedy, faith almost always emerges as a part of the story. That was the case again this past weekend when a monster storm system struck the Deep South and the Plains.

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😷 ‘That Escalated Quickly’: 5 Years Ago, COVID Turned The World Upside Down 🔌

This week marks the five-year anniversary of the COVID-19 lockdown. Mostly, life has returned to normal. But in some ways we still seem to be struggling, our columnist notes.

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⛪️ $171 Million For Better Sermons: National Program Blesses Preachers 🔌

In a California meeting, Compelling Preaching Initiative participants enjoyed how-to sessions on the content, crafting and delivery of sermons as well as one-on-one coaching and fellowship with other men — and women — of God.

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😲 Surprise! What We Learned (And Didn’t) From A Big New Study on Religion In America 🔌

Some of the nation’s top religion writers offer insights on what they found surprising — and not surprising — in the Pew Research Center’s massive Religious Landscape Study.

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😷 COVID Miracle: At The Pandemic’s 5-Year Anniversary, It’s Time To Tell The Story 🔌

At the five-year anniversary of COVID-19, our columnist reflects on his brother-in-law’s near-death battle with the contagious virus.

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🔥 Faith, Hope And LA: The Positive Side Of Reporting On Way Too Many Disasters 🔌

Our columnist witnesses a whole lot of despair, but he always looks for a measure of hope. He explains why — and how — as he reports from the scene of Southern California’s deadly wildfires.

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🏈 ‘Like A Religion’: Why Super Bowl Sunday Means So Much To The Football Faithful 🔌

For the most fervent of the football faithful, the Super Bowl — which last year drew a record 123.7 million U.S. viewers — brings rituals and traditions with a quasi-religious feel. But at least one Christian scholar has concerns.

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🤣 A Preacher And A Stand-Up Comedian Walk Into A Christian Youth Conference … 🔌

Hoss Ridgeway mixes preaching and stand-up comedy. The Indiana minister says he knows when it’s appropriate to be funny — and when the situation calls for a serious approach.

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🇺🇸 God And Trump: 5 Revealing Quotes From Inaugural Week 🔌

President Donald Trump’s latest inaugural speech was notable not for its inclusion of God but for the specific personal nature of what he said.

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🐶 Doggone It, But A Few Readers Bark Over Idea Of Pets In Heaven 🔌

Our recent column on whether all dogs go to heaven generated some precious responses and a few emails that reminded us why dogs — and not some grumpy humans — are considered man’s best friend.

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