Free Republic

Many in the Christian church today have, at best, a rudimentary understanding of what Jesus was talking about when he said "You must be born again." False teachers are often quick to invent their own concept of "born again" apart from sound biblical information, so be careful to compare what they teach to the Word of God. A good grasp of the biblical teaching on this subject is important to the understanding of how God saves people and transforms their lives – the very essence of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Mayor Bloomberg's attempt to prohibit certain large sugary drinks from being sold by certain city purveyors was dealt a blow this morning when an appellate court upheld a previous decision — by a judge named Milton Tingling, you may recall — striking down the ban. Both Bloomberg and Health Commissioner Thomas Farley had said in May they were "confident" that Tingling's ruling would be overturned. The case can still be appealed to the Court of Appeals, the state's highest court. DaIn a unanimous decision, the court declared today that the ban "violated the state principle of separation of powers," Reuters...

Annie Clark, a 7-year-old born without hands but with a can-do spirit, has won a national award for penmanship. The first grader at Wilson Christian Academy in the Pittsburgh-area was awarded the Nicholas Maxim Special Award for Excellent Penmanship at a surprise assembly at her school Wednesday, where she was presented with a trophy and $1,000 prize from Zaner-Bloser, the textbook publishing company that sponsors the contest...

There are monstrous changes taking place in the world, forces shaping a future whose face we do not know. Some of these forces seem evil to us, perhaps not in themselves but because their tendency is to eliminate other things we hold good. It is true that two men can lift a bigger stone than one man. A group can build automobiles quicker and better than one man, and bread from a huge factory is cheaper and more uniform. When our food and clothing and housing all are born the complication of mass production, mass method is bound to...

He lost his arms in Iraq, now he paints with his heart and wants to help others...Peter Damon, a former Sergeant in the National Guard, had a less than pleasant experience while serving in Iraq. While working on a Blackhawk Helicopter in 2003, the former electrician lost both his arms, and saw his military buddy from Alabama, Paul Bueche killed, after a tire on the helicopter exploded. The explosion created a world of hurt for Damon, necessitating his removal from Iraq and a lengthy rehabilitation at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Maryland, where he was fitted with a...

As his wife was interrogated in her Havana home by State Security agents and Roberto de Miranda spent another day of a 20-year prison sentence in a Cuban jail, the Cuban educator and dissident was praised Tuesday by Cuban Americans 140 miles away as one of the island's leading pro-democracy activists. De Miranda, 57, was honored in Miami with the Pedro Luis Boitel Award, named for a political prisoner who died in Cuba in 1972. De Miranda is among about 75 dissidents and others who were arrested and jailed in March. ''Mr. de Miranda is a person who has devoted...

<p>In an age when arrogance and "Sharpie" pens steal the national spotlight, it is often the smallest, most unnoticed acts of kindness that remind us that football is merely a game.</p> <p>The story, which is destined to become legendary in Southern Ohio circles, starts in Waverly. Northwest football coach Dave Frantz and Tigers’ coach Derek DeWitt shared a conversation the week leading up to the game.</p>