Free Republic

Pro-life leaders have noticed that not a single panel or specific speaker on life issues has been scheduled for the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), which is supposed to be the preeminent annual gathering of conservatives in America. Pro-lifers note there are important panels on the IRS scandal, immigration, Common Core, privacy, gun control, and criminal justice reform--issues in which pro-lifers would be keenly interested. Pro-lifers generally pride themselves on being “full spectrum conservatives”; that is, supporters of the three-legged stool: economics, national security, and moral issues. So they would not complain about panels covering these issues. But they note...

Only trusting the Bible without the Church would be like loving "Romeo & Juliet" and hating Shakespeare's explanation of it. "Follow" me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/crucifixwearer"Like" Answering Protestants on Facebook: http://facebook.com/AnsweringProtestantsAdd Answering Protestants to your Circles on Google+: http://plus.google.com/106938988929282894016"Subscribe" to my YouTube videos: http://youtube.com/user/crucifixwearer

These cases exhibit the lack of clear, convincing reasoning about sexuality—reasoning that respects the interlocutor as a person made in God’s image, while grounding the discussion in sound biblical theology.

The aim is to bring children closer to the Holy Scriptures by presenting them in an entertaining and innovative way Luigi AlbinianoRome Reading the Bible has never been more fun. “Bible Storyteller” is an app for tablets and smartphones, designed especially for children, which teaches them about the Holy Scriptures through entertaining and engaging animated pictures and audio files. The stories, protagonists and events of the New and Old Testaments – grouped into various sections in the main menu – are presented in a multifunctional app with an attractive interface that makes it even easier to use. The texts and the interesting...

Arizona Governor Jan Brewer was right to veto SB1062, which would have amended the Arizona Religious Freedom Restoration Act. The bill, per most interpretations I’ve read, would have given broad discretion to business owners, because of their religious convictions, to refuse to do business with anyone associated with homosexual lifestyles. Religious freedom is about protection of your right to practice your religion and not being forced to violate it. However, the right to religious freedom does not mean the right to write-off and marginalize into non-existence a whole class of citizens whom you don’t like or agree with. Under Jim...

The fleur-de-lis represents the Trinity: three distinct petals (Persons) bound by one cord at their base (Godhead). "Follow" me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/crucifixwearer"Like" Answering Protestants on Facebook: http://facebook.com/AnsweringProtestantsAdd Answering Protestants to your Circles on Google+: http://plus.google.com/106938988929282894016"Subscribe" to my YouTube videos: http://youtube.com/user/crucifixwearer

Anyone who thinks Christians don't have a sense of humor should check these out. Many of these were found at the Christian Meme Facebook page.

Full Ttitle: Pastor Ron Carpenter's Wife, Hope, Returns to SC Megachurch as He Rebukes Christian Leaders Who Supported His Desire for Divorce _______________________________________________________________ Hope Carpenter, co-founder of Redemption World Outreach Center in Greenville, S.C., was enthusiastically welcomed back by congregants on Sunday months after her marital infidelities were exposed at the pulpit by her husband, Pastor Ron Carpenter. Carpenter, this time around, took other Christian leaders to task for supporting him when he declared he would be seeking a divorce. With his wife and family sitting in the very first row of the sanctuary, Pastor Carpenter manned the pulpit not...

The Church is my greatest weight. Of course, the weight of over a billion souls would likely be rather large, especially post-McDonald's, so I suppose that nothing else is really comparable.What does this mean? In an age of moral relativism, instability, and self-gratification, much like the age of the Roman Empire prior to its Christian conversion, I found myself alone and empty after a scarring experience. So, I sought the counsel of philosophy and history – surely, men had answered my questions before! – and I was, after seemingly endless struggles with myself and others, eventually comforted. The Church became...

America does not sustain and create faith. Faith created and sustains America. -Gov. Bobby Jindal, "The Silent War on Religious Liberty" The President is very concerned about religious liberty…and also, if you like your religion you can keep your religion. -Gov. Bobby Jindal, "The Silent War on Religious Liberty" In a surprise move, Gov. Bobby Jindal spoke little about the failing economy and much about religious liberty in his speech at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Library Thursday night. But by boldly stating, "The modern left in America is completely intolerant of the views of people of faith. They...

Christian militia taking revenge on the Central African Republic's Muslim population could drive the entire Islamic group out of the country, a human rights group claimed earlier this week. The anti-balaka ("anti-machete") has increasingly fought back against the country's minority Muslim population since the Muslim Seleka rebel group antagonized the country's Christians. Human Rights Watch employees in the Central African Republic have claimed to have witnessed anti-balaka forces cutting "the throats of Muslim civilians, publicly lynching, mutilating, and setting their bodies on fire." It also reported attacks where the groups had cut off body parts or hacked Muslims to death....

Feel that? Something “historic” and “important” just happened. It might even be a “teachable moment,” and it’s certainly therapeutic. Why, liberals will be able to like their country just little bit more. Come on people, feel the love! A potential fourth round NFL draft pick has declared is “own truth,” and come out as gay. Having taken the “courageous” step of joining society’s most trendy and celebrated grievance group, Missouri defensive end Michael Sam is now basking in the media adulation. ESPN’s Chris Connelly stressed to Sam, “You could become the first openly gay player in the NFL, that’s a...

Why is it national news every time an athlete comes out of the closet? Do I need to know if the meter man is gay or the female checker at the grocery store is a lesbian? And what exactly does one’s sexuality have to do with playing sports? It’s common knowledge liberals have been desperately searching for star poster boys to fulfill their homosexuality assimilation tour in the three major sports: baseball, football, and basketball. Yet, no matter how much the thought police try to squash dissent, brand us as religious extremists, they will never understand the difference between “tolerance”...

BANGUI, Central African Republic — Polin Pumandele was killed about 9:30 a.m. He was a Christian walking in a Muslim enclave, carrying wood to sell. In these tense days, that is enough reason to die in the Central African Republic. A Muslim mob confronted Pumandele, 23, on a side street and pushed him around. Then, they threw him into a ditch. At least one man stabbed him before his throat was slit. As the slaughter unfolded, some of his killers ordered a Washington Post journalist witnessing the attack Sunday to leave. “Allez, allez — go, go, ” one yelled, wagging...

MOSCOW (Reuters) - A gunman opened fire in a cathedral on the Russian island of Sakhalin, off the country's eastern coast, on Sunday, killing a nun and a churchgoer and wounding six other people, state-run news agency RIA reported.

"[T]he light of natural reason, whereby we discern what is good and what is evil, which is the function of the natural law, is nothing else than an imprint on us of the Divine light." - Summa Theologiæ [Part II, FP, Q. 91] Natural law is sometimes dismissed as just another religious theory, totally dependent on belief in God. But actually, while Catholics do believe that God wrote it on our hearts (Deuteronomy 6:4-7, Romans 2:12-16), it is a self-evident truth with which even the most rabid atheist should come to terms. What is natural law?"The natural law expresses the...

MOSCOW — At the height of the Cold War, it was common for American conservatives to label the officially atheist Soviet Union a “godless nation.” More than two decades on, history has come full circle, as the Kremlin and its allies in the Russian Orthodox Church hurl the same allegation at the West. “Many Euro-Atlantic countries have moved away from their roots, including Christian values,” Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a recent keynote speech. “Policies are being pursued that place on the same level a multi-child family and a same-sex partnership, a faith in God and a belief in...

Okay. This is just one of those things that irks me. You know that car people (dealers, etc.) see through car situations "financing, dealer incentives, etc.) kinda like The Matrix. The same is true for engineers scientists, etc. Well, my business is advertising. I am exceptionally good at it and have made many many millionaires in my time selling other people's stuff. A big part of what I do is deciding whom to reach, when, and how. Numbers don't always tell the tale - in fact they rarely do. Common sense and a touch of plain old insightful thinking is...

An analysis pointing out the intersection of transhumanism and the occult.

“Certain signs point to a weakening in the sense of mystery in those very liturgical celebrations that should be fostering that sense. It is, therefore, urgent that the authentic sense of the liturgy be revived in the Church. The liturgy...is a means of sanctification; it is a celebration of the Church's faith, and a means of transmitting the faith.” - Ecclesia in Europa To be forthright, I have always found the “Charismatic” style, whether Protestant or Catholic, repugnant. The first time I witnessed it, I instinctively recoiled: I thought, “How is this pleasing to God?” Praise is great (CCC #2639),...

VIDEO: Russian president Putin defends Christian culture, Western values, condemns political correctness

A Christian college in Wisconsin is dropping its “Crusaders” nickname after nearly 50 years, claiming the moniker has become outdated in a “more global society,” university officials told FoxNews.com. Maranatha Baptist University in Watertown and its Division III athletic teams have used the name since its founding in 1968. Matt Davis, the university’s executive vice president, said no complaints have been received by the school and stressed that it coincides with its name change from Maranatha Baptist College in December. “But I also agree that times change and we understand that context changes,” Davis told FoxNews.com. “Our world has changed...

Please join me for a Live Chat with Shaun McAfee TONIGHT (30 January 2014) @ 8 PM Eastern time / 7 PM Central time.

For Protestantism to make much sense, the Church must have, at some point, abandoned the truth and become apostate. Otherwise, Protestantism has no license to exist. But when was this "Great Apostasy"? Protestants offer varying opinions, but none of them hold up to scrutiny. Was it right after the deaths of the Apostles?A view most supported by Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses is that, after the Apostles, the Church quickly fell into apostasy. This would be a massive blow at both God's promise to guard His Church (Joshua 1:5; Matthew 16:18) and all of the doctrine mentioned hereafter. But if this...

Officials in Stratton, Ohio, were forced to remove crosses that stood for decades on the village’s municipal building after receiving threatening letters from an atheist activist group. While some local leaders are frustrated by the decision to take the Christian symbols down, the crosses could end up more visible than ever once they are placed in their new locations.

“And when [God] says, ‘Be not much with a strange woman,’ He admonishes us to use indeed, but not to linger and spend time with, secular culture.”- Clement of Alexandria, The Stromata, Book 1, Chapter 5  A globus cruciger, an orb with a cross. It represents God’s authority over the world.  As Christians, we are asked to detach ourselves from secular culture, but still, we are also commanded to evangelize (Matthew 28:19-20) and immerse it in a sort of “baptism”. Here are five steps to doing this:1. Be ubiquitous.Catholic, derived from both Latin and Greek, means universal, and so...

Pope Francis says Mass, Nov. 15, 2013. Credit: Kyle Burkhart/CNA. Vatican City, Jan 18, 2014 / 12:06 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis met this week with members of an ecumenical delegation of Finnish Lutherans, encouraging them to work towards unity among all Christians. “In the face of those who no longer see the full, visible unity of the Church as an achievable goal, we are invited not to give up our ecumenical efforts, faithful to that which the Lord Jesus asked of the Father, ‘that they may be one,’� the Pope told the delegation Jan 17. “Ecumenism is in fact...

Meet RZIM’s newest apologist, Nabeel Qureshi, whose intellectual and spiritual journey from Islam to Christianity changed his life. Nabeel, welcome to RZIM! Tell us a little about your background. Thanks! The RZIM family has been truly welcoming and I am overwhelmed by the love I have received from the team and its supporters. Joining the team is an honor I would never have dreamed possible just a few short years ago. I grew up in a devout Muslim family with the dual goal of boldly representing Islam while bringing honor and support to my family as a physician. But in...

The Old Testament & the New TestamentThe Old Testament is the shadow of the New (Hebrews 10:1), but still useful (Romans 15:4, 1 Corinthians 10:11). To disregard it is to blaspheme. [link] Jesus Christ not only fulfilled the OT (Galatians 3:13-14, Hebrews 8:6, 9:10), but also John the Baptist's ministry (John 1:6-8). [link] Faith, Works, and Salvation"But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves." - James 1:22 [link] Those who believe that Abraham was saved by "faith alone" in Genesis 15:6 should read about his prior works in Genesis 12-14. [link] God did not...

If you are very judgmental and tend to be squeamish when forming your opinion, please don't view this 17 second video.

The Holy Spirit brought the Son (Matthew 1:18), so They are equal. The power to give God, not just in Substance, but in Person, indicates equality with Him. The Son is perfect (Hebrews 4:15 & 1 Peter 2:22), so Both also equal the Father. Only God is truly perfect and without sin (Deuteronomy 32:3-4, Psalm 18:30, Isaiah 64:6, Romans 3:23). "Follow" me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/crucifixwearer "Like" Answering Protestants on Facebook: http://facebook.com/AnsweringProtestantsAdd Answering Protestants to your Circles on Google+: http://plus.google.com/106938988929282894016 "Subscribe" to my YouTube videos: http://youtube.com/user/crucifixwearer

On Tuesday 7 January, Coptic Orthodox Christians – who comprise 90 percent of Egypt's Christians – will break their 43-day fast and celebrate Christmas. The festival comes almost two weeks after most Western denominations, including Catholics and Protestants, held their celebrations on 25 December. Ahram Online asked Bishop Abram of the Fayoum Diocese to explain why there was a difference in the dates; he stressed that the difference in fact results from the use of different calendars, not from any underlying theological dispute. Although the exact date of Jesus' birth was -- and remains -- unknown, within the first few...

More news of the Religion of Peace from WND: NUN: SLAIN CHRISTIANS’ BLOOD DRAINED AND SOLD Vials from beheading victims ‘going for $100,000′NEW YORK – Atrocities by Syrian jihadist rebels have reached sensational new levels, according to a revered nun working with persecuted Christians and an explosive new video report.Sister Hatune Dogan told WND in a Skype interview that members of the Syrian opposition are draining the blood of Christians they behead and selling vials to Islamic radicals for $100,000 a piece.The Syrian Orthodox nun explained that the blood is used in a ritual washing of hands in the belief...

Protestants opposed contraception until the 1930 Lambeth Conference. After this, positions changed. So, did the Bible change, or did they?

We consider such atrocities relegated to the ancient past, a barbaric time of intemperate, megalomaniac rulers. In today's enlightened era of diplomacy, such evil would not go unchecked. And yet, Christians today are massacred on a far greater scale than from any edict issued from Herod. According to Open Doors, which provides support for Christians around the world, Christians are the most persecuted religious group in the world today, with 100 people martyred for their faith each month. The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life reports that Christians suffer persecution, discrimination, and harassment in 133 countries—a full two-thirds of...

The Ravenous Wolves of FreeRepublicHow do we deal with the insults and pain of those whom Christ called "ravenous wolves"? Many aren't aware of it but the phrase "A wolf in sheep’s clothing" has biblical origins. Mat 7:15 "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. The word translated "false prophet" here is not referring to a Godly person who has a prophecy that fails. Instead it's referring to a person who pretends to be a Christian but in reality is not. They are compared to "ravenous wolves" among the flock....

“Eh, Bart, I'm glad you had fun, but I wouldn't get too into that Catholic Church. With all the sitting and standing and kneeling, it's like Simon Says without a winner.” - Marge “Mom, that's blasphemy! I'll say a rosary for you.” - Bart - The Simpsons, Season 16 Episode 21 (“The Father, the Son, and the Holy Guest Star”) Liturgy is central to the Christian life. In Roman times, “liturgy” (Greek: leitourgia) meant “a tax or financial obligation paid by one for the benefit of many”. Think about the Crucifixion and the Mass, which joins in on that perpetual...

A recent Gallup poll refutes the claim made by Barack Obama on March 9, 2008 that “we are no longer a Christian nation.” Gallup found that three quarters of all Americans - a supermajority - identify themselves as Christians, with only five percent saying they are practicing members of a non-Christian faith. “We find, looking at our data, that America does in fact remain a predominantly Christian nation,” Dr. Frank Newport, Gallup’s editor in chief, said of the poll released on Christmas Eve. “Now, our overall estimation of what percent of Americans identify with the Christian religion depends a little...

The Phil Robertson/A&E flap has produced some silly commentary, but perhaps none quite so silly as this exchange on MSNBC earlier this week. Joy Reid filled in for Ed Schultz on his show last Monday and invited Michael Eric Dyson to discuss the contretemps over Robertson’s comments on homosexuality and religion. Dyson argues at the end of this clip that Robertson attempted to “us[e] Jesus in making Jesus co-sign all of this bigotry here,� and then almost in the same breath accused Christian men who profess love of Jesus as being, er … you know (via The Right Scoop and...

“And there were in the same country, shepherds abiding in the fields, keeping watch over their flocks by night� (Luke 2:8). It was the shepherds outside of Bethelehem who first heard the news of Christ’s birth. These men and boys often lived at the edge of society, doing hard and lonely work in all sorts of weather. In many ways, the shepherd was the “average working-class Joe� of Jewish life. To some people, being a shepherd was among the lowest kinds of work. It was physically demanding but vital to the economy of the Jews. Shepherds lived mostly in the...

After Phil Robertson, the patriarch of "Duck Dynasty," made controversial remarks about homosexuality that were published in GQ magazine, former vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin spoke out in his defense. However, when asked by Fox News host Greta Van Susteren if Robertson's remarks were offensive and whether or not she had any objection as to how he worded his comments, Palin said she didn't know what Robertson had actually said, Politico reports. “I haven’t read the article. I don’t know exactly how he said it,” Palin explained on Fox News’s “On the Record With Greta Van Susteren" on Monday. On December...

Over the weekend, America’s favorite faux-folksy diner/knickknack chain became the newest front in the culture wars when they removed any trace of Duck Dynasty‘s Phil Robertson from all their stores. It didn’t turn out so well for them, and the way they’ve waved the white flag is instructive. From Cracker Barrel’s Facebook page, 7:51pm on 12/20: Cracker Barrel’s mission is Pleasing People. We operate within the ideals of fairness, mutual respect and equal treatment of all people. These ideals are the core of our corporate culture. We continue to offer Duck Commander products in our stores. We removed selected products...

When word came that Phil Robertson had been "indefinitely" suspended by A&E, he was praying for a fellow church member afflicted with cancer, according to his church leader. Robertson's pastor Mike Kellett said, "There were greater things on our mind than the firestorm about this [GQ magazine] article."Speaking to CNN, Kellett said Robertson isn't worried about being suspended over what he said because he believes he told the truth: "He's very calm, and very confident that if he serves the Lord, God will take care of everything."

The world media is increasingly losing interest in the foreign-fueled war still raging in Syria between the Assad regime and an assortment of Islamist rebel groups backed by the Obama administration, Sunni Arab dictators, and European powers. For embattled Syrian Christians, though — most of whom tried to stay out of the conflict — reports suggest the situation is deteriorating quickly, with over 1,200 documented murders so far, and almost 500,000 forced to flee their homes to escape the escalating violence and ruthless persecution. The real numbers are probably even worse. Experts say the end goal of many jihadist rebel...

Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, secretary-general of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), has commended the efforts exerted by Pope Francis to revitalize interfaith dialogue between Christians and Muslims. Ihsanoglu made the comment during his first meeting with the pope at the Vatican on Friday. The secretary-general pointed out that today the presence of Muslims in historically Christian countries has expanded, while some OIC countries either have native Christian communities or have witnessed in recent years the arrival of Christians as guest workers.

How do you know you're saved? Imagine you arrive at a most important banquet that's hosted by Christ Himself. After all--you're a Christian. Picture coming to His home and walking right up to the door. Perhaps you're a little surprised that the door is closed and you're shut outside. But not to be deterred, you knock and knock. No response, no reaction. So you call out, "Jesus open the door, Lord it's me." Still, no response, no reaction. At long last, you hear Jesus' voice and He says, "I never knew you!" What a devastating and shocking situation in which...

A goal of Buddhism is to “renounce” or overcome lust. So much so, that the most fervent Buddhists live as celibate monks. Their hope is to eventually enter Nirvana, a state where they expect to “extinguish all desires”—not just lust. Buddhists are correct. Evil desires are to blame for our troubles.....

"For as man, disobeying, drew death upon himself; so, obeying the will of God, he who desires is able to procure for himself life everlasting. For God has given us a law and holy commandments; and every one who keeps these can be saved, and, obtaining the resurrection, can inherit incorruption." - St. Theophilus of Antioch, to Autolycus (Book 2, Chapter 27) [link] Are we still under a Law? Yes. However, we are not under the Mosaic one. The Mosaic Law worked for a while, but ceased to be the best option after the "time of reformation" (Hebrews 9:10). At...

For years now, many of us have been warning America that freedoms of religion, speech, conscience and association and homosexual “rights” cannot coexist; they are by nature mutually exclusive. This is becoming clearer by the minute, as the radical homosexual movement has taken super flight under the ever-darkening reign of the pro-homosexual Barack Obama (or whatever his name is). The homosexual movement is part of a larger push toward tyranny that has its roots in the spirit realm. Ephesians 6:12 clearly spells out the real battle: For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against...

Steve McQueen, who committed to Christ late in life, TV show 'Wanted: Dead or Alive' is now featured each weekend on the MeTv Network From 1963 to 1978, Steve McQueen was considered by movie fans and big screen insiders as one of the main leading actors in Hollywood. The rugged faced actor's roles defined "cool" and his persona was idolized by men and women alike, yet he remained unfazed by Hollywood's glitter. Late in his life the famous actor finally realized his need for God and decided to commit his life to Christ. Terrance Steven McQueen was born in Beech...