Pennsylvania

Tim Brown was ready to retire from the NFL at the age of 30.

He had abandoned his Christian upbringing to the point that he literally couldn’t look himself in the mirror any longer, causing him to brush his teeth in the dark.

According to the Times Leader, one night in prayer, he heard God tell him, “Now it’s time for you to serve,” but he didn’t fully understand who God was calling him to serve. more >>

When Oregon’s ban on teachers wearing religious attire lifts this July, only two states will be left with prohibitions – Pennsylvania and Nebraska.

But lawmakers in the Quaker State are determined not to trail far behind and plan to introduce legislation next week that will allow public school teachers to wear religious garb in the classroom.

“In its current form, this law affects public school teachers of all faiths – and more so, it prevents those who wear religious garb as an expression of his or her faith from becoming teachers in public schools,” said state representative Eugene DePasquale (D-York) in a statement. more >>

Philadelphia has a disturbing problem on its hands – it has the highest rate of sexually active teens in the country and the fifth highest HIV/AIDS rate for the age group. But the city’s new campaign – offer free condoms to teens as young as 11 – to combat the problem is raising eyebrows.

The Philadelphia Department of Public Health has launched a website that allows youths to order free condoms online. Under the tab “Mail Me Condoms!” the city offers links to “how to use a condom correctly,” places in Philadelphia to buy condoms, and the option to get the male contraceptive for free.

“If you live in Philadelphia and are between the ages 11 and 19 you can now have condoms mailed directly to you for free,” reads the youth-oriented website Take Control Philly, managed by the city’s health department. more >>

This morning a group of roughly 30 people gathered at Pennsylvania’s Three Mile Island – the site of America’s worst commercial nuclear disaster – to commemorate the 32nd anniversary of the accident, to pray for Japan, and to protest expanding nuclear power in the U.S.

Participants of the 3:30 am candlelight vigil at the gates of the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant included former residents who lived nearby when the 1979 nuclear accident occurred. Protesters from such groups as No Nukes Pennsylvania, Three Mile Island Alert (TMI Alert) and Academics for a Nuclear Free Future (ANUFF) also participated in the demonstration.

Though none of the groups publicly espouse any religious connections, they held prayers for the Japanese people who have been evacuated from Tokyo due to harmful levels of radiation from quake-damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. more >>

A retired science teacher believes the teaching of evolution is "bad science" and has asked a federal court to declare it illegal to teach the subject in public schools.

Tom Ritter, a former physics and chemistry teacher of over 10 years, filed a lawsuit earlier this month against evolution in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, the same court that ruled that teaching of intelligent design in public schools is unconstitutional.

Ritter told The Christian Post this week that he didn't pay too much attention to biology before, but now in retirement he saw problems that he couldn't overlook any longer. more >>

Pennsylvania police have arrested and jailed abortionist Dr. Kermit Gosnell and others involved in the death of a 41-year-old woman and seven babies who were born alive.

Gosnell, 69, his wife, and eight other suspects were taken into custody in an overnight raid Tuesday after a grand jury handed down indictments that included eight counts of murder. Among Gosnell's victims is Karnamaya Monger who died on Nov. 20, 2009, from an overdose of painkillers during an abortion in her 18th or 19th week of pregnancy.

The Philadelphia abortionist is also charged with killing seven babies who were born alive during failed illegal late-term abortions. more >>