Free Republic

One of the struggles that many Christians experience is that the needs around us are so great, and yet we are limited, both in personal strength, and in resources. And, lurking in the back of our mind, is a notion that whatever the problem, Jesus would always help and so should we. But, then, is it always wrong to say no when there is need?It is a true fact, Jesus was quite generous with his time, attention, and resources. We too are counseled to be rich in mercy and kindness, expansive in our charity and to be willing to forsake...

A map of the U.S. shows the states where residents were the most and least likely to say they had recently donated to charity.Gallup There are only two U.S. states where at least 50 percent of residents say they've recently given either money or time to charity: Utah and Minnesota, according to a new Gallup poll. Nevada and Kentucky tied for the lowest rate of charitable giving.The poll was conducted in the last six months of 2013, when at least 600 residents of each state were asked whether they had donated money to a charity or volunteered at an...

When Susan and I married in 1976, I joked about a future career editing a small-town newspaper and aspiring to be a cracker-barrel philosopher. Through God’s mercy I can edit a magazine for a national town of several hundred thousand readers, some of whom are foolish enough to ask for advice, all too often on one of three topics: What college should my son or daughter attend? What movies should Christians watch? How, now that God has enriched me, can I help the poor? People ask me that last question because I’ve written four books on aspects of effective compassion,...

One of the things I’ve tried to drill into my children is the truism that the single biggest indicator of poverty is single motherhood. That data, incidentally, does not reflect the old-fashioned kind of single motherhood, which was the result of widowhood or abandonment. Instead, we’re talking about modern single motherhood, the kind that sees women who are deluged with birth control choices nevertheless get pregnant with boyfriends or hook-ups who feel no emotional connection or sense of economic obligation to either mother or baby. One of my children has a part-time job at a cafe and is, for the...

CONAKRY (Reuters) - An angry crowd attacked a treatment center in Guinea on Friday where staff from Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) were working to contain an outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus, forcing it to shut down, a spokesman for the medical charity said.

Cities would no longer be able to ban most outdoor recycling bins on private property under a bill introduced in the Michigan State Senate. The bill comes as a relief to charities that have gotten permission from private property owners to install the bins in parking lots. Some municipalities have been working to ban outdoor charitable bins from groups other than those with brick and mortar recycling operations, like Goodwill. Municipalities "can regulate, license and monitor collection bins but can't ban them," said Dan Dalton, an attorney whose clients, Planet Aid and St. Vincent de Paul, have been pushing for...

The U.S. branch of World Vision based in Federal Way, Washington has about 1,100 workers with an annual budget of one billion dollars per year. The current president, Richard Stearns, announced this week that same-sex “marriage” was now acceptable but they would still require their employees to confine their sexual activities to be within marriage. Same sex “marriage” may be acceptable to World Vision but not to God. The Bible still teaches that perversion is still an abomination and is not approved or acceptable by Him and all true believers. Maybe part of World Vision’s problem is they have a...

In the spirit of forgiveness that God Himself extended to us through Jesus, I believe we should accept World Vision’s statement of repentance with graciousness and offer their leadership the forgiveness they requested, commending them for their contrition. This could not have been an easy thing to do, as they will now have to deal with accusations of being double-minded, not to mention the pro-gay activist backlash they will surely face along with accusations that they were not sincere in their repentance but rather acted out of mercenary concerns, and so we need to be just as vocal in affirming...

Writing for LifeSiteNews, Hillary White reported last Friday that Bishop Michael Campbell, "...has pressured one of his deacons to cease blogging in a move described by critics as an effort to silence the deacon’s lively defense of orthodox Catholic doctrine and the papacy." White continues: "Deacon Nick Donnelly’s well-travelled blog, 'Protect the Pope,' now carries the note, 'From its inception to the beginning of March 2014, Rev. Nick Donnelly, was the main author and editor of this blog. At this time he is in a period of reflection and prayer.' Deacon Nick Donnelly The diocese of Lancaster issued a statement...

Ideology is as much about understanding the past as shaping the future. And conservatives tell themselves a story, a fairy tale really, about the past, about the way the world was and can be again under Republican policies. This story is about the way people were able to insure themselves against the risks inherent in modern life. Back before the Great Society, before the New Deal, and even before the Progressive Era, things were better. Before government took on the role of providing social insurance, individuals and private charity did everything needed to insure people against the hardships of life;...

Google CEO Larry Page has an unusual idea about what should happen to his billions should he die. Instead of giving it to a philanthropic organization, he'd rather hand over his cash to Elon Musk, the founder of Tesla, SpaceX, and Solar City. In a conversation with Charlie Rose at a TED conference on Wednesday, Page said he wanted his money going to capitalists like Musk — those with big ideas for changing the world — according to a report at Wired. He thinks Musk's vision for going to Mars "to back up humanity" is inspired. He said, "That’s a...

There is a common saying on Capitol Hill that those who do not come to the table will become the lunch. This refers to those who fail to hire sufficiently well connected lobbyists or make large campaign contributions. Even those who do come to the table may get carved up. When President Obama called the parties making money from medicine into the White House to discuss what would become of Obamacare, most of the special interests tried to make a deal. With the Democrats controlling Congress and the White House, they knew that defiance would likely backfire. The major insurance...

Bill Clinton pictured posing with two PROSTITUTES at star-studded charity event in his honor • Former President Clinton was pictured with two prostitutes who work at a legal brothel in Nevada • They were captured chatting at a charity event in Los Angeles on Thursday where Clinton gave the keynote address • The prostitutes- named Barbie Girl and Ava Adora- work at the Moonlite Bunny Ranch and were in California for the unite4:Humanity event Bill Clinton's controversial couplings has reached a new level after he was pictured spending time with prostitutes at a recent charity event. The former President was...

Talk Radio—in the parlance of music radio—is known for playing the hits. Obamacare, NSA spying, legalization of marijuana, Supreme Court rulings on forced unionization, and (thanks to Gov. Chris Christie) the on-ramps of Fort Lee, New Jersey. It is the ongoing mission of your friendly neighborhood talk host to toss out issues, offer a personal opinion on them, and then watch the phones light up like a Christmas tree. It is a programming formula that—to talk radio’s critics—appeals to the lowest common denominator in society. To those critics, talk hosts are the linear equivalent of militia members challenging the...

Philanthropist Willard Hackerman, president and chief executive officer of Whiting-Turner Contracting Co., is being remembered in the Archdiocese of Baltimore as a generous supporter of Catholic education. Hackerman, who was Jewish, died Feb. 10 at age 95. Since 1996, Whiting-Turner has given more than $1 million to Catholic schools in the archdiocese, primarily for tuition assistance scholarships, said Matthew Anthony, director of development for the archdiocese. According to Anthony, Whiting-Turner made a six-figure gift to kick off the archdiocesan Partners in Excellence scholarship program, founded in 1996 by Cardinal William H. Keeler. “It all starts with his relationship with Cardinal...

Man gives change to homeless person, is handcuffed and held by police for an hour Greg Snider was in a Houston, Texas parking lot, on the phone making a business call. While in the lot, a homeless man approached his car and asked forchange. Snider gave him 75 cents and then drove off. KPRC Local 2 News reported on the shocking thing that happened next. When Snider pulled onto a nearby freeway, a police car pulled him to the side. Greg was surprised by how aggressive the officer was, telling KPRC, “He's screaming. He's yelling. He's telling me to get...

A charity formed after the shooting massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School has been unable to account for more than $70,000 it raised through marathon running, one of its co-founders said Friday. Ryan Graney, of Nashville, Tenn., said only $30,000 of the $103,000 taken in by the 26.4.26 Foundation was used for the organization's purpose.....

Brittany Mathis can't afford the operation because she doesn't have health insurance, so her boss Michael De Beyer is selling his Texas eatery Brittany Mathis, 19, was diagnosed with the small tumour in December but can't afford surgery to remove it because she doesn't have health insurance. Manager and boss Michael De Beyer has offered to sell his Kaiserhof Restaurant in Montgomery, Texas, which he has run for 17 years, to help his employee out.

Christina Aguilera, ambassador for World Food Program (WFP), recently went to “war-torn Rwanda” People Magazine tells us. Well thankfully she made it back home safe. War is not an easy thing. Although, I’m not sure exactly which war People Magazine is referring to – last I checked, the civil war and genocide in Rwanda ended twenty years ago. Well, Rwanda has other problems and its government is implicated in violence in neighboring DRC, but it is not war-torn. Also, Rwanda is an entire country. Where in Rwanda was Aguilera? [video] The song the children are singing in the video is...

There is an unfortunate tendency in our times to confuse or equate kindness with charity. There is the tendency to prioritize never offending or upsetting others, over proclaiming the truth. And while it is true that kindness and not intentionally hurting other’s feelings or causing offense is a good thing, it is not so good that the truth should be suppressed in order to accomplish it.But, it is sadly common today. Consider a priest, who, in order not to give offense or cause others to be upset, does not preach important aspects of the Gospel or the moral law. Consider...