Did Santa bring everything you wanted for Christmas?
I hope so.
As we head toward a new year, I wanted to pull a few items out of my gift bag.
Here, in no particular order, are 10 of the most memorable religion stories that I read (and one I even wrote) in 2019:
1. “As his daughter lay in a pool of blood in an El Paso Walmart, a pastor held fast to his faith,” Los Angeles Times
In an Aug. 8 post, I praised Times national correspondent David Montero’s front-page feature on the parents of an El Paso, Texas, shooting victim. I described it as “emotional, heart-wrenching and maybe the best religion story you'll read all year.” I stand by that statement.
2. “Slavery and Religion: 400 years,” Religion News Service
RNS national correspondent Adelle M. Banks’ compelling series focused on slavery and religion as Americans commemorated the 400th anniversary of the forced arrival of enslaved Africans in Virginia. Datelines included New York City, Montgomery, Ala., and Jamestown, Va.
3. “Trump’s Apostle,” Texas Monthly
I critiqued Michael J. Mooney’s Texas Monthly profile of Robert Jeffress, senior pastor of the First Baptist Church of Christ, in a July 25 post. I wrote: “The story gets really interesting, it seems to me, when the writer — who makes no attempt to hide his own liberal leanings — starts detailing his personal interactions with Jeffress.”
4. “For God and country: A religious revival is climbing the charts,” The Tennessean
The Tennessean religion writer Holly Meyer gave more than fan-girl treatment to the rise of God-infused lyrics in country music. In a June 3 post, I lauded her “timely, thought-provoking dive into ‘God and Country Music.’”
5. “What we misunderstand about religion’s role in the abortion debate,” by The Deseret News
“Everything you think you know about religion and abortion is wrong.” Wait, what!? That’s the intriguing way that Deseret News faith writer Kelsey Dallas opened her story on the complexities of religion’s role in the abortion debate. As I noted in a May 23 post, I was impressed — as I often am — with Dallas’ “nice mixture of expert analysis and helpful data.”
6. “Abuse of Faith” series, Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express-News
The Texas newspapers’ series on sexual abuse in the Southern Baptist Convention was ranked by Religion News Association members as the No. 1 religion story of 2019 (which is how I voted, too). In a Feb. 11 post, I praised the papers’ “exceptionally important, powerhouse journalism.” In a follow-up post Aug. 1, I highlighted “more hard-hitting, must-read reporting” in the series, which ought to win a Pulitzer Prize.
7. “Across Mister Rogers’ actual neighborhoods, his faith echoes,” The Associated Press
Veteran AP journalist Ted Anthony’s a lovely Associated Press story — pegged to the opening of “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood,” starring Tom Hanks — incorporated Rogers’ faith at various points throughout the piece. In a Nov. 21 post, I pointed out that religion definitely figured in the retrospective profile, even if Anthony’s story didn’t focus entirely on that angle.
8. “Sikh drivers are transforming U.S. trucking. Take a ride along the Punjabi American highway,” Los Angeles Times
Times national correspondent Jaweed Kaleeem, an experienced religion writer even though that’s no longer his primary beat, served up a remarkable feast of detail and insight on the business, culture and, yes, religion of Sikh truck drivers. In a July 1 post, I called attention to Kaleem’s “fantastic feature on a topic you might never have thought of.”
9. “Faith, Football and the Fervent Religious Culture at Dabo Swinney's Clemson,” Sports Illustrated
“Hey, guess what? It really is possible for a journalist to report on the Freedom From Religion Foundation in a fair, insightful way.” That’s how I started my Sept. 24 post on SI college football writer Tim Rohan’s deep dive on the evangelical culture of Clemson’s football program. I characterized it as “a terrific read — both for college football fans and those who follow religion news.”
10. “Ebola survivor Dr. Kent Brantly returning to Africa as medical missionary,” The Christian Chronicle
Yes, this is a shameless plug for one of my own stories. The piece made a splash not just because of the content but because Fox News lifted big chunks of it without proper attribution, sparking a viral ethics column by the Poynter Institute’s Kelly McBride. I wrote about it at GetReligion, too, in a July 29 post.
What am I missing? What are the most glaring omissions from my list? I’d love to hear from you. Please comment below.