Free Republic

SNIPPET: "The Chaldean Church of St. George and Syriac Orthodox Church of St. Thomas hit. One bomb was hidden in a cart carrying vegetables. The explosion kills a Chaldean Christian and two Muslim. Archbishop of Kirkuk: "disturbing message" to two days before Christmas." SNIPPET: "Mosul (AsiaNews) - Two separate bombs struck this morning in Mosul, the Chaldean church of St. George and Syriac Orthodox Church of St. Thomas. The death toll so far is of three dead - a Chaldean Christian and two Muslims - and several wounded. Louis Sako, archbishop of Kirkuk, speaks to AsiaNews of a "disturbing message"...

Poor people who are desperate for cash have been advised to go forth and shoplift from major stores - by an Anglican priest. The Rev Tim Jones said in his Sunday sermon that stealing from successful shops was preferable to burglary, robbery or prostitution. He told parishioners it would not break the eighth commandment 'thou shalt not steal' because it 'is permissible for those who are in desperate situations to take food that they might not starve'. 'I would ask that they do not steal from small family businesses, but from large national businesses, knowing that the costs are ultimately...

Although the Bible clearly does not support the doctrine of celibacy as a requisite to any office of the church (see Pinedo, 2008), the Catholic Church has established celibacy as a distinctive mark of the papacy and other Catholic offices. In fact, the current pope, Benedict XVI, affirmed that celibacy (imposed by Pope Gregory VII in the Council of Rome in 1074) “is really a special way of conforming oneself to Christ’s own way of life” (“Pope Pens...,” 2007). Therefore, whoever wants to serve as a priest, and finally as the Universal Bishop of the Catholic Church (the pope),...

12/18/2009 Crash of the Year New Penalties Facing Church Roof Flier? In January, David E. managed to drive his station wagon into the roof of a church 23 meters off the ground. Now, he may be in trouble again. For a television re-enactment, he got behind the wheel of a car -- possibly in violation of his driver's license suspension. His year didn't start well. In late January, David E. made headlines in Germany and beyond when he managed to crash his Skoda Octavia station wagon into the roof of a church some seven meters (23 feet) off the ground....

TEAYS VALLEY W.Va. -- With two weeks left till Christmas, it seems the Grinch has struck a church in Putnam County, stealing something very special from an 87-year old member. Otis Wells discovered someone stole his 1967 Gibson acoustic guitar, a gift he received 42 years ago. "It's just a part of me. I don't make music or hardly even sing without my guitar." Somehow, someone pulled the amplifier plug from the Gibson stored at the Teays Valley Nazarene Church where he plays on the "praise team," along with a Charleston police officer. "The musician in me just wants him...

A new Rasmussen poll shows that the overwhelming majority of Americans (76%) support allowing religious symbols on public land. 83% think public schools should actively celebrate religious holidays. This flies in the face of everything we are told by radical left-wing groups like the ACLU about where the American people stand on this issue. It also clarifies just how far out of the mainstream these liberal groups are...like the American Humanist Association, which recently launched its creepy 'No God? No Problem!' ad campaign nationwide for the holidays. And, of course, this poll also shows that the American people openly defy...

How could parents put their child out at Christ- mas? That was one question that had been eating away at my heart ever since he knocked on the parsonage door.

Mainline Protestant churches seem to have weathered the past decade better than many people have assumed, but the future is raising serious challenges to continued stability, said a Christian pollster. George Barna analyzed data for The Barna Group's latest report examining mainline denominations. Weekend attendance at mainline churches has remained relatively stable, ranging from 89 to 100, over the past decade but the report suggests that they may be "on the precipice of a period of decline." Mainline bodies – which the research group identifies as American Baptist Churches in the USA; The Episcopal Church; the Evangelical Lutheran Church in...

1983 Chicago Declaration by 100 Church Leaders Resubmitted Because of a computer glitch the Chicago Declaration of 1983 that was revived and submitted on December 5 (2009) did not hold its numbering and paragraphs which made it difficult to read. Due to the good graces of the Editors of Freedom’s Phoenix we are resubmitting it for the benefit of those readers who are interested in circulating the article. Again we give thanks to a loving God of the Holy Bible and our wise Founding Fathers who gave us the inalienable right of Freedom of the press along with the others...

Not much media attention focuses on the leveling of Christian sanctuaries. After all, it’s just a "Christian story." However, the latest mosque burnt to the ground gets plenty of newsfeed with narrative and copious photographs.

"We consumed your resources, dehumanized your people and disregarded your culture," the Rev. Robert Chase, a minister in the Collegiate Church, told representatives of the Lenape tribe at a "healing" ceremony at Bowling Green. "I had to dig deep in my heart and ask, can I truly forgive?" said Lenape elder Carmen McKosato Ketcher, her voice shaking. "Yes, we forgive you," she added. "But don't forget, we are alive and well." Friday, the two sides played music and exchanged wampum, or shell beads, once used by North American Indians as a medium of exchange.

Earlier this week I attended a Winter Choral Concert at my daughter's public middle school. Some of the songs they performed: - I'm dreaming of a white Christmas - Cantante Domino (Psalm 95) in Latin - Ose Shalom (The one who makes the peace) in Hebrew - Comin' up Christmas time - O Arbol De Navidad (Oh Christmas tree) in Spanish & English I won't post the name of the school or the city I live in just in case someone associated with the ACLU stumbles on this thread.

A year ago someone set fire to Wasilla Bible Church. Today, that person is still out there. The Wasilla Police Department is leading the ongoing investigation, but none of the leads they've chased so far have ended up panning out. "The investigation is still open, and we're still asking the public to contact us if anybody has heard anything," Deputy Chief Greg Wood said. The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the state fire marshal's office both assisted in the initial investigation, and the state crime laboratory collected evidence at the scene. An ATF press release issued...

Video Linky Here

[posted on his blog, typos corrected]. There is no need for a government in a highly developed free market society to appoint itself as "provider of healthcare coverage." None, whatsoever. The proposition would be identical to the government taking control of the restaurant and grocery businesses because there are some people who, regrettably, cannot afford to eat. To do so would undermine the market mechanism of distribution, which is quite an effective mechanism. I believe the discussion of "subsidiarity" speaks to this. Furthermore, New York City once was a shining example of what Catholicism, when practiced, can do to generously...

My wife and I particularly enjoyed her company. She was vivacious, compassionate and knew her Scripture. She would tell me about my sermons, "Preach them straight. I don't mind coming under conviction."

Escaping the Nazis By: JOHN MULLANE Bucks County Courier Times The memories haunt Danny Goldsmith. Chill night. Nazi troopers storming his street in Belgium, pounding on doors, smashing them. He, his mother and baby sister, Lillian, hid on a rooftop as the beam of a German soldier's flashlight swept past them. It was 1942. He was 10. "At one point, I peeked over the cornice and saw our Jewish neighbors being dragged into the street in their night clothes and put in trucks," he said to a packed room this week in Arlington, Va. His parents' wedding photo was on...

The D.C. Council is considering a law forbidding discrimination against those in gay marriages. The law would apply to all groups that have contracts with the District, including Catholic Charities, one of the city's largest social services providers. The Archdiocese of Washington says that because of the Church's opposition to same-sex marriage, it would have to suspend its social services to the poor, the homeless and others rather than provide employee benefits to same-sex married couples or allow them to adopt.

BEIJING — Followers of an unapproved church in Beijing were again forced by the government to find a new place to worship Sunday, a move one analyst suggested would be a test for President Barack Obama on religious freedom during his first visit to the country. Worship in China, governed by the officially atheist Communist Party, is allowed only in state-approved churches, but millions of people belong to unregistered churches that often face official harassment. Sunday's banishment was the latest for the Shouwang church, one of the largest underground churches in China with about 800 members. It was forced to...

Iran: Church Closed Central Assemblies of God Church has been forced to close down its regular Friday afternoon services and can only hold two services on Sundays, Farsi Christian News Network (FCNN) reported. The Assemblies of God authorities announced at the conclusion of their Oct. 30 service that Friday worship services would no longer take place and only Sunday services, in two separate shifts, would be conducted. The church, which is the largest public and formal gathering of Iranian Christians in Iran, was forced to close by the Iranian Ministry of Information. The church has faced extreme pressure from government...

Swine Flu Forces Changes In Church TraditionsNov 11, 2009 11:26 pm US/Eastern SACRAMENTO (CBS) - The swine flu outbreak has forced local Catholic churches to revamp some rituals in hopes of slowing the spread of the disease, CBS station KOVR-TV reported. The bishop of Sacramento ordered Catholic churches to make changes during mass, so parishioners will no longer drink from the cup, hold hands during the Lord's Prayer or shake hands as a sign of peace. The Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament is also changing the holy water regularly and wiping down the bowl, and is asking sick church members...

Vanity, Many of you have some good comments and different perspectives. I would like to get a few of you, if you have time, to leave a comment or two on our blog about Separation of Church and State. “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” This is the 1st Amendment from our Constitution and the section of this I wish to...

If anyone has a minute, could you pray for our church as we are trying to forclose on the buyer of our old property after a year of non-payment. Finally, we have a Sheriff's sale scheduled for Thursday. Thanks. Dear God, Thank you for this opportunity to come before your throne of grace to ask you for your help and guidance concerning the sheriff's sale of the old property. Just as you guided the Israelites in the wilderness guide us now through our own wilderness of this sale. This is new territory for us and with your help and the...

The passage of sweeping national health care legislation by the U.S. House of Representatives has set the stage for the greatest intrusion of the State into the everyday lives of the American people in the nation's history. Across the Web, the groans and cries of the free-marketers, capitalists, and libertarians have begun to echo in response. Surprisingly, many of these voices condemn the Catholic Church for its "socialist" commitment to feeding the poor, caring for the sick, and doing the other things Jesus Christ commanded of us. "Without the support of you bleeding-heart Catholics," the refrain goes, "this socialist nightmare...

BUCKHORN, Mo. (Nov. 7, 2009) — A Halloween alternative party at Grace Covenant Church of Buckhorn, near Fort Leonard Wood, has raised $2,300 for bullet-resistant vests and other equipment in the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department. Sheriff J.B. King, who is a Southern Baptist, said he and his deputies greatly appreciate the help from the independent charismatic church. “It’s been a godsend,” King said. “During the past four years, this has amounted to a very healthy amount of money. We placed this donation into our equipment fund and it has helped us buy all kinds of equipment for our vehicles; for...

A Trunk or Treat is a Halloween event that is often church or community-sponsored. People gather and park their cars in a large parking lot. They open their trunks or the backs of their vehicles and decorate them. Then they pass out candy from their trunks. The event provides a safe family environment for trick or treaters.... (see pictures!)

Officials in New Jersey's largest city are offering cash to get guns off the city's streets. Mayor Cory Booker on Tuesday announced a gun buyback and amnesty program to begin next month. Anyone turning in a gun at one of five city churches will receive $200. The participating churches are Emanuel Christian, First Trinity Baptist, Paradise Baptist, IBC Calvary Baptist and Independent Church of God. The first buyback dates are Nov. 11 and 12 at Emanuel Christian Church. Newark's homicide rate had fallen steeply in recent years but has crept up this year. Since the beginning of the year there...

“I placed a goat's horn into the stomach of my elder sister to prevent her from having children," Olivia, 19, and a self-proclaimed witch, now exorcised, told a large congregation at the Ebenezer Healing Church at Kasoa, in the Central Region last week. She had been sent to the church by her relatives after they heard about Prophet Michael Osei, founder and leader of the church and his miraculous encounters with witches and wizards. They had the conviction that the man of God could help their child to get rid of her witchcraft. Olivia had told her parents (the father...

Moscow, October 17, Interfax ""A bag containing a Vepr hunter carbine, a Baikal handgun and 100-gram TNT mine with an electric detonator was found under reinforced concrete slabs at the church construction site," a source at law enforcement agencies told Interfax on Friday."

"Obama also worshipped at the church on Inauguration Day and Easter. St. John's has been a popular choice among presidents, including George W. Bush, because it is close to the White House and familiar to the Secret Service. Washington churches have competed for Obama's attention since his election. He quit his last church, Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, during the presidential campaign last year after the circulation of controversial sermons by its former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright." ~~~~~ Poster's(DollyCali) comments: The first family has gone on vacation more than they have attended church since entering the White...

Note: Photos included. Note: The following text is a quote: Friday, October 16, 2009 Nationalists target Calvary Chapel Kaharlyk in Ukraine with firebomb attack By Peter Wooding Special to ASSIST News Service KAHARLYK, UKRAINE (ANS) -- The pastor of Calvary Chapel Kaharlyk, just south of Kiev in Ukraine, is thanking God for His protection, after their church building, where his family lives, was hit by a firebomb attack by suspected nationalists. In the early hours of Wednesday October 14th the attackers sprayed painted on the church wall: “Out with Sects” “ОУ�” an abbreviated name for a Ukrainian Nationalist movement. Pastor...

Felt I needed to finish this one, it was long overdue. Tackling several issues at once. For the whole series of Zero dollar bills, go here: "Flickr Archive of Zero Bills"

Beijing, October 14, Interfax - An Orthodox church was consecrated on the territory of the Russian embassy in Beijing, People’s Republic of China, on 13 October 2009. It is dedicated to the Assumption of the Most Holy Mother of God. With the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, the consecration was celebrated by Bishop Mark of Yegoryevsk, head of the Moscow Patriarchate Secretariat for Russian Orthodox Church institutions abroad. According to a report from the Parish of the Assumption to the DECR communication service, the celebration was attended by the embassy official and staff as...

Night of worship with Andy Chrisman formerly of 4Him. Grammy nominated w/7 Dove awards. Church on the Move (COTM) recently remodeled (unveiled this last weekend). If you are close, you need to come! Don't miss this!!!

... Golden State has more of these megachurches -- defined as those with at least 2,000 congregants -- than any other state. California is home to 193, slightly more than Texas with 191, ... survey by the Hartford Institute for Religion Research ... some who study the phenomenon call the Southern California Bible Belt... The megachurches are expanding by adapting to changing times and tastes, scholars say. Many have jettisoned formal rituals such as organs and hymns in favor of Christian rock music and overhead projection screens that display lyrics and prayers. They deliver upbeat biblical messages about applying faith...

U.S. President Barack Obama (R) and his wife Michelle (L) bid farewell to Rev. Luis Leon (C) after attending a Sunday morning church service at St. John's Church in Washington October 11, 2009. US President Barack Obama (L) and his wife Michelle (2nd R) and daughters Sasha (2nd L) and Malia (R) walk to the White House after attending a Sunday morning church service at St. John's Church in Washington, October 11, 2009.

Church records are one of our most important sources of information about the births, marriages and deaths of our ancestors. And before the 19th century, they are our only source of information on births, marriages and deaths—because churches were keeping records of important life events long before governments were. In 1538, Thomas Cromwell, Henry VIII’s Vicar General, issued an order that each parish in England keep a record of every baptism, marriage and burial it performed. The UK government, on the other hand, did not start keeping vital records until 1837. (To search indexes of most of the UK government’s...

WASHINGTON (RNS) The White House and federal health officials have released guidelines recommending that worshippers take precautions against spreading germs to reduce the risk of contracting swine flu. Marilyn Meyers, a 67-year-old member of Washington National Cathedral, already had thought about the health risks involved in her church’s services. On Sunday (Oct. 4), as she has for the past several months, she rubbed sanitizer on her hands before getting in line for Holy Communion. “You shake hands, you touch the prayer books we all share, you break off a piece of the same bread—who knows what might be on...

The church is not the only place our children should be taught biblical truth. Parents can do many practical things to combat the evolutionary indoctrination their children face...

<p>DETROIT (AP) - A retired police officer-turned-pastor shot and wounded a man who broke into his Detroit church, police said Monday.</p> <p>Lawrence Adams went to Westside Bible Church on Sunday evening and found the intruder inside the building, said Detroit police Sgt. Eren Stephens. The man began swinging an object at the retired police lieutenant, who pulled out a handgun and shot him in the abdomen, he said.</p>

A Beaconsfield, Que., church has gone to the dogs. Really. Christ Church Beaurepaire in the community on the Island of Montreal is about to begin offering a monthly church service that will include dogs. Called Paws and Pray, the communion service will feature bread and wine, as well as doggie treats and bowls of water for the four-legged 'parishioners.' The church's minister, Michael Johnson, said he has always enjoyed doing a pet blessing once a year, so he was open to the suggestion made by an animal-rights activist to include dogs in a church service. "It's to recognize the value...

India: Church Damaged in Attack On Sept. 9, St. Francis De Sales Church in Bangalore, India was attacked by more than 15 Hindu extremists, according to The Voice of the Martyrs contacts. Extremists armed with weapons broke into the church, damaged window panes and statues inside the church. A house behind the church was damaged. The church has about 3,000 members who attend services performed in different languages such as Tamil, Malayalam and English. Following the attack, the church priests, Father Aloysius and Father Selvaraj filed a complaint with the police. The Voice of the Martyrs supports and assists persecuted...

Prayer was mixed with a dose of politics at Passaic’s largest black church on Sunday as congregants donned Obama T-shirts in a show of support for a president they say has been unfairly criticized after only eight months in office. The Union Baptist Church held a “Support Obama Sunday,” asking members to “turn the script” on the “wicked and nasty” reaction Obama has received in some quarters as he pushes for health-care reform. The church’s pastor, Rev. Ronald W. Johnson, said he rarely brings politics into the church but was moved to do so because he is concerned that some...

A right-wing Hindu group has claimed responsibility for the attack on a Church in Bangalore city on 10 September that had destroyed 10 windows, breaking the statues of Jesus and Mary. The officials of St. Francis De Sales Church, a Catholic church in Hebbagodi, the outskirt of Karnataka state capital said they received a letter allegedly from the Sri Ram Sena (Lord Ram's Army).

The presiding bishop of the nation's largest Lutheran denomination warned Wednesday that withholding financial support to protest a recent gay clergy vote would be "devastating" to the church. Bishop Mark Hanson laid out his concerns in a letter to leaders of the 4.7 million-member Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, which is based in Chicago. The ELCA churchwide assembly voted last month to allow gays and lesbians in committed relationships to serve as clergy, dropping a requirement that gay clergy remain celibate. The Rev. Mark Chavez, director of Lutheran CORE, said the gay clergy vote was the devastating event — "a...

MY RIGHTEOUSNESS IS ABOUT TO MEET AS ONE , FOR I AM BRINGING TOGETHER MY KINGDOM , NOT A CHILD OUT OF PLACE , NOT A SOUL THAT I KNOW , AS PART OF THE KINGDOM SHALL BE LEFT OUT OF MY FOLD , I AM CALLING MY LEADERS THAT HAVE OVERCOME , TO BRING TOGETHER MY KINGDOM , THE JOSHUAS , THE REUBENS , MANNASEHS AND DANS , THE FOUR LIVING CREATURES SURROUNDING " I AM " , THE SEVEN SPIRITS " THE EYES ON THE STONE " , I AM CALLING ALL MY KINGDOM HOME , FOR WHAT...

Dear Mr. President, Remember all the analysis immediately after your election this past November regarding where you and your family would attend church? Newspapers and websites were filled with stories about where you would go, and numerous congregations in Washington invited you, your wife, and children to attend their Sunday morning services. Although Americans have usually displayed substantial interest in where their presidents attended church while in office, never before had there been such fascination with this issue before a president was inaugurated. At present, this focus seems ironic because you and your family have attended church in Washington only...

The Gates of Hell Seem to be Prevailing, but Why? By Pastor Phil Magnan San Diego, Ca. Sept. 9th, 2009, I have been advocating against the immoral practice of abortion, homosexuality and many other issues of morality for 20 years. I certainly had hoped through our efforts that the world would have turned out better, than where we are going now. Sadly, we as a nation are turning away from the living God and giving ourselves over to greater wickedness, apostasy and depravity. Now to be clear, our main focus was to alert and educate churches as to what is...

Four billboards along Interstate 30 are sparking a debate over whether gays should be welcomed at local churches. A coalition of five churches that are part of a larger congregation of prodominatly gay Christians have put up four billboards on I-30 between Grand Prairie and Fort Worth with messages urging Christians to accept gays. One billboard reads "The early church welcomed a gay man" and another reads, "Would Jesus discriminate." Reverend Colleen Darraugh with the Metropolitan Community Church of Greater Dallas tells CBS-11 exclusively they've been the target of controversy since the billboards went up last week. "There are people...

WHEATON, Minn., Sept. 5 (UPI) -- An altercation over a washer and dryer at a church in Wheaton, Minn., left a 14-month-old girl dead, authorities say. The Traverse County Sheriff's Office alleges David E. Collins and Darryl G. Kennedy confronted the girl's father, Claude Hankins, at Thy Kingdom Come Church regarding household appliances Hankins received from the church's pastor, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported Friday. The sheriff's office said Collins allegedly was armed with a baseball bat during Thursday night's incident and while confronting Hankins, the bat struck Hankins' infant daughter. After Collins and Kennedy left the scene, the unidentified...