Free Republic

One of the greatest book titles of the twentieth century declares rather simply: Ideas Have Consequences. Theological ideas also have consequences. Good theological ideas have good consequences. Bad ones have bad consequences.It should come as no surprise, then, when we find that The State of Theology survey also reveals bad consequences in American culture and in American Christianity. The survey could have asked any number of questions on ethics. We asked one specific question regarding sex outside of marriage. Is sex outside of marriage a sin?Before we get to the survey results, consider a few other questions we asked. We asked...

“The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.” – 1 John 2:17 It’s getting ugly out there. Indeed, the world is dying. Not in a false-alarmist, “OMG-global-warming-is-going-to-kill-us-all!” sort of way. Rather, this world is passing away in a Romans 1, “The-wrath-of-God-is-being-revealed-from-heaven” sort of way. How very unsettling and confusing this must all be for those absent “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding” (see Philippians 4:7). A spirit of death and devastation has blanketed our globe. The enemy knows that his time is short. While nobody can...

US Entering Dangerous New Era in Religious Hostility By Paul Strand CBN News Washington Sr. Correspondent Wednesday, December 03, 2014 WASHINGTON -- A school tells a student that he can't attend because God's the most important thing in his life. A public health official gets fired for sermons he gave in his off-hours as a lay pastor. A congregation is told they may not be able to locate downtown just because - and only because - they're a church. These are all real examples of cases in the past several months showing your religion can get you in real trouble...

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark., -- In an exclusive interview with FTMDaily's (http://ftmdaily.com/) Jerry Robinson, former Congressman Ron Paul discusses some of his core values as an American and as a human being. "On Faith and Family: A Conversation With Dr. Ron Paul" provides compelling insight on the problems facing the nation today, as well as reflections on Paul's three presidential campaigns. Paul explained that war and strong-arm diplomacy, both part of America's compulsion to police the world, are fundamentally unsound policies. Most disturbingly, he said, is that a vocal minority of the Christian Evangelical community is strongly in favor of such foreign...

Arguing and even rioting over racial controversies are among the most obsessive activities in our modern society. Where does it all end? A couple of years ago I came across an essay which explained racial differences in terms I’d never encountered before. The author’s basic message was that white Europeans were at one point about as savage and culturally undeveloped as Africans or so-called native Americans, but that they later achieved highly advanced civilization not through some kind of rapid evolution or manifesting some latent, inherent superiority — it was the advent and spread of Christianity throughout Europe, exponentially more...

Our guest writer Cassandra has written another article for this blog. ~~~~~~~~ The BBC reported that the Pope visited the Blue Mosque in Istanbul as part of a three-day visit to Turkey. According to the BBC reporter, the Pope offered a moment of “silent prayer...next to the Grand Mufti.” The BBC man said that it was, “a moment of rich symbolism in terms of the inter-faith dialogue” that the Pope is trying to promote. And it certainly was! For some reason the BBC didn't see fit to report on the Pope's visit to the Orthodox Christian basilica of Hagia...

An Oklahoma school district is reportedly walking back plans to begin offering students an elective course on the Bible after facing pressure from a major atheist group. The class, called “The Book: The Bible’s History, Narrative and Impact,” was developed, in part, by Hobby Lobby president Steve Green, and it was set to launch in Mustang Public Schools, Raw Story reported. The Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) said on its website Tuesday that the district canceled the class after Hobby Lobby allegedly did not provide the district with the final curriculum for approval and did not “commit to providing legal...

This Sunday marks the beginning of Advent. It is the season that marks the expectation, the waiting and the preparation for Christmas, the celebration of Christ's birth. It also marks the beginning of the church year, when the readings and the rituals observed throughout the year start anew. However, what I like most about this season is the repetition of things past. Our family traditions include decorating the Christmas tree, making cookies and chocolate treats, cooking a breakfast strata for Christmas morning and Southern dressing for Christmas Day. It's also the time for family Christmas parties, Advent wreath making and...

Race hustler and “Reverend” Al Sharton, better known as “CI-7″ (Confidential Informant 7) to the FBI once upon a time, is in trouble again, though you wouldn’t know it by the dearth of mainstream media reportage. Seems the perennial race-baiter has plenty of time to gin up problems and incite violence in Ferguson, Missouri, following a decision by a St. Louis County grand jury that there was not enough evidence to indict police officer Darren Wilson over the Aug. 9 shooting death of Michael Brown, but no time to pay his “fair share” of federal taxes.

Do you feel lost? Does your mind reside within a state of chaos, confusion, disorder, and does it perhaps carry with it an anxiety over what the future may hold? In part 2 of our series on the soul, we will explore, and expose, some of the darkness that resides within us due to living in a fallen world. We will add discernment to the darkness as the path to restoration will require a connection and a decision by you. Find out how, on this edition of Making Sense with Rob Case. To access this podcast, please click HERE or...

Islamic supremacism is taught in American public schools, one of which is Porter Ridge High School in Union County, North Carolina. A ninth-grade world-history teacher assigned an in-class worksheet about Islam which the pupils had to fill in with the "correct" answers (the worksheet's first part is in the above picture). FALSITIES TAUGHT AT SCHOOL Some of those answers were that Islam is a peaceful religion, Islam is the fastest-growing religion in the world and most Muslims' faith is stronger than the average Christian. Islamic Scriptures and history are testament to the fact that the exact opposite of the...

The Duck Dynasty family has made the news partially due to their politically incorrect statements, and Phil Robertson tends to be the largest contribute to soundbites. But now, Phil’s son has taken the stump and is declaring that it’s possible that America could collapse just like the Roman empire. In a related report by the Inquisitr, Phil Robertson believes that Bibles and guns are the answer to any American’s woes. The Duck Commander patriarch also had a dire warning for Sadie Robertson’s boyfriend, saying that if they do not keep it in their pants, then he would “break” them. Phil...

“Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also.” – John 15:20 Christians, pastors, take heed. In case you haven’t noticed, times are a-changin’. Whether at home or abroad, if you follow God’s command to speak biblical truth in all things, most especially, it seems, on matters of sex and sexuality, you will be persecuted. “A servant is not greater than his master.” I don’t presume to compare my friend Scott Lively of Abiding Truth Ministries to...

The largest Bible printing factory in the world has printed its 125th million copy, the Financial Times reports. Based in Nanjing, China, the factory is run by the government-sanctioned Amity Foundation in conjunction with the Bible Society. It has produced over 65 million Bibles in ten different Chinese languages since 1987, in addition to more than 59 million in 90 other languages for exportation. Officially an atheist state, the right to freedom of religious belief is guaranteed under Article 36 of the Chinese Constitution but protections are limited to those who worship within state-sanctioned bodies. Chinese Christians often suffer at...

The state’s response to this resurgence of faith is an escalating campaign of repression As he stood in the hot sun and watched a dozen earth movers smash through the walls of the Sanjiang church, Mr Dai felt a great sadness and also fear – for himself and for the future of his fellow Christians. “There were so many police blocking the road and surrounding mountains. They had cut off power to the whole area and blacked out mobile phone coverage and they were trying to stop anybody coming near,” he says. By pretending to be part of the demolition...

Before I speak about the ominous trends in America to curtail freedom of speech, let me tell you about Dr. Charles H. McVety, president of Canada Christian College in Toronto, whose television program was removed from the air because he had the temerity to preach against homosexuality. Later, he was allowed back on television, but now he has to submit his program to the Canadian Broadcast Standard Council every Wednesday for review by the censors on Thursday, and then, if approved, can be broadcast on Sunday

The most persecuted and victimized people in the world today are Christians in the Middle East. The perpetrators of the widespread destruction of that region's Christian community? Islamists. Middle East expert Raymond Ibrahim lays out the grim details.

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s Speech at the 25th Bálványos Summer Free University and Student Camp July 30, 2014 9:24 AM26 July 2014, Tusnádfürdő (Băile Tuşnad), Romania Good afternoon, everyone! Greetings to all of you!When we last saw each other a year ago, I began my speech by saying that we are attending the last gathering here in Tusnádfürdő before the upcoming general elections in Hungary. Now, I can tell you that we are attending the first gathering here in Tusnádfürdő following the elections in Hungary, and I can tell you all the good news that we were victorious at those...

According to a Global Survey from Ipsos MORI, Americans think 56 percent of the country is Christian, when it is actually closer to 78 percent, and 15 percent of the country is Muslim, when it’s really just 1 percent.

Faith Brings Comfort, But Not at First – A Reflection on a Teaching by Peter Kreeft By: Msgr. Charles Pope For ongoing education and spiritual growth, I am always reading. One of the books I am currently reading is Peter Kreeft’s Angels and Demons. As most of you know, I have often expressed concern that angels have been sentimentalized and even trivialized. Most people’s conception of angels is far from what the Bible describes! If you have read Peter Kreeft, you know that very few people can express things as well as he does. Thus I would like to give you...