Category Archives: Around Pennsylvania

Harrisburg Diocese needs another Kevin Rhoades

Posted on May 7, 2013 by John Hilton

The late Bishop Joseph McFadden impressed me with his faith and commitment to serving the Catholics of central Pennsylvania. I reflected a little about my interaction with him in this post Thursday, the day McFadden died suddenly in Philadelphia from … Continue reading →

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Catholic Church: Sen. Casey wrong on same-sex marriage

Posted on April 2, 2013 by John Hilton

Father Joseph Bambora of the Diocese of Scranton called Sen. Bob Casey’s change of heart on same-sex marriage a disappointing decision. In a statement released Monday night, Bambora said the senator “has unfortunately and disappointingly set aside the Catholic belief … Continue reading →

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Joel Osteen to do Hershey; should pastors get rich?

Posted on March 4, 2013 by John Hilton

The Bible is filled with passages related to greed. My favorite is part of Matthew 6:24, which reads: “You cannot serve God and money.” It cuts straight to the point. I’ve written about prosperity theology before and my opinion hasn’t … Continue reading →

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Storify: Boy Scouts to consider admitting gays

Posted on January 29, 2013 by John Hilton

View the story “Boy Scouts consider admitting gays” on Storify

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Rev. Jeremiah Wright: unfairly stained by Obama controversy?

Posted on January 16, 2013 by John Hilton

I randomly came across the press release while on the Lancaster Theological Seminary website: the Rev. Jeremiah Wright was coming here to speak Feb. 7. I knew that name and I knew it to be a lightning rod for controversy. … Continue reading →

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Democrat Kyrsten Sinema first member of Congress to claim no religion

Posted on January 3, 2013 by John Hilton

With the 113th Congress being sworn in today, it seems appropriate to take another look at the religious representation of our legislators. I did this with the Senate last year and it was interesting. In many ways, the religious breakdown … Continue reading →

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Mother of Nickel Mines shooter to speak at St. Peter’s Church

Posted on December 3, 2012 by John Hilton

St. Peter’s Church in Springfield Township is hosting a special guest this Sunday — Terri Roberts, whose son, Charles Carl Roberts, carried out the shootings at the Nickel Mines Amish school house. The Rev. Tom Beck told me about the … Continue reading →

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Religion and the law: Yale may ban Christian frat

Posted on October 3, 2012 by John Hilton

Getting a lot of religion vs. the law news lately, so I thought I’d do a little roundup and we’ll see if we can generate any discussion. First up is Yale University, where a newly approved Christian fraternity may be … Continue reading →

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Police: Upper Darby woman planned communion theft

Posted on August 15, 2012 by John Hilton

I am probably no different than most of you in that I am getting more cynical the older I get. I am wary of strangers; I fully expect that every email offer I get is a scam; And I automatically … Continue reading →

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Atheists holding first Harrisburg conference

Posted on August 8, 2012 by John Hilton

“The sailor does not pray for wind, he learns to sail” — Swedish painter Gustav Lundberg. Seems time to give a shout-out to the atheists in this space. Especially after this story about the Lancaster restaurant discount flap generated such … Continue reading →

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