This veteran religion journalist likes to sing spirituals — but not when she's working
Weekend Plug-in 🔌
Editor’s note: Every Friday, “Weekend Plug-In” features analysis, insights and top headlines from the world of faith. Got feedback or ideas for this column? Email Bobby Ross Jr. at therossnews@gmail.com.
(ANALYSIS) Surely there’s someone out there who doesn’t like Adelle M. Banks.
I just haven’t found that person yet.
A rare soul beloved by colleagues and competitors alike, Banks is a veteran religion journalist who recently celebrated 25 years (that’s an eternity in journalism circles!) with Religion News Service.
“Adelle is one of the sharpest, most thoughtful colleagues on the religion beat,” said Sarah Pulliam Bailey, religion writer for the Washington Post and a former RNS national correspondent. “I know that when I'm reading a story by her, it's going to be smart, timely and well reported. Once upon a time, she would copy edit my stories, and I was ever grateful for her eagle eyes.”
Bob Smietana, editor-in-chief of RNS, described her this way: “You won’t find a better reporter or a better person on the religion beat than Adelle Banks. Throughout her career … she’s reported on religion, spirituality and matters of faith with a steady hand, a skeptical eye and a sense of empathy and understanding about how religion shapes our neighbor’s lives and the world around us. People trust Adelle because she gets the facts right and always sees to the heart of a story. It’s a privilege to be on the same team as Adelle.”
Here’s something that even Banks’ most loyal readers might not realize: She loves to sing!
She has lent her voice to choirs and choruses since the fifth grade. Both in her early years working for newspapers in upstate New York and in her time with RNS in Washington, D.C., she joined local singing groups.
Adelle M. Banks interviews actor Robert Duvall in July 2010. She visited him on his Northern Virginia farm ahead of the release of the movie “Get Low,” in which he played a Tennessee recluse who seeks the help of ministers to speak at a “funeral party” before he dies. Photo by Nancy Lovell.
“I currently sing everything from classical music to spirituals in a community chorale and as an occasional soloist in my congregation,” Banks told me. “However, when I cover a worship service, I usually don’t sing because I consider myself to be an observer rather than a participant.”
But on those occasions, she still taps her feet.
In the “Inside the Godbeat: Behind the Bylines” section of this week’s column, look for more of my interview with Banks and her reflections on her career journey.
Power Up: The Week’s Best Reads
1. Keeping the Faith: Via the Columbia Journalism Review, this is a really interesting discussion that asks, “How can journalists’ personal understanding of faith strengthen their reporting?” Kyle Pope, editor and publisher of CJR, talks to The Atlantic’s McKay Coppins, who is Mormon; Columbia University religion and journalism professor Ari Goldman, who is Jewish; and Religion News Service writer Aysha Khan, who is Muslim. That question might be particularly relevant as the New York Times launches a search for a new national correspondent who will cover faith and values and be based outside of New York City or Washington, D.C. Two names (among many) that would be on my list of candidates: The Atlantic’s Emma Green, a native of Nashville, Tenn., and the Washington Post’s Sarah Pulliam Bailey, who calls Indiana home.
2. God and a Glock: On Sunday’s front page, the Dallas Morning News’ Allie Morris delved into Texas churchgoers training to fight off attackers with guns. Those practicing their skills aim fake bullets at real people. “If you haven’t shot somebody in the face, how do you know you can?” trainer Jack Mills explains. Interest in church security has spiked since two worshipers were killed Dec. 29 at the West Freeway Church of Christ in White Settlement, Texas. Shameless plug: I wrote about a recent panel featuring the West Freeway minister and the preacher of another church that experienced a deadly shooting.
3. ‘The tongue is a fire’: A Southern Baptist church in Pennsylvania fractured over secrets and spiritual abuse, as highlighted by this compelling piece by USA Today’s Tricia L. Nadolny. After a whistleblower came forward concerning abuse, a church leader sent this email: “It will destroy people, the church, the day school and its employees. And then where will these kids go to school to hear of the love of Christ? This is not transparency, it is evil."
Etc.: Gospel of Matthew’s message rings loudly for some 2020 Dems, Elana Schor, The Associated Press … Who keeps the church? As United Methodists face splits over LGBTQ issues, property disputes could follow, Holly Meyer, The Tennessean … Why does President Trump continue to champion an issue associated with liberals?, Kelsey Dallas, Deseret News … Mitt Romney is a ‘Judas’ to many Republicans. But not in Utah, Jeremy W. Peters, New York Times … Johnny Cash’s Gospel, Casey Cep, The New Yorker … Gay protesters, a Texan’s compromise and the schism that may upend United Methodism, Robert Downen, Houston Chronicle … NFL team’s deep Catholic ties behind role in abuse crisis, Jim Mustian, Reese Dunklin and Brett Martel, AP.
Inside The Godbeat: Behind The Bylines
More from my interview with Religion News Service’s Adelle M. Banks:
Bobby Ross: In a profession where people often change jobs frequently, what has kept you at RNS for a quarter-century?
Adelle Banks: Before I worked at RNS, I was the sole religion reporter at newspapers in Syracuse, N.Y., and Orlando, Fla. I had a lot of good experiences in both jobs. But RNS continues to offer me a unique and special opportunity because instead of being the only staffer who has a deep understanding of the beat, I get to be part of a team of great colleagues who share covering various aspects of the religion landscape.
There have been a lot of changes at RNS and on the beat in 25 years, but it is still one of the best beats in journalism. I have had the chance to interview a range of personalities and cover events on the National Mall — from the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington to the annual March for Life — and have a to-do list of stories I have yet to write.
BR: How, if at all, is your job different today than when you started in 1995?
AB: In some ways, it is the same. When I started, I aimed to cover evangelicals, people of color and women. Today, I continue to write about the Southern Baptist Convention, race and religion, and women who continue to become “firsts,” such as a Muslim woman who just was commissioned into the Air Force’s Chaplain Corps.
Over time, I think coverage — mine and others — has broadened from mostly covering Christians, Jews and Muslims to a much wider spectrum: from atheists to Zorastrians, and including people who say they are “spiritual but not religious.”
There’s also been a move from often covering institutional religion to more reporting on personal aspects of faith — the way it figures in people’s lives outside the weekend worship time. For a period of time, I was a copy editor for as much as two days a week. But for more than a year, I have been, gratefully, back to full-time reporting, writing and working on projects. In recent years, the role of social media has changed somewhat how I get story ideas, quote sources and promote my writing.
But the basics of my job haven’t changed that much. It still entails developing and researching good ideas, interviewing sources with particular areas of expertise and writing stories for use on our website and by subscribers.
RNS’ greater digital presence allows me to also give additional context to stories, sometimes including links to ones I wrote long ago, which can add to readers’ knowledge and give a historical perspective that shows many stories are merely adding a new twist or development to something that has happened before.
BR: What’s your favorite story that you’ve covered in that time, and why?
AB: It is really hard to name just one!
But I will say one of my favorite dimensions of my work is projects that have included my writing, photography and videography, and sometimes collaboration with interns, staffers, scholars and others.
I’ve spearheaded projects about the 50th anniversaries of the March on Washington and the assassination of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.; the legacy of evangelist Billy Graham; the role of religion in addressing dementia; the 400th anniversary of the forced arrival of enslaved Africans to Virginia; and currently, the future of segregation and integration in American religion. I see projects as a way to highlight the beat in new ways — both in subject matter and with photo slideshows or videos.
BR: How would you describe the state of the Godbeat in 2020?
AB: I think the religion beat is both thriving and struggling. I have watched the Religion News Association meetings grow in number of attendees and professionalism. But I have also seen colleagues with great reporting and writing skills leave or get pushed out of the beat, often because of the closing of newspapers and magazines or downsizing of staffs.
More religion reporters seem to be freelancers or working on the beat part time. This is sometimes discouraging to me, but I am heartened to see new reporters on the beat and former RNS interns on the staffs of media outlets and freelancing.
BR: What didn’t I ask that would be important?
AB: Do I recommend that young people consider journalism for a career in general or the religion beat in particular? Yes and yes.
As a former English major at a liberal arts school (Mount Holyoke College), I think journalism is a great way to put a variety of skills and knowledge to work in a field that is rarely boring, almost always busy and hopefully informative for the average reader. The religion beat is far-ranging. It covers religion and fill-in-the blank: the environment, education, race, politics, gender issues, etc.
But flexibility is key: One day I am working on a long-term feature story and the next —and sometimes the same day — I am writing about breaking news. Also, backpack journalism is a reality to be prepared for. One minute I am typing on my laptop at an event, and the next I am taking photos.
Though hectic, it has come to be a thrill for me to not only see my stories on a website or picked up online or in a newspaper but to also see them illustrated by my photos and videos as well.
Charging Station: In Case You Missed It
Here is where you can catch up on recent news and opinions from Religion Unplugged.
• Pope Francis dampens progressive hopes by refusing to ordain married men in the Amazon (by Clemente Lisi)
• Religious conservatives split over Trump's Prayer Breakfast remarks (by Micah Danney)
• Kenyan Seventh-day Adventists want religious freedom — and atheists have become their greatest ally (by Tom Osanjo)
• 'Accept the Call' shows Somali father wrestling with his American son's radicalization (by Dr. Robert Carle)
• Myanmar's internet shutdowns threaten its Muslim minority's human rights (by Ewelina U. Ochab)
• On abortion, Trump and Buttigieg clash with some political allies (by Terry Mattingly)
• U.S. launches first-ever international religious freedom alliance (Ewelina U. Ochab)
The Final Plug
I was off from writing this column last week and missed a story that has made a number of headlines: the controversy over the merger of a nondenominational Christian university in Nashville with an art college.
Inside Higher Ed reported that the deal with Belmont University initially seemed like a good one for the Watkins College of Art. But then concerns were raised about how Watkins’ non-Christian faculty would fare.
Later, Belmont said it would consider hiring non-Christian faculty from the art college, as noted by Religion News Service.
As the merger looms, some at the small arts college are seeking guarantees that LGBTQ students will be protected and retain artistic freedom, according to The Tennessean.
Thank you for reading! See you back in this same space next week!
Bobby Ross Jr. is a columnist for Religion Unplugged 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.