Free Republic

President Donald Trump delivered a measured speech at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C., touting America's success in fighting ISIS and defending religious liberties at home and abroad. "When Americans are able to live by their convictions to speak openly of their faith and to teach their children what is right, our families thrive, our communities flourish, and our nation can achieve anything at all," Trump said. Much work will always remain, but we will never rest until that job is completely done and we are really doing it like never before. We know that millions of people in...

Please join with fellow FREEPERS to pray for President Trump, Vice-President Pence, and for America: Government, Family, Military, Business, Education, Churches, and the Media. This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. (I John 5:14) Religion forum threads labeled “Prayer” are closed to debate of any kind.

I was once heard the story of a father and son who were watching a boxing match. When the fight started, one of the boxers crossed himself, prompting the son to ask, “Dad, will that help him win the fight?” The father responded, “Only if he can punch.” And that begs the question: Does God really get involved in sports events? Does He care who wins a boxing match – or football game? On the one hand, you could argue that God is sovereign, and if He knows the number of hairs on our head, and not one bird falls...

Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson relayed a defiant message to the atheist groups attacking him for attending a Bible study at the White House. “I will not stop being a Christian while in service to this country.” The conflict began after reports surfaced, detailing the weekly meeting of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet Secretaries for Bible study. Carson regularly attends this meeting along with Attorney General Jeff Sessions, CIA Director Mike Pompeo, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and Energy Secretary Rick Perry, according to CBN News. The atheist group, Freedom From Religion Foundation, and Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in...

Touching, inappropriate comments, and an untenable work environment: A woman who worked on Hillary Clinton’s campaign made those complaints about her boss, a faith and values adviser, in 2007. He was punished, but not fired, by Clinton. Six years later, still in her world, he landed the top job at a pro-Clinton super PAC as a well-connected operative close to “the boss lady.” There, former staffers say, his behavior wasn’t any different.

Please join with fellow FREEPERS to pray for President Trump, Vice-President Pence, and for America: Government, Family, Military, Business, Education, Churches, and the Media. This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. (I John 5:14) Religion forum threads labeled “Prayer” are closed to debate of any kind.

Liberals have stuck to a pretty consistent strategy in dealing with American Christianity: If you repeat something often enough, people will start to believe it. With the media's help, they set out to convince the country that evangelicals were dying on the political vine. But, as so often happens, they were proven wrong on the biggest of stages when, in 2016, the church's "withering" influence proved to be anything but. Since then, teams of researchers have been trying to get a read on the state of Christianity in America -- and what they've found might surprise you. After years of...

January 18, 2018 (LifeSiteNews) – The ballistic missile alert last weekend that had countless people in Hawaii panicked for roughly one half-hour with the thought that death was imminent did something the Catholic Church, on the whole, has struggled to do of late – it got people into Mass and Confession. Reports of soul searching, prayer, and a return to the Sacrament of Penance surfaced after the missile scare. “BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND TO HAWAII. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A DRILL,” was the alert sent throughout the Pacific island state on Saturday morning, January 13. Residents and visitors...

Have the courage to have your wisdom regarded as stupidity. Be fools for Christ. And have the courage to suffer the contempt of the sophisticated world. - Antonin Scalia

Why Go to Church? One Sunday morning, a mother went in to wake her son and tell him it was time to get ready for church, to which he replied, "I'm not going." "Why not?" she asked.  "I'll give you two good reasons," he said. "One, they don't like me, and two, I don't like them."  His mother replied, "I'll give you two good reasons why you SHOULD go to church: One, you're 59 years old, and two you're the pastor!" The Picnic  - A Jewish Rabbi and a Catholic Priest met at the town's annual 4th of July picnic. ...

Perhaps our greatest need in the New Year is to get into God’s Word. This past year, many people have shared their opinions, but now God wants to speak.

Sick of tinsel, carols and talk of virgin birth? In New Zealand, Australia and many other countries, it’s hard to escape Christmas in December. But even if you don’t believe in Christ or a God, religion can still be a powerful force. Research shows that even nonreligious people may hold unconscious beliefs linked to religion that can affect their psychology. By many measures, religion in Australia, New Zealand and the USA is declining – but Christianity still shapes the culture and politics of these societies, from the holidays celebrated to values officially endorsed. It’s not that surprising that religious symbols...

The greatest command, said Jesus, is that we love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Sometimes missing today among many professing Christians is the emphasis on the mind.A great evangelical theologian died December 14, 2017, R. C. Sproul (rhymes with role), the founder of Ligonier Ministries. And I think he exemplifies the notion of loving God with our mind, as well as our other faculties. Even his radio program was called “Renewing Your Mind with R. C. Sproul.”Sometimes one gets the impression that the more religious you are, the less likely you are to be educated. But...

President Trump told reporters that they were allowed to stay for his prayer with Cabinet secretaries on Wednesday because "you need it more than I do." "You need the prayer more than I do, I think. You may be the only ones," he said, to laughter from the Cabinet. "We thank you for the president and for Cabinet members who are courageous, who are willing to face the winds of controversy in order to provide a better future for those who come behind us," Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson said in the prayer. "We're thankful for the unity...

A person who gives a gift featuring his or her sacred religious iconography is reaching out, showing kindness and sharing his or her faith with others.For years I have been one of the only Jewish people at my places of employment. I am currently the only Jew who wears a kippah at my office every day. In my heavily Southern Baptist and rural town, one would think I would be quite familiar with the consequences of being such an outsider.But, as any honest minority will tell you, that singular idea of what America must be like simply is not accurate....

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have not chosen a church wedding just as a "tick-box exercise", says the archbishop of Canterbury. The Most Rev Justin Welby told BBC Radio 4's Today programme it was up to the couple whether he presided over the ceremony - admitting he had dropped the ring at a recent wedding. But he was sure that both Prince Harry and Miss Markle had a "profound seriousness" both about their faith and about their relationship.

The Supreme Court has now heard the arguments in the Masterpiece Cakeshop case, a case that pits gay rights against religious rights. But a ruling is not expected until June 2018. That gives us plenty of time to ask ourselves, “Would I lose my livelihood because of my religious convictions? Am I willing to suffer for my faith?” In America, an increasing number of Christians have answered yes to that question, including Jack Philips of Masterpiece Cakeshop. People like this should be commended for their steadfastness and should serve as examples to the rest of the Church: We show love...

A couple of years ago, I sat down with a minister to talk about why so many people were not only losing faith, but literally walking away from their houses of worship and their faith. We both agreed it was a growing crisis with multiple negative consequences. He felt that more and more people were simply losing faith in their “leadership.” Be that political, corporate, or faith-based leadership. They saw and heard from leaders who continually “talked the talk but never personally walked the walk.” He also felt that the basic needs for joy, hope, faith, and a simple human...

No man can serve two masters, the Bible teaches, but Mike Pence is giving it his all....that he recognizes the absurdity of his situation; that he knows just what sort of man he’s working for; that while things may look bad now, there is a grand purpose at work here, a plan that will manifest itself in due time. Let not your hearts be troubled, he seems to be saying. I’ve got this... Richard Land, the president of the Southern Evangelical Seminary and one of Trump’s faith advisers, told me. “I don’t know anyone who’s more consistent in bringing his...

Here's ..side of the musician you didn’t see in the film 'Walk the Line,' released 12 years ago this weekend. Johnny Cash had two loves, and we all met one of them thanks to the biopic “Walk the Line,” which was released in 2005. Her name was June Carter. But Cash had another love. A higher love. One never mentioned by name in the movie: Jesus Christ. There are some hints about that other love in the film. In an early scene, a young Cash, played brilliantly by Joaquin Phoenix, is auditioning for the man he hopes might make him...