Sat 01/31/08
Crashing a stained-glass ceiling
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The United Methodist Church, which boasts a history of ordaining women clergy, is seeking to shatter the so-called "stained-glass ceiling" blocking female pastors from its largest pulpits.
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Sat 01/24/08
Church volunteers on a roll
By LINDSEY HOWALD
of the Tribune’s staff
A shipment of 168 Personal Energy Transportation vehicles just arrived in rural Cameroon, and Mel West - who started building the hand-cranked wheelchairs in his basement about 14 years ago - considers it a triumph of the ministry’s mission.
Ex-NFL star Aeneas Williams goes from field to pulpit
By BETSY TAYLOR
of The Associated Press
CLAYTON - During his football career, Aeneas Williams earned a reputation as a quiet leader who professed a deep Christian faith. Behind the eight Pro Bowl appearances and a Super Bowl loss was a man often sought out in the locker room to help put things in perspective.
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Sat 01/17/08
Churches rope in followers
WAXAHACHIE, Texas (AP) - Moments after flying headfirst onto the arena floor dirt, the man gets up and brushes off his protective vest as rodeo clowns rush in to distract the bull. The crowd cheers as the announcer reveals he’s fine, just before the chute opens with another cowboy atop a menacing bull.
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Sat 01/10/08
Mosques make room for women
CAIRO, Egypt (AP) - Amira Khairy is mobbed by housewives kissing her cheeks in greeting as she arrives to give a lesson on reciting the Quran to women at the Al-Sedeeq mosque in a Cairo suburb. Students set up chairs for the class, and soon the hum of chanting female voices fills one of the building’s larger chambers.
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SAT. 01/03/09
Shops without cash registers
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Bishop’s Storehouse looks like any other grocery store at first glance: The shelves are neatly lined with canned goods, and the smell of fresh bread wafts through the aisles.
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SAT. 12/27/08
Fair trade for real people
By LINDSEY HOWALD
of the Tribune’s staff
On Cami Wheeler’s wrist is a chunky beaded bracelet, and she carries a woven bag. Colorful and ethnic, neither seems to fit with the traditional American fashion, but they provide clues to her months spent in Kenya.
Sculptor’s craft came easy; faith was harder
McClatchy Newspapers
BURLESON, Texas - The life-size sculpture of Jesus, emerging from the water after his baptism, took center stage in the kitchen of Cindy Burden’s rustic house in the woods.
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SAT. 12/20/08
Making a house a home
By TERESA PARKER Special to the Tribune
What is in your attic? "Most people have enough stuff in their attic to change someone’s life," said Zach Pummill, Christian Fellowship church member who spearheaded a recent home makeover for a single mom in need.
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Sat. 12/13/08
Church band to play last tunes
By LINDSEY HOWALD
of the Tribune’s staff
Jerry Livingston taps a microphone, and the other members of the Nashville Country Church Band pause their strumming and humming to listen. He announces that some key members are missing for tonight’s Christmas concert rehearsal.
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SAT. 12/06/08
Local church providing gifts for children
By LINDSEY HOWALD
of the Tribune’s staff
What kid is going to refuse an early Christmas gift?
That is the logic guiding Victory Christian Church in its second annual Kidz Zone Christmas party on Friday.
Economic woes force hajj delays
DETROIT (AP) - Zeinab Chami planned to save money from her part-time job and get a little more from her family. But the 24-year-old graduate student ultimately couldn’t round up enough to pay for a trip to Mecca.
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SAT. 11/28/08
Ringing in a difficult season
By LINDSEY HOWALD
of the Tribune’s staff
The official goal for the Salvation Army’s annual Red Kettle Christmas Campaign is scrawled on a Post-It note next to Major K. Kendall Mathews’ desk: $307,088.61.
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SAT. 11/22/08
Giving thanks for diversity
By LINDSEY HOWALD
of the Tribune’s staff
For weeks Columbia Interfaith Council members Virginia Bzdek and John Prenger have been canvassing the media, restaurant windows and bulletin boards of Columbia, fliers tucked under their arms, inviting members of the community to come and celebrate Thanksgiving with them.
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SAT. 11/15/08
Breaking the church’s silence
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Ruth Graham knows firsthand how life can be filled with heartache.
The third of evangelist Billy Graham’s five children, she has dealt with a daughter’s teen pregnancies, another’s bulimia and a son’s drug use.
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SAT. 11/08/08
Moves in mysterious ways
GREENVILLE, S.C. - The former Buddhist temple sits opposite a waterfall on the campus of Furman University, with vistas of the Blue Ridge Mountains when the trees are bare.
S.C. takes orders for religious plates
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - South Carolina has begun taking online orders for Christian-themed license plates that are the subject of a lawsuit by a group that tries to keep religion out of government.
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SAT. 11/01/08
Fight poverty with politics Leaders look to
younger people.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - Left-leaning Christian and social activists see opportunity in an unconventional presidential race and a spiraling national economy: pushing poverty as an election issue.
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SAT. 10/25/08
THE
FAITH FACTOR
McClatchy Newspapers
Wendy Bourgault is a Catholic who has no problem with same-sex unions.
Marcus Davis, an evangelical Christian, calls himself pro-choice on abortion.
Amar Mehta says that if he heard an official at his Hindu temple endorse a candidate, he’d walk out.
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SAT. 10/18/08
Jains plant California roots
BUENA PARK, Calif. (AP) - In a suburban landscape dotted with evangelical megachurches and auto malls, followers of an Indian religion thousands of years old spent days decorating marble idols and lighting incense to herald the opening of one of their faith’s largest temples.
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SAT. 10/11/08
Don’t be religulous!
TORONTO (AP) - Bill Maher has taken his crusade against religion to the big screen.Maher, who has been picking on organized religion for years on his TV shows "Politically Incorrect" and "Real Time," zealously traveled the world for "Religulous," his documentary challenging the validity and value of Christian, Jewish and Islamic faiths.
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SAT. 10/04/08
Tattoos spark debate
McClatchy Newspapers
MINNEAPOLIS - When senior Melanie Teichner walks across the University of Minnesota campus, she is hardly unusual. Yes, she sports two tattoos, but her discreet images are modest compared with many of her fellow students’ skin art.
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SAT. 09/27/08
Queens in God’s eyes
By TERESA PARKER
Special to the Tribune
Bridget Hollis is a different woman than she was two and half years ago. She says it’s because of three influences: "Miz" Verna Harris-Laboy, Ladies Night Out on Thursdays, and God. Now, through a new program called "Living Large for Real," such influences have the possibility of reaching even more people.
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SAT. 09/13/08
Church honors man’s life
A son’s death inspired a labor of love, faith.
By T.J. GREANEY
of the Tribune’s staff
It was during his first trip to Romania at age 15 that Scott Laws fell in love with the country. The trip came in 1992, just a couple of years after the Soviet Union fell, and people there were eager to learn about the wider world.
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sat. 09/6/08
Church
event to focus on human trafficking
By TERESA PARKER Special to the Tribune
Human Trafficking Awareness Week kicks off next Sunday with speakers and other
events at Christian Chapel, 3300 S. Providence Road.
Free
gas or test of faith?
VALLEY CITY, N.D. (AP) - Carol Umsted got more than the word of God during
services this summer at the Congregational United Church of Christ of Valley
City.
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sat. 08/23/08
Chaplains help soldiers cope
By DEBORAH HORAN
Chicago Tribune
CHICAGO - The Rev. Greg Moser keeps a stack of books on jihad in Asia next to a copy of the Bible in his office. He stores a "battle book" in a drawer at United in Faith Lutheran Church in northwest Chicago.
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sat. 08/16/08
Giant Jesus gets motorists talking
McClatchy Newspapers
KANSAS CITY - It is 25 feet tall, weighs 4 tons and overlooks Interstate 35 near Liberty. And for two months, thousands of motorists have driven by, wondering what it is.
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sat. 08/09/08
Love INC helps senior keep home
By TERESA PARKER
Special to the Tribune
Sometimes prayers deliver angels. That was the case for Mary Ann Carter, who might be homeless today without the help of volunteers, some donations and Love in the Name of Christ, a local not-for-profit organization.
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sat. 08/02/08
Rocky road
to the pulpit
By TERESA PARKER
Special to the Tribune
Sometimes strong trees take root in rocky soil. That was the case for the Rev. Richard Sullivan, the new pastor of the Fayette Assembly of God Church, who says a tough upbringing helps him in his ministry even today.
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sat. 07/26/08
Faith-based initiative
By JEFF KAROUB
of the Associated Press
DEARBORN, Mich. - They filled the cafe night after night. To the casual observer, it might have appeared to be a roomful of 20-somethings with enviable amounts of idle time.
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sat. 07/19/08
Share the blessings
By JEDD ROSCHE
of the Tribune’s staff
Pastors William and Linda Mallory are asking the Columbia community to count their blessings.
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sat. 07/12/08
Where would Jesus camp?
By JAY REEVES
of The Associated Press
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — It is a wonder vacation Bible school made it out of the 1960s.
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sat. 07/05/08
Columbia sees some ‘major’ changes
By ANNIE NELSON
of the Tribune’s staff
The new Salvation Army commanders of the Central Missouri Region of the Christian charity arrived here just more than a week ago, but already the four majors have new plans for how to serve Columbia.
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sat. 06/28/08
Drive-in devotion
By DORIE TURNER
of The Associated Press
MARIETTA, Ga. - The preacher stood in the doorway of the picturesque church and looked out at the parking lot as his congregation gathered for the early morning service.
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sat. 06/21/08
Charting a new course
By ERIC GORSKI
of The Associated Press
J.D. Greear persuaded his church to drop the word "Baptist" from its name, sell its historic building in Durham, N.C., and move into a local high school. Greear preaches in an untucked collared shirt, sport coat and jeans. He generally avoids politics but signed a statement urging action on global warming.
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sat. 06/14/08
Environment of contention
By ANNIE NELSON
of the Tribune’s staff
Nationally and locally, evangelicals disagree on what God’s mandate would be on global warming. "I don’t see this as a spiritual issue," said Steve Reeves, pastor of Rejoice Free Will Baptist Church. "I believe people need more from church than … a position on global warming," he
said.
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sat. 06/07/08
God’s marching orders
By ANNIE NELSON
of the Tribune’s staff
Columbia’s Salvation Army will undergo a changing of the guard June 23 when four of its officers leave their posts for new positions.
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sat. 05/31/08
United against persecution
By ANNIE NELSON
of the Tribune’s staff
Three local Iranian Bahais worry that the May 14 arrest of six Bahai leaders in Tehran indicates the Iranian government is increasing its oppression of the minority religion to violent levels
again.
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sat. 05/24/08
Skater ministry more than pipe dream
By ANNIE NELSON
of the Tribune’s staff
It’s more than likely the word "God" has escaped the lips of a few skateboarders since the hazardous sport began as they realized they were about to hit the concrete really hard after trying to execute a gravity-defying move on wheels.
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sat. 05/17/08
Unfinished business
By ANNIE NELSON
of the Tribune’s staff
On a recent mission trip to New Orleans to help build houses with Habitat for Humanity, Columbian Pat Carl was shocked by the swaths of empty city blocks in the Ninth Ward, where the only sign of pre-Hurricane Katrina neighborhoods are the driveways leading from the street to nowhere.
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sat. 05/10/08
Emerging phenomenon
By RACHEL ZOLL
of The Associated Press
NEW YORK - Author Brian McLaren is among the most influential American religious thinkers of the last decade.
SPIRITUAL LIFE IN BRIEF
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sat. 05/03/08
The spirit within
By ANNIE NELSON
of the Tribune’s staff
Chuck Fagre believes Americans neglect an aspect of their mental and physical health because spirituality does not share an equal role with medicine in the Western practices of healing.
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sat. 04/26/08
Evolving debate
By ANNIE NELSON
of the Tribune’s staff
A new controversial film, "Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed" asserts scientists are being blackballed from academia if they express any belief or research interest in intelligent design.
SPIRITUAL LIFE CALENDAR
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sat. 04/19/08
Youths embrace conservatism
By MANYA BRACHEAR
Chicago Tribune
CHICAGO - Nick Blaha was singing in a choir loft when he
sensed God’s call to surrender his life and become a priest.
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sat. 04/12/08
The power of prayer
By ANNIE NELSON of the Tribune’s staff
Marine Cpl. Mario Anes thought Lance Cpl. John McClellan of Columbia was dead after McClellan was shot through the head Sept. 26, 2006, by a sniper while on patrol in
Haditha, Iraq.
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BRIEF
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sat. 04/05/08
Rock the spirit
By ANNIE NELSON
of the Tribune’s staff
University of Missouri freshman Jaylan Salmons is a self-titled "Jesus Freak," and last weekend a variety of Christians were freaking out for her second annual Freak Show, a showcase of local youth Christian artists and performers.
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sat. 03/22/08
Seven new sins?
By ANNIE NELSON
of the Tribune’s staff
The Rev. Jeremy Secrist of Columbia’s Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church was surprised to learn that the Vatican had released a list of seven new deadly sins earlier this month - mostly because it didn’t.
SPIRITUAL LIFE IN BRIEF
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sat. 03/22/08
Looking for a home
By ANNIE NELSON
of the Tribune’s staff
Columbia atheist Ken Albright was a little boy when he first started questioning the fundamentalist Christian beliefs being taught to him at the Church of the Nazarene after a Sunday school teacher told him the moon would turn to blood during the rapture, the Christian prophesy of the end times on Earth.
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sat. 03/15/08
Bluegrass Baptists
By RISA RICHARDSON
McClatchy Newspapers
LEXINGTON, Ky. -
There is no stained glass or fancy carpet. For months, members of this church gathered on the packed dirt at a stockyard, patting their feet to the sound of bluegrass gospel music as the smell of manure, hay and diesel fuel wafted through the place.
Hillel Foundation hosts Herzl exhibit
By the Tribune’s staff
"Herzl: Up Close and Personal. A traveling exhibition celebrating the visionary of the Jewish State on the 100th anniversary of his passing" is an exhibit about Theodor Herzl at The Hillel Foundation, 1107 University Ave., through Tuesday; at MU Memorial Union, 518 Hitt St., on Wednesday; and Congregation Beth Shalom, 500 W. Green Meadows Road, Thursday through March 25.
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Sat., March 8, 2008
Making a joyful noise
By ANNIE NELSON
of the Tribune’s staff
Local Catholic Kate Basi can now walk into Hennessy Music on Broadway, peruse the religious sheet music section and pull out a collection of her own instrumentals, "Times and Seasons," as it was finally published this year.
Trib religion reporter seeks voices for story
Atheist? Agnostic? Unaffiliated? Religion reporter Annie Nelson needs your help.
SPIRITUAL LIFE IN BRIEF
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Sat., March 1, 2008
Bridging the divide
By ANNIE NELSON of the Tribune's staff
Mosque brings in new imam to foster unity.
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Sat., Feb. 23, 2008
A second coming
By TODD FRANKEL
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Disgraced former PTL leader Jim Bakker tries to revive ministry in Missouri.
SPIRITUAL LIFE CALENDAR
Sat., Feb. 16, 2008
Spirit of
Santeria
By JORGE RUEDA
of The Associated Press
Venezuelans turning to folk religion to meet their varied spiritual needs.
SPIRITUAL LIFE CALENDAR
Sat., Feb. 9, 2008
Spreading the word
By ANNIE NELSON
of the Tribune’s staff
Cardinal Foley shares a
treasure-trove of tales recently in Columbia.
Church group protests confiscation of Bibles
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) - A church federation criticized Malaysian customs officials for seizing 32 Bibles, saying the incident shows the Muslim-majority country is becoming less tolerant of other religions.
Religious leaders urge Mideast peace effort
WASHINGTON (AP) - American Muslim, Christian and Jewish leaders say there is an urgent need for U.S. leadership to negotiate a lasting cease-fire in Israel and the Palestinian territories.
Lutherans to release sexuality statement
CHICAGO (AP) - The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America soon will release a draft of its social statement on human sexuality, including proposed teaching on gay relationships.
SPIRITUAL LIFE CALENDAR
Sat., Feb. 2, 2008
An agenda of abstinence
By ANNIE NELSON
of the Tribune’s staff
Three University of Missouri students plan on spending their spring break encouraging teenagers in one of the African nations hardest hit by AIDS - South Africa - to abstain from sex until marriage in the hopes it will protect them from the epidemic.
SPIRITUAL LIFE IN BRIEF
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Sat., Jan. 26, 2008
Their fate to decide
By ANNIE NELSON
of the Tribune’s staff
If Olivet Christian Church member Sue Swearngin were to place her church’s well-being on a spiritual bell curve with the left side representing a vibrant, growing church and the right side a dying church, she would draw a dot just below the crest on the dying side, despite the fact that the church is outgrowing its 13-year-old building and has about 400 active members.
SPIRITUAL LIFE IN BRIEF
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Sat., Jan. 19, 2008
Love in a time of turmoil
By ANNIE NELSON
of the Tribune’s staff
Two Columbia women are keeping 65 orphans in Kisumu, Kenya, especially high in their prayers this week because of continuing violence that broke out in the city after the Dec. 27 presidential election.
SPIRITUAL LIFE IN BRIEF
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Sat., Jan. 12, 2008
Life before death
By ANDREW WELSH-HUGGINS
of The Associated Press
COLUMBUS, Ohio - After the fourth death in a week, Keith Troy decided enough was enough.
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Sat., Jan. 5, 2008
‘No sin to be sick’
By RACHEL ZOLL
of The Associated Press
The matter-of-fact display on prostitution was startling enough. Then, a large remote-controlled condom floated above the conference hall.
SPIRITUAL LIFE IN BRIEF
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Sat., DEC. 29, 2007
Brewing controversy
By ANNIE NELSON of the Tribune’s staff
Pastor Kevin Larson of Karis Community Church in downtown Columbia just lost $6,000 in funding from the Missouri Baptist Convention because he won’t forbid his church’s members from drinking an occasional beer.
SPIRITUAL LIFE IN BRIEF
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Sat., DEC. 22, 2007
Spirited messages
By ANNIE NELSON
of the Tribune’s staff
Last year Pastor Ed Algya of Valley View Community Church gave a sermon on the four Grinches that can steal the spiritual meaning from Christmas: shopping for gifts, financial worries, the busyness of the season and general stress.
SPIRITUAL LIFE IN BRIEF
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Sat., DEC. 15, 2007
That ‘aha’ moment
By ANNIE NELSON
of the Tribune’s staff
Life Purpose Coach Karen Sinn said there can come a time in a Christian woman’s life when she hits a spiritual plateau.
SPIRITUAL LIFE IN BRIEF
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Sat., DEC. 8, 2007
Journey into awareness
By ANNIE NELSON
of the Tribune’s staff
It was during his 1973 visit to Abbey of Gethsemani in Kentucky that local author William Claassen first experienced the refreshing solitude to be found on monastic retreat, but his favorite monastery is right here in Missouri at Assumption Abbey.
SPIRITUAL LIFE IN BRIEF
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Sat., DEC. 1, 2007
Man on a mission
By RACHEL ZOLL
of The Associated Press
Nearly every week, new visitors arrive. They want to see the megachurch that was built in the unlikeliest of places by the unlikeliest of men.
SPIRITUAL LIFE IN BRIEF
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Sat., NOV. 24, 2007
The Chosen ones
By ANNIE NELSON
of the Tribune’s staff
When a fight broke out at a house on Worley Street
where Kathryn Jones and her now ex-fiancé were drinking in 2005, a friend of
her boyfriend punched her in the face and broke her nose.
SPIRITUAL LIFE IN BRIEF
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Sat., NOV. 17, 2007
Your heaven, my hell
By ANNIE NELSON
of the Tribune’s staff
Gays decry ‘reorientation’ threatening condemnation.
St. Louis-based group assists chaplains, vets
ST. LOUIS (AP) - The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod has launched a new program to help chaplains and soldiers adjust to returning home after military deployments.
SPIRITUAL LIFE CALENDAR
Sat., NOV. 10, 2007
Tolerance and teachings
By ANNIE NELSON
of the Tribune’s staff
Karis Community Church’s pastor brought up Britney Spears in his final sermon on the Book of Jonah on Sunday.
SPIRITUAL LIFE CALENDAR
Sat., NOV. 3, 2007
In their nature
By ANNIE NELSON
of the Tribune’s staff
That members of local Wicca and pagan groups made a point to introduce themselves as regular people during a discussion panel Sunday - "Which Witch is This?" - was noted and quickly brought up by the audience.
Iowa churches at front in gay marriage debate
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - From prayer rallies to political advocacy, Iowa churches are at the forefront of an escalating fight about a county judge’s ruling that overturned the state’s same-sex marriage ban.
Leper colony priest closer to sainthood
HONOLULU (AP) - A Roman Catholic priest who ministered to lepers banished to the island of Molokai in the 19th century has cleared another hurdle on the path to sainthood.
Muslim sues over punk song depiction
DENVER (AP) - A Denver-based Muslim writer and lawyer whose family is active in Republican politics has sued an East Coast Muslim writer and a Muslim punk band, charging they defamed her in a song.
SPIRITUAL LIFE CALENDAR
Sat., Oct. 27, 2007
Journey of enlightenment
By ANNIE NELSON
of the Tribune’s staff
Being graced with a wave from the Dalai Lama leaves you feeling spiritually giddy, a group of local Catholics discovered after traveling to Indiana this week to attend an interfaith service with the Buddhist leader in Bloomington, Ind.
SPIRITUAL LIFE IN BRIEF
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Sat., Oct. 20, 2007
Feast of faith
By ANNIE NELSON
of the Tribune’s staff
A cold fall rain fell last Saturday on Columbia as hundreds of area Muslims gathered at Rock Bridge High School to celebrate the end of Ramadan, the day when their monthlong fast is officially broken at the celebration of Eid
al-Fitr.
Moment of silence mandated in schools
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) - Illinois public school students will be required to observe a moment of silence at the beginning of every school day under a new law.
Muslim contractor helps build synagogue
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) - A Jewish synagogue is rising in the hills of Arkansas, in large part because of the generosity of the project contractor, a Muslim immigrant from the West Bank.
NAE makes Haggard replacement official
WASHINGTON (AP) - A Minnesota megachurch pastor has been named president of the National Association of Evangelicals, nearly a year after former President Ted Haggard resigned in scandal.
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