Posts in Religion News
On Religion: 36 Years Later, Why Journalism Continues To Struggle With Religion News

(ANALYSIS) In the late 1970s, researchers began asking why journalists often struggle when covering religion stories or avoid religious news altogether. I wrote my 1982 University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign graduate project on this topic, and some of that work was published by Quill, the magazine of the Society of Professional Journalists. This week marks the start of my 36th year writing this β€œOn Religion” column.

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Crossroads Podcast: Looking For A Religion Story In Why Military Recruiting Is Down

Try to imagine an America in which families that have, for generations, urged their children to serve in the armed services stopped doing precisely that. Here is a question about the religion data in that equation: Can Episcopal and liberal mainline Protestant churches in the Northeast produce as many future soldiers as Baptists, Pentecostals and nondenominational evangelicals in the Bible Belt?

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πŸ“Š Is America Losing Its Religion? 4 Intriguing Stats From A New National Survey πŸ”Œ

This week’s Weekend Plug-in highlights four takeaways from a new national survey on religion in public life. Plus, as always, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.

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πŸ† Hello, Adelle: Longtime RNS Journalist To Receive Lifetime Achievement Award πŸ”Œ

This week’s Weekend Plug-in highlights Adelle M. Banks’ selection as the Religion News Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award recipient. Plus, as always, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.

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πŸ€·πŸ»β€β™€οΈ Are The Feds Still Investigating Southern Baptist Sex Abuse? That's A Good Question πŸ”Œ

This week’s Weekend Plug-in delves into reports the U.S. Justice Department has ended its investigation of Southern Baptist sex abuse. Plus, as always, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.

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πŸ§ͺ Faith And Frozen Embryos: Alabama's In Vitro Fertilization Ruling Stirs Religious Debate πŸ”Œ

This week’s Weekend Plug-in highlights the religious debate stirred by the Alabama Supreme Court’s ruling on in vitro fertilization. Plus, as always, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.

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🐘 Left Wants 'To Tear Down Crosses': Trump Talks To National Religious Broadcasters πŸ”Œ

This week’s Weekend Plug-in highlights Donald Trump’s remarks to the National Religious Broadcasters’ convention in Nashville, Tenn. Plus, as always, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.

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🏈 Faith And Football: Would Jesus Bet On The Super Bowl? πŸ”Œ

Ahead of the Super Bowl, this week’s Weekend Plug-in highlights the rise of sports betting and people of faith’s stance on it. Plus, as always, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.

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🌎 Religious Freedom Summit Covers Mental Health, Antisemitism, Persecution πŸ”Œ

This week’s Weekend Plug-in opens with the top headlines from the International Religious Freedom Summit. Plus, as always, catch up on all the best reads and big news in the world of faith.

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β›ͺ️ How Plug-In's Columnist Got His Start On The Godbeat, Plus Big News On 'Nones' πŸ”Œ

This week’s Weekend Plug-in features a retrospective from columnist Bobby Ross Jr. on his 25 years on the Godbeat. Plus, a major new study on β€˜nones’ β€” and, as always, all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.

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How Covering Pope John Paul II’s 1999 Visit To St. Louis Changed My Journalism Career

(ESSAY) For veteran religion writer Bobby Ross Jr., an unexpected assignment to cover Pope John Paul’s 1999 visit to St. Louis planted a seed. Twenty-five years later, Ross reflects on that experience as the spark that launched the most important phase of his journalism career.

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🍼 Amid New Challenges For Pro-Lifers, March For Life Expected To Draw 100,000 πŸ”Œ

This week’s Weekend Plug-in highlights plans for the annual March for Life, expected to draw 100,000 abortion opponents to the nation’s capital. Plus, as always, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.

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🐘 Defining The Iowa Evangelicals Who Support Trump: Is Going To Church A Requirement? πŸ”Œ

This week’s Weekend Plug-in focuses on the evangelicals supporting Donald Trump in the Iowa caucuses. Plus, as always, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.

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🎊 Happy New Year: What Will Be The Big Religion Stories In 2024? πŸ”Œ

The first Weekend Plug-in of 2024 looks ahead to the year’s expected big news. Plus, as always, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.

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πŸ—³οΈ Ballots Are In: Check Out The Top 10 Religion Stories of 2023 πŸ”Œ

This week’s Weekend Plug-in highlights the top religion news of 2023, as voted by the Religion News Association. Plus, as always, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.

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