Content about Pennsylvania

December 9, 2011

Bedlam or Bethlehem?

We are like amnesia victims in a shell-shocked world. We have forgotten who we are and where we belong until we get to Bethlehem.

In an article published in 1996, English Theologian, Don Cupitt, said that "Christmas is the Disneyfication of Christianity." I winced when I read that characterization of Christmas. It hurt because it contains an embarrassing element of truth. Almost all of us participate in the commercialization of Christmas.

August 24, 2011

Religious Events for 9/11 Tenth Anniversary

Sept. 11 commemorative events planned for the National Cathedral in Washington, DC, have been moved to new locations after a large crane repairing earthquake damage fell on part of the building.

Churches and other faith-based organizations around the United States are gearing up to present a message of hope, faith, tolerance and unity as the nation observes the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.

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November 15, 2011

Interfaith Groups Plan Budget Super Vigil

Christians, Muslims and Jews across the country plan vigils for Nov. 20 to pray for the members of the congressional "super committee" to create a federal budget that protects the nation's most vulnerable citizens.

WASHINGTON – As U.S. Super Committee lawmakers grind down to a Nov. 23 deadline to slash $1.2 trillion from the federal budget, humanitarian agency Church World Service will be among a gathering of the nation's interfaith leaders in Washington for a Nov. 20 Super Vigil pressing for a budget that preserves what is viewed as vital domestic and international assistance funding.

September 8, 2011

Are We More Committed to Peace-making?

The greatest memorial to those who died ten years ago will be a world more inclined toward peace. What are we doing to build a living memorial like that?

Americans experienced the first large non-domestic terrorist attack on our own soil on Sept. 11, 2001, a reality that is far too much a present and continuing reality in other parts of the world. We joined that reality in 2001. Many people died senselessly that day, and many still grieve their loss.

September 6, 2011

Deny Them Their Victory

The National Council of Churches' 2001 interfaith statement “Deny Them Their Victory: A Religious Response to Terrorism” has become a historic expression of America's breadth of belief, including noted denominational leaders, theologians, scholars, prominent pastors and everyday believers from both major and minor religions.

As part of its observance of the tenth anniversary of the Sept., 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, The National Council of Churches has revived a statement of pastoral concern and peacemaking signed by nearly 4,000 people of faith in the weeks after the attack.

September 2, 2011

Wisdom from Scripture

The newly published Common English Bible posts reassuring scripture offering wisdom for observing the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States

NASHVILLE, TN—For the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States, the following Bible verses of solace were contributed by the Common English Bible, the newest modern English translation released last month.

May 6, 2011

A Call to Prayer for the Pathways to Peace

We know that revenge does not lead to healing and reconciliation. It does not move us any closer to peace.

The news that the United States military has located and killed Osama bin Laden at his compound in Pakistan comes as the nation prepares to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City, the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and the downing of United Airlines Flight 93 over southwest Pa. These tragic events left Americans and people throughout the world in shock and grieving the senseless loss of life resulting from this intentional assault planned and carried out by al-Qaida under the leadership of Osama bin Laden.

March 9, 2011

TPC Profile: Ellen LaConte

Ellen LaConte may be little known outside of "deep Green" circles, but the insights of her new book, Life Rules, may hold the keys for humanity to survive its current crises.

People of conscience face two crucial challenges today: (1) Telling the truth about the dire state of the ecosphere that makes our lives possible, no matter how grim that reality, and (2) remaining committed to collective action to create a more just and sustainable world, no matter how daunting that task. It's not an easy balancing act, as we struggle to understand the scope of the crisis without giving into a sense of hopelessness.

March 4, 2011

Free speech or hate speech? Chick-fil-A, John Galliano and Westboro Baptists

The Supreme Court's ruling that protects hateful protests by members of Westboro Baptist church reminds Christians that although the Constitution may protect our "right" to free speech, if we're following Jesus, we're called to give up our rights for the sake of love.

February 16, 2011

Transforming Ministry: Spirituality, Leadership, and Mission

Spend a refreshing time in Canada at "Transforming Ministry: Spirituality, Leadership, and Mission" June 7-9, 2011.

The Madawaska Institute for Culture and Religion in Burnstown, Ontario, will present a seminar, "Transforming Ministry: Spirituality, Leadership, and Mission" June 7-9, 2011. Through the integration of spiritual practices, imaginative prayer, lectures, conversations, and generous time for refreshment, this seminar will explore the following themes:

December 29, 2010

The Truth About Bethlehem

Find out more about what really happened this Christmas in the little town of Bethlehem.

Friends, when it comes to finding out the truth about what's going on between Israel and Palestine, there's no better source than James M. Wall and his blog, Wallwritings.

The former editor of The Christian Century magazine has been an expert on Middle East politics, which inevitably includes religion, for decades. Jim's contacts in the region are solid gold, and he regularly produces the kind of fact-based, hard-hitting investigative journalism that American media ought to be creating, but isn't.