Monthly Archives: May 2010

The week in Pa. religion news: May 30, 2010

Posted on May 30, 2010 by melissa nann burke

In briefs filed with the nation’s high court this week, attorneys for Albert Snyder argue that a lower court improperly deemed Westboro Baptist Church protestors’ signs at his son’s funeral as protected speech. A judge in Cumberland County jailed an … Continue reading →

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Sightings: The New Religion of Body Improvement

Posted on May 30, 2010 by melissa nann burke

Does the fanaticism surrounding the pursuit of bodily perfection point to a new religion? Jeremy Biles explains in the latest Sightings column. Read on.

Posted in Academia, Pop Culture | 1 Comment

When clergy get laid off

Posted on May 19, 2010 by melissa nann burke

A WSJ feature Monday about clergy facing unemployment led with two pastors who were laid off from the West Shore Evangelical Free Church in Mechanicsburg last year, including Tim Ryan (in photo) who’s now working as a carpenter. The reporter … Continue reading →

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The week in Pa. religion news: May 16, 2010

Posted on May 16, 2010 by melissa nann burke

The Democratic candidates for Senate, incumbent Arlen Specter and challenger Joe Sestak, have been vying for the Jewish vote in Tuesday’s primary. State police accused a basketball coach in Enola of trying to rig Catholic Youth Organization games by offering … Continue reading →

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Nonprofits could lose tax-exempt status

Posted on May 16, 2010 by melissa nann burke

Monday (May 17) is the deadline for thousands of small nonprofits that must file a new form with the IRS or risk losing their tax-exempt status, the AP reports. An excerpt: It’s most likely the nonprofits aren’t aware of the … Continue reading →

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Creators comment on spiritual side of ‘Lost’

Posted on May 10, 2010 by melissa nann burke

The conflict between the faith and reason worldviews on ABC’s “Lost” intensified in this final season. In this week’s Entertainment Weekly, showrunners Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof talk about the show’s spiritual concept of love as something you don’t often … Continue reading →

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The week in Pa. religion news: May 9, 2010

Posted on May 9, 2010 by melissa nann burke

The mayor of York launched Faith Net, and locals gathered for the National Day of Prayer. The bishop of Erie’s Russian Orthodox community died. In Wilmington, Del., a defrocked Pennsylvania Episcopal bishop asked an appeals panel to restore him as … Continue reading →

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Seminaries see no enrollment bounce in recession

Posted on May 9, 2010 by melissa nann burke

The Christian Century says that Catholic, mainline and evangelical Protestant seminaries have not seen the same bounce in enrollment they experienced in past economic downturns. … Over the past three years, the total student population slipped about 6 percent — … Continue reading →

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York Council of Churches moving its offices

Posted on May 4, 2010 by melissa nann burke

The York County Council of Churches last week sold its building at 595 W. Market St. in York (the former Calvary United Presbyterian Church). It plans to move to the second floor offices of the York Salvation Army at 30 … Continue reading →

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Western Pa. bishop’s malaria project

Posted on May 2, 2010 by melissa nann burke

Being bishop of Pittsburgh and bishop for a global health initiative is “like having two full-time jobs,” Thomas Bickerton told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Read Ann Rodgers’ profile of the United Methodist bishop of Western Pennsylvania, who “has been the denomination’s … Continue reading →

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