(Who is Alex Trebek?) Game show host with cancer touts prayer, but faith story is complicated
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) I have wondered about Alex Trebek’s faith for a while.
My curiosity was piqued last May when the longtime “Jeopardy” host — battling stage 4 pancreatic cancer — cited prayer as a factor in his “mind-boggling” recovery. He later revealed a setback that required him to undergo more chemotherapy.
In advance of ABC’s special prime-time series "Jeopardy!: The Greatest of All Time," the 79-year-old Trebek sat down for an interview with Michael Strahan that aired Jan. 2. Yes, the subject of prayer came up. More on that in a moment.
But first, in case you weren’t among the 13.5 million viewers Tuesday night, this is how the competition turned out: Ken Jennings prevailed over fellow quiz show legends James Holzhauer and Brad Rutter and claimed the $1 million prize. The Bible even made a cameo in one of the Final Jeopardy clues.
Back to Trebek: As noted by Newsweek, he talked with Strahan about matters of faith and morality:
"I believe in a higher power....he or she is busy enough looking after more serious problems in the world. But I don't minimize the power of prayer," he said.
"Most of us have an open-ended life. It's no longer an open-ended life, it's a close-ended life," he said, given the poor survival rate for pancreatic cancer.
"I'm not sure I always have this positive frame of mind." He later admitted, "My self-deprecating humor is worth its weight in gold."
So, does Trebek have a specific religious affiliation?
This much is known, as I’ve pointed out before: He grew up in a Catholic household.
Encyclopedia Brittanica notes that the Canadian-born American television personality attended Jesuit schools until age 12.
And just last week, Catholic-affiliated Fordham University recognized Trebek and his wife, Jean, with one of its top honors for individuals who have dedicated their careers to “wisdom and learning in the service of others.”
That news was reported by Crux national correspondent Christopher White, who quotes the Rev. Joseph McShane, Fordham’s president:
The Trebeks’ son Matthew graduated from Fordham with a degree in philosophy in 2013 and has gone on to open two restaurants in Harlem. In honor of their son’s decision to stay in New York and invest in the community, the Trebeks’ established a scholarship fund to help students from Harlem attend the university.
McShane said that since Matthew’s arrival in New York, he’s “grown to know and love” the Trebek family, adding that the university has previously awarded Alex with an honorary doctorate.
In addition to Matthew, the Trebeks’ daughter Emily also attended a Jesuit institution, graduating from Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles in 2015.
Both Alex and Jean, McShane told Crux, are “quiet about everything they do.”
“Since his diagnosis, he’s taught us how to live and to live generously,” McShane continued. “His graciousness as a public figure is what we’d like to see in all of our students.”
“They see themselves as stewards of things God has made possible in their life,” he said of their generosity.
Later in the story, White notes:
At the dinner, Trebek highlighted the importance of prayer in getting him through his illness.
“If there’s one thing I have discovered in the past year, it is the power of prayer. I learned it from the Jesuits when I was a kid. l learned it from the Oblates of Mary Immaculate when I was in boarding school,” he told attendees, fighting back tears.
“Jean is the same way,” McShane told Crux. “She’s very prayerful.”
So, is Trebek a practicing Catholic? The story doesn’t say. The answer, it appears, is complicated.
P.S. A “Jeopardy” clue concerning the location of the Church of the Nativity, which tradition holds to be the birthplace of Jesus Christ, made a little news of its own.
• • •
Power Up: The Week’s Best Reads
1. Who is an evangelical? An interview with Thomas Kidd: If you pay attention to the news, you might think the term “evangelical” is all about politics. But that’s simply not the case, explains Kidd, the Vardaman Distinguished Professor of History at Baylor University.
In this fascinating Religion & Politics Q&A by Eric C. Miller, Kidd talks about his new book, “Who Is an Evangelical? The History of a Movement in Crisis.”
Spoiler alert: Kidd discusses a few other terms that might fit evangelical believers. However, he doesn’t think the news media would go along with them.
2. Why is a Tennessee religious group defending an ex-NFL player accused of sending armed men into a church?: “It starts with an armed confrontation at a child's Christmas pageant and gets even more startling from there,” one journalist tweeted. “This one is deep and comprehensive … and it's worth your time.”
Sure enough.
This humdinger by Tennessean religion writer Holly Meyer is Exhibit A for why newspapers should invest in full-time Godbeat pros. Meyer paints a nuanced portrait of Straitway Truth Ministry, which “describes itself as a nation of Hebrew Israelites who are obedient to Yah, a Hebrew term for God, and follow Jesus.”
3. Iran tensions could fulfill prophecies about the end of the world, some religious teachers say: “Are we in the apocalypse?” That was Washington Post religion writer Sarah Pulliam Bailey’s question that inspired this newsy treatment of the end of days.
Bailey’s favorite quote came from popular Christian novelist Joel Rosenberg: “Unfortunately, there are a lot of prophecy nuts. These are people who have websites in capital letters, 90 exclamation marks, and it’s like: ‘Have some decaf, it’s going to be okay.’”
Etc.: To this man, Islamic State’s ideology ‘just made sense.’ Now, he rejects extremism, Melissa Etehad, Los Angeles Times … United Methodist leaders explain plan to split denomination, Emily McFarlan Miller, Religion News Service … Pastor taken captive by Boko Haram in Nigeria turns terrorist video into testimony, Jayson Casper, Christianity Today … Why there are way more pro-life protesters than you think, Sarah Eeekhoff Zylstra, The Gospel Coalition … Businesses that serve Muslim community in Christchurch closing in wake of massacre, Charlotte Graham-McLay, The Guardian … Why Pete Buttigieg is courting the ‘religious left,’ Jeremy W. Peters, New York Times … Benedict removes name from book on celibacy after dispute over his involvement, Joshua J. McElwee, National Catholic Reporter … The Christian case for Trump, Eric Metaxas, Wall Street Journal … Every Catholic bishop in Texas is slamming Gov. Abbott's decision to bar refugees, Daniel Burke, CNN.
Inside The Godbeat: Behind The Bylines
This name will be familiar to many college football fans: George Schroeder.
Now, the USA Today sports columnist has a new gig — er, ministry: He’ll serve as the Southern Baptist Convention’s associate vice president for convention news and oversee Baptist Press, the denomination’s official news service.
“While my purpose doesn't change in this new role at the Executive Committee, the ability to fuse the skills God has given me with the mission he has for every Christ-follower — to proclaim the Gospel — is incredibly exciting," Schroeder said in the SBC’s official announcement.
Charging Station: In Case You Missed It
Here is where you can catch up on recent news and opinions from Religion Unplugged.
• Open Doors report: The 4 biggest trends in Christian persecution globally (by Micah Danney)
• Nonprofit journalism is on the rise: What about for religion news? (by Richard Ostling)
• What the Benedict-Francis celibacy feud means for Catholicism (by Clemente Lisi)
• Increased anxiety and sale of anti-depressants in Kashmir as lockdown continues
• New film explores how trauma of anti-semitism drives ongoing conflict (by Micah Danney)
• The naked truth about Raelians and their UFO religion (by Matthew Hendley)
The Final Plug
“Holy Moly. This obit,” tweeted Bob Smietana, editor-in-chief of Religion News Service.
“The Des Moines Register should submit Ken’s obituary for a posthumous Pulitzer for feature writer,” urged Paul Glader, Religion Unplugged’s executive editor.
Suffice it to say that journalist Ken Fuson’s humorous, self-written eulogy is worth your time. Prepare to laugh and cry. (And yes, there’s plenty of religious fodder in there.)
“God is good,” Fuson wrote before he succumbed Jan. 3 to liver cirrhosis. “Embrace every moment, even the bad ones. See you in heaven.”
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.