đ Left wants 'to tear down crosses': Trump talks to National Religious Broadcasters đ
Plus, the latest from the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee
By Bobby Ross Jr.
Good morning, Weekend Plug-in readers!
Is Nashville, Tennessee, the center of the religion news universe? Weâve asked that before. Itâs maybe an appropriate question again this week.
This is our weekly roundup of the top headlines and best reads in the world of faith.
We start with Donald Trumpâs appearance late Thursday night at the National Religious Broadcasters International Christian Media Convention in, yes, Nashville.
Weâve got coverage, too, from the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committeeâs meeting earlier this week in, yes, Nashville.
Letâs take a trip to Music City.
What to know: The big story
Trump in Nashville: âFormer President Donald Trump promised to use a second term in the White House to defend Christian values and even suggested heâd shield the faithâs central iconography, warning a convention of religious broadcasters on Thursday night that the left wants âto tear down crosses.ââ
Thatâs the lede from The Associated Pressâ Will Weissert.
More from the AP story:
âRemember, every communist regime throughout history has tried to stamp out the churches, just like every fascist regime has tried to co-opt them and control them. And, in America, the radical left is trying to do both,â Trump told hundreds of cheering attendees at the National Religious Broadcasters International Christian Media Convention in Nashville.
âThey want to tear down crosses where they can, and cover them up with social justice flags,â Trump added. âBut no one will be touching the cross of Christ under the Trump administration, I swear to you.â
âBring back our religionâ: Trump âcalled on Christians to support his presidential bid, pledging if elected to âprotect God in the public square,â defend Christian broadcasters and their âpro-Godâ content from censorship, and appoint a task force to fight anti-Christian bias, including federal prosecutions.â
Thatâs the synopsis from The Tennesseanâs Vivian Jones, who adds:
Many in the crowd wore red and white hats with the phrase âMake America Pray Again,â provided by conference sponsor Pray.com, as wild cheers broke out to welcome the former president.Â
âI really believe itâs the biggest thing missing from this country, the biggest thing. We have to bring back our religion. We have to bring back Christianity,â Trump said, prompting a big cheer from the crowd.
âProud Christianâ: âDescribing himself as a âvery proud Christianâ and âfellow believer,â Mr. Trump said he has taken âbulletsâ and âarrowsâ for social and religious conservatives, and warned the biggest threats to the country are coming from people inside â not outside â the country,â according to the Washington Timesâ Seth McLaughlin.
Trump arrived more than an hour late, so attendees were treated to âan impromptu concert by a dancing Southern Gospel quartet,â Religion News Serviceâs Bob Smietana notes.
Read more coverage of the National Religious Broadcasters meeting from The Tennesseanâs Liam Adams and the Washington Timesâ Mark A. Kellner.
Power up: The weekâs best reads
1. Big decisions for Baptists: The Southern Baptist Conventionâs Executive Committee met in Nashville this week in a foreshadowing of âsobering and difficult decisionsâ ahead, The Tennesseanâs Liam Adams reports.
At the meeting, the top administrative body voted âto oust four congregations â one for having a woman as senior minister, two for what it said were failures related to the denominationâs sexual-abuse policy and one for lack of financial participation,â The Associated Pressâ Peter Smith writes.
At Religion News Service, Bob Smietana asks: âWill the Southern Baptist Conventionâs Cooperative Program crumble?â In a separate story, Smietana quotes the heads of SBC mission boards, who say they will not fund a new abuse reform nonprofit.
2. âHe Gets Usâ ads: A former top pizza marketer is now promoting Jesus, as the Wall Street Journalâs Megan Graham explains.
Graham talks to Ken Caldwell, the CEO of Come Near, âthe nonprofit that ran two Jesus-focused Super Bowl ads.â
For more on the ads, see David Frenchâs New York Times column delving into the pros and cons of the âHe Gets Usâ campaign.
3. A Christian nation?: âThe U.S. Constitution doesnât mention Christianity or any specific religion. The Declaration of Independence famously proclaims that peopleâs rights come from a âCreatorâ and âNatureâs Godâ â but doesnât specify who that is.â
In a timely piece, The Associated Pressâ Peter Smith analyzes the intentions of the nationâs founders.
In a related Q&A, Smith explores this question: âWhat does it mean to claim the U.S. is a Christian nation, and what does the Constitution say?â
More top reads
A Catholic priest and an evangelical pastor are battling for souls in the deepest Amazon, as the Washington Postâs Terrence McCoy details from Brazil. ⊠Alabama has ruled that frozen embryos are children, a first-of-its-kind decision affirming life at the earliest stages but complicating the future of IVF, according to Christianity Todayâs Kate Shellnutt. ⊠A clash over leadership at a landmark evangelical church in Boston is testing the strength of democratic governance, CTâs Daniel Silliman explains. ⊠At the National Cathedral, leaders of different parties and perspectives called for civility, Religion News Serviceâs Adelle M. Banks reports. ⊠Bush Intercontinental Airport has built a ritual washing room, a recognition of the growing Muslim population in Houston and Texas, the Houston Chronicleâs Eric Killelea writes. ⊠Why are many Argentines devoted to a first lady who died in 1952? See MarĂa Teresa HernĂĄndezâs Associated Press story on âA prayer for Evita.â ⊠Greece just legalized same-sex marriage. Will other Orthodox countries join them any time soon? APâs Peter Smith and Dasha Litvinova have the answer. ⊠And finally, the Wall Street Journalâs Julie Jargon and Ann-Marie AlcĂĄntara share why some people under 40 eschew Christian financial guru Dave Ramseyâs money advice.
Inside the Godbeat
Julia Lieblich âopened herself to the pain of others while writing about torture and trauma,â the Boston Globeâs Bryan Marquard recalls.
âShe tried to save the world but could not save herself,â her brother, Michael, tells the Globe. âShe will be missed by so many.â
The 65-year-old Lieblich, a former religion writer for the Chicago Tribune and The Associated Press, ended her life in November, according to the Globe story.
Charging station: ICYMI
Here is where you can catch up on recent news and opinions from ReligionUnplugged.com.
Why was New Yorkâs St. Patrickâs Cathedral forced to perform a Mass of reparation?
Clemente Lisi has all the details.
The final plug
Last weekâs mass shooting at the Kansas City Chiefsâ Super Bowl celebration highlighted a problem some Christians already were fighting.
I traveled to Missouriâs largest city this past weekend to report on a faith-based effort to reduce the violence.
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.