Weekend Plug-in 🔌

Editor’s note: Every Friday, “Weekend Plug-in” features analysis, fact checking and top headlines from the world of faith. Subscribe now to get this newsletter delivered straight to your inbox. Got feedback or ideas? Email Bobby Ross Jr. at therossnews@gmail.com.

(ANALYSIS) When news broke Thursday of Queen Elizabeth II’s death at age 96, I immediately consulted with the leading expert of her 70 years on the throne I know: my wife, Tamie.

Seriously, I texted my bride of 32 years.

“Yes, I’ve been watching,” she replied. “The news and social, that is.”

A few years ago, Tamie, a fellow writer, sent the queen a letter and received one back in an enveloped stamped “Royal Mail” from Buckingham Palace.

“She never sat for an interview, so a few documentaries are the closest thing to hearing her asked/answering questions,” Tamie told me. “I thought it was worth writing to tell her how much I enjoyed it, and this response came a few weeks later on her behalf.”

“The Queen wishes me to write and thank you for your card and very kind message,” the reply said.

READ: As billions watched Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral, Christian themes were evident

Did Elizabeth actually see my wife’s letter? Tamie has no way of knowing. I’m a skeptical journalist, so I’m guessing not.

But it’s cool to imagine that she did!

In the meantime, here are five facts about religion in the life of Elizabeth, who wrote the foreword to a 2016 British Bible Society book titled “The Servant Queen and the King She Serves” (that king being Jesus):

1. She was the official head of the Church of England.

The Associated Press obituary by Danica Kirka, Jill Lawless and Sylvia Hui explains:

In Britain’s constitutional monarchy, the queen is head of state but has little direct power; in her official actions she does what the government orders. However, she was not without influence. The queen, officially the head of the Church of England, once reportedly commented that there was nothing she could do legally to block the appointment of a bishop, “but I can always say that I should like more information. That is an indication that the prime minister will not miss.”

2. She spoke openly about her Christian faith.

Writing for Religion News Service, Catherine Pepinster notes:

While Defender of the Faith has been an inherited title and little more, Elizabeth II embraced it and in recent years made it her own, speaking very openly about her faith and explaining how it provided the framework of her life.

She did this mostly through her annual Christmas message, a tradition begun by her grandfather, George V, in 1932, and continued by her father. Her early Christmas Day broadcasts were platitudinous — the holidays as an occasion for family was a frequent theme. In 2000, however, she spoke of the millennium as the 2,000-year anniversary of the birth of Jesus Christ, “who was destined to change the course of our history.”

She went on to speak very personally and frankly about her faith: “For me the teachings of Christ and my own personal accountability before God provide a framework in which I try to lead my life. I, like so many of you, have drawn great comfort in difficult times from Christ’s words and example.” Similar sentiments have been aired at Christmas ever since. 

3. Trust in God was ‘foundational’ in her life.

The Washington Times’ Mark A. Kellner reports:

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, the symbolic head of the global Anglican Communion, lauded the late monarch’s commitment to her Christian faith.

“As a faithful Christian disciple, and also Supreme Governor of the Church of England, she lived out her faith every day of her life,” Archbishop Welby said in a statement. “Her trust in God and profound love for God was foundational in how she led her life — hour by hour, day by day,” he added.

4. She met with five popes in her lifetime.

Francis X. Rocca, the Wall Street Journal’s Vatican correspondent, recounts:

Pope Francis met the queen and the Duke of Edinburgh at the Vatican in 2014, when the royal couple presented him with a gift of whiskey produced at her castle of Balmoral in Scotland.

Queen Elizabeth met with five popes in her lifetime, beginning with Pope Pius XII in 1951, when she was still a princess.

The others she met were Pope Benedict XVI in 2010, Pope John Paul II in 1980, 1982 and 2000 and Pope John XXIII in 1961, according to Catholic News Agency’s Courtney Mares.

5. She was friends with late evangelist Billy Graham.

At Christianity Today, Dudley Delffs points out:

Her friend and confidant Billy Graham attested to the Queen’s love for the Bible, as well as the strength and depth of her Christian faith, in his autobiography, Just As I Am.

“No one in Britain has been more cordial toward us than Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II,” Graham wrote. “Almost every occasion I have been with her has been in a warm, informal setting, such as a luncheon or dinner, either alone or with a few family members or other close friends.”

They rarely publicized their meetings or leveraged their relationship professionally, but the two enjoyed a friendship that endured for more than 60 years until Graham’s passing in 2018. He wrote, “I always found her very interested in the Bible and its message.”

The Washington Post’s Sarah Pulliam Bailey did a fascinating piece in 2018 fact-checking the portrayal of the relationship between Elizabeth and Graham in the Netflix show “The Crown”.

A bonus fact: The British national anthem “God Save The King” — or, in during the reign of Elizabeth, “God Save The Queen” — dates back at least to the 18th century and possibly the 17th century.

For a bit of final analysis, let’s go back to my original expert.

“She went to church every Sunday,” Tamie said. “It’s kind of ingrained in the culture when you think of her and the monarchy. But I don’t think there will be another British monarch who goes about it like she has.

“I mean, her son, King Charles III, already has said that he’s going to be the ‘Defender of Faiths’ vs. the ‘Defender of the Faith’ so it’s inclusive of all religions,” my wife added. “But I think Elizabeth probably saw this vision of the Church of England kind of being a host to all the other religions. Every year they had a Commonwealth Day service, and she was the one who asked if that could be held at Westminster Abbey and include all of the different faiths.”

For more on that, see “A devout believer, the Queen took her faith seriously” by The Independent’s Laura Elston.

Power Up: The Week’s Best Reads

1. Michael Flynn: From government insider to holy warrior: “The retired lieutenant general, former national security adviser, onetime anti-terrorism fighter, is now focused on his next task: building a movement centered on Christian nationalist ideas, where Christianity is at the center of American life and institutions.”

Journalist Michelle R. Smith delves deep as “part of an ongoing investigation from The Associated Press and ‘Frontline’ that includes the upcoming documentary ‘Michael Flynn’s Holy War,’ premiering Oct. 18 on PBS and online.”

2. How a 92-year-old cleric silently halted Iraq's slide back into war: “When a pronouncement by a religious scholar in Iran drove Iraq to the brink of civil war last week, there was only one man who could stop it: a 92-year-old Iraqi Shi'ite cleric who proved once again he is the most powerful man in his country.”

Reuters’ John Davison, Parisa Hafezi and Laila Bassam provide a fascinating behind-the-scenes account.

3. Jehovah’s Witnesses return to door knocking ‘like getting back on a bicycle’: “When people are less open to them, they focus more on those who take a tract, read a brochure or enroll in a Bible study program,” Religion News Service’s Adelle M. Banks reports from Silver Spring, Maryland.

See related coverage by Associated Press religion writer Deepa Bharath.

BONUS: I don’t hear as much about Dave Ramsey since he blocked me on Twitter, but Religion News Service’s Bob Smietana and The Tennessean’s Liam Adams detail the latest concerning his Christian finance company’s scrutiny of employee sex lives.

More Top Reads

• You’ve seen ‘The Rings of Power,’ but have you heard of this tiny museum housing J.R.R. Tolkien’s treasures? (by Emily McFarlan Miller, Religion News Service)

• On Colombia’s San Andres, a historic church’s roots run deep (by Luis Andres Henao, Associated Press)

• More Oklahoma Methodist churches consider dissolving ties with denomination (by Carla Hinton, The Oklahoman)

• Beijing hounds Chinese church seeking safety overseas (by Tassanee Vejpongsa and Dake Kang, AP)

• How faith groups helped pass the climate law (by E.A. Crunden, E&E News)

• Utah rep. told Mormon bishop not to report abuse, docs show (by Michael Rezendes and Jason Dearen, AP)

• Sterling K. Brown’s upbringing in St. Louis churches adds authenticity to latest role (by Aisha Sultan, St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

• Conservative German Catholic bishops block call for liberalizing teaching on sex (by Francis X. Rocca, Wall Street Journal)

• Apaches urge rehearing in fight to preserve sacred site in Arizona (by Alejandra Molina, RNS)

• Saskatchewan bishops, community pray for victims of mass stabbing (by Quinton Amundson, Catholic News Service)

• Are too many Germans converting to Judaism? The debate is roiling Germany’s Jewish community (by Toby Axelrod, Jewish Telegraphic Agency)

• Half of Japan governing lawmakers tied to Unification Church (by Mari Yamaguchi, AP)

• Why Aaron Rodgers recently found a Book of Mormon in his locker (by Kelsey Dallas, Deseret News)

•Think piece: Christian nationalism is getting written out of the story of January 6 (by Joyce Dalsheim and Gregory Starrett, The Conversation)

Inside The Godbeat: Behind The Bylines

Last summer, Frank Lockwood returned to his previous role as religion editor for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette after serving as the Little Rock newspaper’s Washington, D.C., correspondent for six years.

He has done a fantastic job.

Right now Lockwood is in London — the right place at a sad time — where he helped with his paper’s spot news coverage of Queen Elizabeth II’s death.

Charging Station: In Case You Missed It

Here is where you can catch up on recent news and opinions from ReligionUnplugged.com.

• American Indian artist Oscar Howe wrestled with art, faith, modernism and Native identity (by Paul Glader)

• What will American Protestantism look like after the wars inside the ‘Seven Sisters’ are done? (by Richard Ostling)

• Yelp, Google add disclaimers for faith-based pregnancy resource centers (by Kim Roberts)

• The faith questions that haunted the life of Gorbachev (by Terry Mattingly)

• Endangered Afghans continue to run for their lives — a year after Biden’s abrupt withdrawal (by Lela Gilbert)

• Will Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act overlook Black churches for secular organizations? (by Chelsea Langston Bombino)

• Israel’s African outpost: Inside Nairobi's Jewish community (by Dr. Robert Carle)

• Shia LaBeouf's newfound Catholicism part of his Hollywood redemption story (by Clemente Lisi)

• Christian scholars encourage churches to be ‘good stewards’ of the Earth (by Audrey Jackson)

• Federal lawsuit filed over arrests of five Midland Christian School educators (by Audrey Jackson)

• Why terrifying dragons have long been a part of many religions (by Emily Zarka)

• Christian Charity Compassion International innovates to seek ‘compassion of tomorrow’ (by Steve Rabey)

The Final Plug

In my family, major milestones include births, weddings, baptisms — and one’s first time to attend a Texas Rangers game.

Suffice it to say that even before the most amazing thing happened, I was excited about my 15-month-old granddaughter’s first Rangers game.

But then came a surprise so cool that I wrote a column about it. Enjoy the story, and have a wonderful weekend!

Bobby Ross Jr. is a columnist for ReligionUnplugged.com and 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 15 nations. He has covered religion since 1999.