Florida Quran burning sparks deaths during Afghani riots for 2 days

In Afghanistan, Saturday marked a second day of protests in the wake of a small Florida church burning a Quran publicly. Nine people died in Kandahar and more than 80 were injured during a wave of violence, which was fueled by anti-foreign sentiment. Many have said this was the last thing needed in the region after nearly a decade of war.

During Friday, 11 people were killed, including seven foreign United Nations employees in the northern town of Mazar-i-Sharif. The desecration by the U.S. church has further strained already tenuous ties between Afghanistan and the West.

The NY Theological Seminary is an institution dedicated to multiculturalism, diversity, social justice and religious tolerance. The mission of the seminary is to prepare men and women, from every background, for careers in ministry.

Greek Orthodox priest finds God on a board

Is it possible to find God while surfing? For one Greek Orthodox priest, Martin Ritsi, who lives on St. Augustine Beach in Florida, challenging the waves is an important element to communing with God.

As well as being a surfer, Fr. Ritsi is also executive director of the Orthodox Christian Mission Center in St. Augustine. Fr. Ritsi, 51, says there is real peace in surfing, which facilitates the human connection to the world and nature.

Perhaps Fr. Ritsi has taken the road less traveled, but he has followed the tune of a different drummer for most of his life. Once a self-described atheist, Fr. Ritsi traveled a path of faith that eventually led him to the Greek Orthodox Church.

New York Theological Seminary is an institution dedicated to inter-religious dialogue and tolerance. One mission at NYTS is to train men and women, from various stages in their life and backgrounds, for careers in ministry.